national flags. The camaraderie between the
participants is obvious; every team is met
with the cheers of the crowd and the other
teams.
When a team arrives at its place on the
field, it’s great to see the hugs, high fives,
and general glee shown by those teams that
have arrived before them. This is a display
of sportsmanship unlike most you will ever
see. It’s a party atmosphere, yet it has a
formal structure that makes it elegant.
A barbecue meal, a concert, and
fireworks completed the evening, and all of
the teams helped us celebrate Independence
Day. After that party, I realize why the FAI
mandates a practice day when the teams are
allowed to fly on the official circles. The
FAI seems to think the practice day is to
give the competitors a chance to use the
facilities in preparation for the contest, but I
think it is a day to recover from the opening
ceremonies.
Official practice day provides time to
process all competitors’ models and the day
is full. Typically FAI rules are restrictive, so
measuring the specifications of each model
is an extensive task when there are several
hundred competitors, each with a number of
models.
When the competition started on day
three of the WC (July 6), it was a four-ring
circus, with Speed (F2A), Aerobatics (F2B),
Team Racing (F2C), and Combat (F2D)
going on simultaneously. Those who were
supporting a particular country’s
competitors scurried between the various
venues to watch their countrymen perform,
while some spectators remained at the same
venue all day, soaking up the competition.
Each team had a team manager who ran
between venues, ensuring that his or her
team had what it needed.
Barnum & Bailey has nothing on this
show. One thing you see is the number of
WARNING: the Secretary General has
determined that the subject of this column
can be addictive.
As I write this column, the 23rd Control
Line World Championships (CLWC), held
this year in Muncie, Indiana, has just
concluded and the accompanying euphoria
has begun to settle. If you have never
attended a World Championships event, you
are missing one of the great thrills in
aeromodeling. This one certainly provided
more than its share of excitement.
Before the first official FAI function, we
held a ceremony to dedicate the new CL
facility at the AMA International Flying Site
to Willie McCool, pilot of the Space Shuttle
Columbia. Willie’s father and longtime
AMA member Barry McCool and I unveiled
the monument, and I presented him with a
plaque to commemorate the occasion.
It was a touching ceremony, attended by
many people from around the world. It had
an interesting atmosphere, as it was both a
solemn and a festive occasion. Barry shook
hands with hundreds and he knew many of
the modelers in the crowd through their
reputations.
I later found out that Barry had even
been pressed into service earlier in the day
to help as a judge in RC Combat, the last
AMA Nats event before the WC started. It
was fun to see him giving autographs as
well as collecting them!
Barry McCool, father of astronaut
Willie McCool, in front of the
memorial honoring his son.
Opening ceremonies always send a chill
up my spine, because you see
representatives from all of the participating
nations march (I’ve noticed that
aeromodelers don’t march very well) in to
the ceremony, carrying their respective
Dave Brown AMA president
President’s Perspective
October 2004 5
This operation could well
use the phrase “Bet you
can’t attend just one.”
people greeting each other with hugs and
exuberance. Why is this? The WC is a
semiannual “family reunion,” with new
members of the family welcomed in each
time it is held.
A snack-food advertisement uses the
line, “Bet you can’t eat just one.” This
operation could well use the phrase “Bet
you can’t attend just one.” I met a person
who claimed to have attended every CLWC
in history, following this circus all around
the world. Among the spectators, officials,
and competitors were people who had flown
in each of the previous CLWCs.
Four days of qualifying flights in three
of the four events brought us to the final day
and the air was electric. We set a world
record in Team Race (F2C), and even the
Americans were beginning to refer to the
events by their FAI designations.
The F2A event normally doesn’t have a
final competition, so we added a best-ofthe-
best event. The Champion’s Cup was
dedicated to the previous three Speed World
Champions who were all in attendance.
During this event, a world record was set
which started the day off with a bang.
A great 200-lap final was up next for
F2C, and this event did not disappoint
anyone. In the final F2D matches, the
Russians made a clean sweep of all three
places, but did so in a unique way. A
Russian woman won third place and
Russia’s Junior competitor took the Silver.
F2B was the last event to be completed
and for most of us—including those from
around the world—the win by Bill Werwage
was the crowning glory. Why was this so
special? As a young competitor of 28 and 30
years old, Bill won the World
Championships in 1970 and 1972. Now, 34
years after his first time as World Champion,
he was again crowned World Champion.
The awards banquet is always a
memorable experience for a WC. We could
only seat 550 in the banquet facility, so
banquet tickets became a hot commodity.
Fortunately, while the banquet was sold out
early, some people chose to give up their
tickets so that others might attend.
In one instance, someone turned in a pair
of tickets and an announcement was made
that there were two tickets available. A rush
to the trailer occurred and the tickets were
sold to the first person in line. The second
person in line pleaded that he was trying to
get a ticket for a former two-time World
Champion! What was funny was that the
person who had gotten the tickets turned
around and it was Les McDonald, a threetime
World Champion. Fortunately, the
two-time World Champion eventually got a
ticket.
Continued on page 154
SINCE 1936
10sig1.QXD 7/23/04 12:19 pm Page 5
At the last minute we were offered the
use of the auditorium adjacent to the
banquet hall for the actual awards
ceremony. The additional capacity of that
facility allowed all who wanted to see the
awards presented attend. Even if they were
unable to go to the banquet, many people
were welcomed to the party after the
awards.
The party was something else; let’s just
say that the facility had to make several trips
to replenish the supply of wine and other
refreshments. We had arranged for buses to
transport everyone to and from the awards
banquet and ceremony so the safety of our
guests was not in question. The last bus
departed the facility well after midnight,
loaded with happy people who were
celebrating the winners, the event they had
experienced, and the lifelong friends they
had made.
Is it addictive? I don’t know any other
way to describe it. I’ve been to quite a few
World Championships and I can assure you
that I have not been to my last. It’s an
experience you will never forget, and it
results in the establishment of a lifetime of
memories and friends.
A future article on the World
Championships will have the complete
results. MA
Til next month.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/10
Page Numbers: 5,154
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/10
Page Numbers: 5,154
national flags. The camaraderie between the
participants is obvious; every team is met
with the cheers of the crowd and the other
teams.
When a team arrives at its place on the
field, it’s great to see the hugs, high fives,
and general glee shown by those teams that
have arrived before them. This is a display
of sportsmanship unlike most you will ever
see. It’s a party atmosphere, yet it has a
formal structure that makes it elegant.
A barbecue meal, a concert, and
fireworks completed the evening, and all of
the teams helped us celebrate Independence
Day. After that party, I realize why the FAI
mandates a practice day when the teams are
allowed to fly on the official circles. The
FAI seems to think the practice day is to
give the competitors a chance to use the
facilities in preparation for the contest, but I
think it is a day to recover from the opening
ceremonies.
Official practice day provides time to
process all competitors’ models and the day
is full. Typically FAI rules are restrictive, so
measuring the specifications of each model
is an extensive task when there are several
hundred competitors, each with a number of
models.
When the competition started on day
three of the WC (July 6), it was a four-ring
circus, with Speed (F2A), Aerobatics (F2B),
Team Racing (F2C), and Combat (F2D)
going on simultaneously. Those who were
supporting a particular country’s
competitors scurried between the various
venues to watch their countrymen perform,
while some spectators remained at the same
venue all day, soaking up the competition.
Each team had a team manager who ran
between venues, ensuring that his or her
team had what it needed.
Barnum & Bailey has nothing on this
show. One thing you see is the number of
WARNING: the Secretary General has
determined that the subject of this column
can be addictive.
As I write this column, the 23rd Control
Line World Championships (CLWC), held
this year in Muncie, Indiana, has just
concluded and the accompanying euphoria
has begun to settle. If you have never
attended a World Championships event, you
are missing one of the great thrills in
aeromodeling. This one certainly provided
more than its share of excitement.
Before the first official FAI function, we
held a ceremony to dedicate the new CL
facility at the AMA International Flying Site
to Willie McCool, pilot of the Space Shuttle
Columbia. Willie’s father and longtime
AMA member Barry McCool and I unveiled
the monument, and I presented him with a
plaque to commemorate the occasion.
It was a touching ceremony, attended by
many people from around the world. It had
an interesting atmosphere, as it was both a
solemn and a festive occasion. Barry shook
hands with hundreds and he knew many of
the modelers in the crowd through their
reputations.
I later found out that Barry had even
been pressed into service earlier in the day
to help as a judge in RC Combat, the last
AMA Nats event before the WC started. It
was fun to see him giving autographs as
well as collecting them!
Barry McCool, father of astronaut
Willie McCool, in front of the
memorial honoring his son.
Opening ceremonies always send a chill
up my spine, because you see
representatives from all of the participating
nations march (I’ve noticed that
aeromodelers don’t march very well) in to
the ceremony, carrying their respective
Dave Brown AMA president
President’s Perspective
October 2004 5
This operation could well
use the phrase “Bet you
can’t attend just one.”
people greeting each other with hugs and
exuberance. Why is this? The WC is a
semiannual “family reunion,” with new
members of the family welcomed in each
time it is held.
A snack-food advertisement uses the
line, “Bet you can’t eat just one.” This
operation could well use the phrase “Bet
you can’t attend just one.” I met a person
who claimed to have attended every CLWC
in history, following this circus all around
the world. Among the spectators, officials,
and competitors were people who had flown
in each of the previous CLWCs.
Four days of qualifying flights in three
of the four events brought us to the final day
and the air was electric. We set a world
record in Team Race (F2C), and even the
Americans were beginning to refer to the
events by their FAI designations.
The F2A event normally doesn’t have a
final competition, so we added a best-ofthe-
best event. The Champion’s Cup was
dedicated to the previous three Speed World
Champions who were all in attendance.
During this event, a world record was set
which started the day off with a bang.
A great 200-lap final was up next for
F2C, and this event did not disappoint
anyone. In the final F2D matches, the
Russians made a clean sweep of all three
places, but did so in a unique way. A
Russian woman won third place and
Russia’s Junior competitor took the Silver.
F2B was the last event to be completed
and for most of us—including those from
around the world—the win by Bill Werwage
was the crowning glory. Why was this so
special? As a young competitor of 28 and 30
years old, Bill won the World
Championships in 1970 and 1972. Now, 34
years after his first time as World Champion,
he was again crowned World Champion.
The awards banquet is always a
memorable experience for a WC. We could
only seat 550 in the banquet facility, so
banquet tickets became a hot commodity.
Fortunately, while the banquet was sold out
early, some people chose to give up their
tickets so that others might attend.
In one instance, someone turned in a pair
of tickets and an announcement was made
that there were two tickets available. A rush
to the trailer occurred and the tickets were
sold to the first person in line. The second
person in line pleaded that he was trying to
get a ticket for a former two-time World
Champion! What was funny was that the
person who had gotten the tickets turned
around and it was Les McDonald, a threetime
World Champion. Fortunately, the
two-time World Champion eventually got a
ticket.
Continued on page 154
SINCE 1936
10sig1.QXD 7/23/04 12:19 pm Page 5
At the last minute we were offered the
use of the auditorium adjacent to the
banquet hall for the actual awards
ceremony. The additional capacity of that
facility allowed all who wanted to see the
awards presented attend. Even if they were
unable to go to the banquet, many people
were welcomed to the party after the
awards.
The party was something else; let’s just
say that the facility had to make several trips
to replenish the supply of wine and other
refreshments. We had arranged for buses to
transport everyone to and from the awards
banquet and ceremony so the safety of our
guests was not in question. The last bus
departed the facility well after midnight,
loaded with happy people who were
celebrating the winners, the event they had
experienced, and the lifelong friends they
had made.
Is it addictive? I don’t know any other
way to describe it. I’ve been to quite a few
World Championships and I can assure you
that I have not been to my last. It’s an
experience you will never forget, and it
results in the establishment of a lifetime of
memories and friends.
A future article on the World
Championships will have the complete
results. MA
Til next month.