RADIO CONTROL ELECTRICS
Bob Kopski
25 West End Dr., Lansdale, PA 19446
This column will list one meet, remind you of the Electric Connection Service (ECS), and address in detail one of the most common reader questions.
Meet: E-FLI-OWA 2003
Jon McVay (5 Hillcrest Heights, Mount Vernon, IA 52314; Tel.: (319) 895-6527; E-mail: [email protected]) wrote to tell us of the upcoming 2003 E-FLI-OWA event scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, September 6–7, 2003. The location is the Seven Cities Sod Farm near the junction of I‑80 and Iowa 130. You can find a map and more details at www.rc-dymond.com/efliowa/.
Last year's meet drew 42 pilots, and, given that E-meets seem to grow, I expect even more participation this year. You can find pictures from last year's gathering at http://fisheye.ws/efliowa/. The mailer I received emphasizes that this is a fun-fly with no competitive events. You can also buy, sell, and trade E-goodies on the spot, and a catered lunch will be available.
E-meets are a great place to witness contemporary Electric flight. If you are thinking about E-power but still have questions or doubts, E-meets are sure to convince. I've never heard anyone say that a meet discouraged him or her!
Electric Connection Service (ECS)
A few months have passed since I've received any ECS requests, so it's time to remind everyone of this resource. The ECS is your place to seek out others of the E-persuasion in your immediate area. If you (or your group) are seeking to "connect" with E-others nearby, send me your request and contact information (address, telephone number, etc.), and I'll list it in an upcoming column.
In this way, unknown E-folks who are in your vicinity can get in touch, and presto! You're not so alone anymore. There are present-day E-clubs that got their start via the ECS—an exclusive service feature of this MA column for nearly two decades.
How Electric knowledge and products developed
"Timeless" is about the best word I can find to describe many common reader questions. No matter how many years pass and no matter how many times the same questions are answered (here or elsewhere), new (and even not-so-new) E-fliers keep coming up with the same inquiries.
One of the most often-asked questions concerns books (or other reference material) about Electric. Before I proceed I have a question for you: have you ever wondered how all of today's Electric knowledge and product have come about? Nearly none of it existed 30 years ago, so how do we have the vast and exploding E-marketplace and E-participation of today?
Throughout the years, many people gradually learned then shared their knowledge of E "how-to" and used it to develop continuously improved E-specific designs and products. We collectively went from "E-nothing" to "E-plenty" in roughly three decades. You can see this dramatically by comparing any popular aeromodeling magazine prior to approximately 1980 with a typical aeromodeling magazine of today.
I view all of this as a classic chicken-and-egg situation. Time was when few aeromodelers even knew the word "Electric"; at the same time there were few Electric products around. They came together in a gradual bootstrap fashion. This process is accelerating: the more people who have an E-interest, the more new ideas and E-products are produced, and the more new E-aeromodelers come about.
Books and periodicals
Despite the expanding popularity of E-power, with its vast, up-to-the-minute product array, there remains one missing basic product: a complete, up-to-the-minute book about Electric. The key words are "complete" and "up-to-the-minute." It is impossible for anyone to write such a book; nearly as soon as it's out, it begins to become obsolete—at least in part.
However, I can recommend a couple of books that deal adequately with the basics, which is what beginners really need.
- Clean and Quiet by Bob Aberle — several years old but still valuable for its presentation of basics. You will not find coverage of the latest products and technology, but you will find lasting information to help you get started. Available from New Creations R/C, Box 496, Willis, TX 77378; Tel.: (936) 856-4630.
- Getting Started in Backyard Flying by Bob Aberle — more recent and a bit more specialized; published by Air Age. Also available from www.rcstore.com or (800) 537-5874.
Getting Started in Backyard Flying deals largely with smaller Radio Control Electrics but addresses many electric basics that are useful regardless of size interest. I recommend both of Bob's books for any electric beginner (and for some not-so-beginners too).
The longest-running printed E-resource is the monthly aeromodeling magazine. For decades, most popular monthlies have included an Electrics column and/or frequent E-feature articles (designs, ESC and other electronics designs, E-meet coverage, etc.). These writings collectively represent an enormous albeit unordered wealth of E-info accumulated over time. The challenge is gaining access to this history.
Many people clip and file articles of interest—about Electrics or otherwise—and in a sense make their own books. I've encouraged this routinely.
There are also E-dedicated magazines that many feel are the best yet. In the USA I'm aware of three:
- Quiet Flyer (formerly Sailplane and Electric Modeler) — a full-size monthly dedicated to Electrics and sailplane flying, with an increasing emphasis on Electrics. Info at www.quietflyer.com or Kiona Publishing Inc., Box 4250, West Richland, WA 99353; Tel.: (866) 627-0456 (orders only).
- Backyard Flyer — an Air Age bimonthly dedicated to small Electrics. Info at www.backyardflyer.com.
- Radio Control MicroFlight — a 16-page monthly newsletter-style publication from Air Age focused on small micro electrics. Info at www.recmicroflight.com.
For more information about the Air Age publications contact Air Age Publishing Inc., 100 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
Keep in mind that even dedicated E-magazines are not books: you must accumulate their content over time to get a more complete electric picture. For beginners, consider Bob Aberle's books for basics and subscribe to monthly E-columns and/or dedicated E-magazines to stay up to date.
Internet and other resources
One burgeoning, up-to-the-minute E-resource is the Internet. Sites such as www.ezonemag.com and http://members.aol.com/KMyersEFO have huge archives of E-info and many links to additional resources. These sites offer a great deal of information for both beginners and experienced E-modelers.
Web sites share much product-specific information in the form of reviews and discussions, but you have to dig through material, so plan to spend some time depending on your interest. No paper publication can keep up with Web-based resources for sheer volume, variety, and speed, but you can't hold the Internet in your hands like a book.
This extensive collective paper-and-electronic E-resource contains yet one more resource: the writers and contributors themselves. I know many of these people, and they are able and willing to accommodate reader questions.
On average, during my 20 years of association with MA I have received and replied to approximately 200 reader letters annually. Almost all have specific questions, and I've been able to answer most.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
