Maynard Hill’s world-record-setting airplane TAM 5—
which crossed the Atlantic Ocean in August 2003—was on
prominent display at this year’s Toledo R/C Expo. It
attracted a great deal of attention because of its historical
significance. Many who saw the model and took pictures of
it commented that it looked “so ordinary.”
AMA staff brought TAM 5 to the show from AMA’s
National Model Aviation Museum. They mounted it on a
tripod so that it was above all other displayed aircraft, yet
close enough for everyone to get a close look. Based on the
number of fingerprints it accumulated during the weekend,
many felt the need to touch the airplane!
Maynard and his wife Gay were in the model’s vicinity
much of the time, and they received many congratulations.
Toledo Weak Signals club members who arranged the
display as a highlight of this year’s show were pleased to
have the Hills and the model on hand to celebrate the 50thanniversary
event.
To kick off the ceremony for the awards and raffle
winners Sunday afternoon, I made a special presentation to
Maynard in recognition of his team’s incredible effort to fly
TAM 5 nonstop from Newfoundland to Ireland. I presented
him with a plaque for the John A. Zaic Memorial Award and
a $1,000 check. That was the second time this award
combination had been made. (Last year it went to AMA
Historian Norm Rosenstock.)
This year’s award recognized Maynard and his
supporters’ 40 years of effort to establish 25 RC world
records, setting the stage for the greatest one: the Atlantic
September 2004 47
John Worth (R) gives Maynard Hill prestigious John Zaic Memorial Award,
recognizing 40 years of world-record performances.
Ocean crossing. That
accomplishment was detailed in
the January 2004 MA and is known
about worldwide. Now for the first
time in many years, he can relax
and enjoy the results of his
extraordinary achievements.
Hampered in recent years by
sight and hearing problems,
Maynard persevered and managed
all aspects of the final project with
the help of many friends and
talented specialists. I’m proud to
say that I helped with early record
attempts when I was AMA
president in 1963.
When Maynard succeeded me
as president in 1964, the recordsetting
efforts continued. He was
assisted for many years by 1969-
1970 AMA President John Patton,
who served as a record
certification official.
Emphasizing the team effort
throughout the years, when
Maynard launched TAM 5 from Newfoundland, current
AMA President Dave Brown landed the model in England
after its autopiloted flight over the ocean got it to Ireland.
The John A. Zaic Memorial Award was instituted in
2003. It was funded by an inheritance that Frank Zaic
received upon his brother John’s death and donated in 2002.
Frank was one of the pioneers who helped establish AMA
in 1936. He is now retired and living in Guatemala with his
wife’s family.
The Zaic brothers wanted to honor the memory of
Lieutenant J.W. Alden; he is regarded as the principal
person whose efforts helped bring about the creation of
AMA as an offshoot of the National Aeronautic
Association.
The award criteria specify that it is to be given “In
Recognition of Extraordinary Contributions to the Progress,
Promotion, or Preservation of Aeromodeling in the U.S.A.”
That is much in keeping with the vision that Frank Zaic and
John Alden had when they helped establish AMA, and
Maynard Hill’s long service to the Academy and
aeromodeling in general made him a natural candidate for
this year’s award.
I was happy to be in Toledo to make the award
presentation to Maynard on behalf of Frank Zaic (who
recently received the FAI Gold Medal—the organization’s
highest award—for more than 70 years of contributions to
aeromodeling history as a model builder, designer, writer,
publisher, and supplier of model-aircraft products). MA
—John Worth
Record Achievement Recognized
09sig2.QXD 6/24/04 9:07 am Page 47
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/09
Page Numbers: 47