The US Model Airplane Swap Meet

54 MODEL AVIATION
The US Model
Airplane Swap
Meet by Dave Terry
Above: People began lining up at the gate
of the Georgia National Fairgrounds at
dawn on the opening day of the SMS.
This panoramic view of the largest of the three main
buildings used for the show gives an idea of the vast
sprawl of this gathering.
“Giant” is not a
big enough word
to describe this
event’s size
THE SOUTHEASTERN Model Show
(SMS) takes place annually in Perry,
Georgia. This year it was held Friday and
Saturday February 29-March 1.
Driving to the event, you see moss
hanging from 100-year-old oaks that dwarf
large, white houses with stately columns,
rocking chairs, and porch swings. White
picket fences enclose crazy chickens and
lazy coonhounds. Almost every radio
station is “The Message.”
However, at SMS Ed Stefan
broadcasted a different message through
loud speakers into three massive buildings
at the Georgia National Fairgrounds &
Agricenter, where more than 1,000 tables
were set up to support an excess of 5,000
models. The SMS has been held at this
venue for the last 14 years, and more than
100 Georgia Aircraft Modelers Association
(GAMA) members work together to make
the event happen. In the dim light of early
dawn, enthusiasm shined while laughter
echoed from the group.
The GAMA is headquartered in Warner
Robins, Georgia, with its flying site in Fort
Valley. The SMS is held the first weekend
of March each year on Friday and
Saturday. The dates were moved in 2008
for the leap year.
Norm Deputy is the secretary, treasurer,
and SMS show co-coordinator. He and
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:56 AM Page 54
June 2008 55
Photos by the author
The SMS is the GAMA members’ love,
and it glows from the spirit of each
vendor standing behind the more than
1,000 3 x 8-foot folding tables that are
packed with everything from attic junk to
cutting-edge technology, super deals, and
rare treasures. The club has produced
what is arguably the world’s largest
meeting place for our country’s
hardworking hobbyists.
This is not the major manufacturers
showing their wares, although some of
that is present; it is down-home garage
designers and inventors who work in
tight, little spaces where their wives allow
them to make a mess. These are not
marketing moguls; these are the true 150
grit of model making.
They attend the show to meet others
like themselves and show their art. They
like to talk about their projects, trade up
from last year’s model, and offer their
latest works in sport. They have ideas,
memories, and plenty of experience.
These artists are the soul of aircraft
modeling. Frank Liberatori has been
coming to the SMS for years. He said he
has seen a CL Ringmaster he flew when
he was 12 years old.
An attendee, Hugh Steel, was
overheard telling his friend, “It’s 21 years
old! I’ve got a house full of airplanes and
my wife gets ill when she can’t walk
through the house.”
They come to see, tell, and sell. They
would rather make a good trade than pay.
Some vendors do take credit cards, but a
flawless model for a low price is a prince,
and cash reins as king.
Colonel Greg Brown is retired from
Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and is
currently working at nearby Hurlburt
GAMA President Jim Parker cocoordinated
the team to host the largest and
most amazing RC aircraft swap meet in the
US and probably the world.
“We started out with little annual events
held in the Armory of Warner Robins,”
explained Norm. “We called them swap
meets out of convenience. Each year the
event grew until 1994, when we moved
here. Now we have over 3,500 attendees
from all over the country.”
The magnitude of the SMS is what
brings modelers from California,
Minnesota, New York, Texas, Mexico, and
even Puerto Rico to this Bible Belt location.
The GAMA won’t hold the show on
Sunday; its members want to give people
the opportunity to drive home and get
prepared to go back to work. In addition,
support from the area dropped when the
GAMA tried it on the “Lord’s Day.”
Jim Parker appears young, lean, and
calm in the midst of this tornado of RC
activity. But he has 18 years of experience
with aviation, as director of engineering for
Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Jim knows how
to manage—and he has managed to draw
the attention of some of the big players in
the Southeast RC region.
George Hicks, Tony Fandino, Ron Van
Putte; AMA attendees Tony Stillman, Rich
LaGrange, Jim Cherry, Sheila Tweedy, and
Jim Griffin; and hundreds of other major
players in RC modeling attend the Perry
event each year. Our new AMA president,
Dave Mathewson, brought his wife, Ginger,
and expressed the magnitude of this
experience.
“The sheer size of the event is very hard
to imagine,” he said. “This is exponentially
bigger than anything else [in modeling] I’ve
ever seen.”
Field as a defense contractor. He has been
coming to the SMS for the last four years.
Greg’s lean face and confident style define
a career of attentive discipline. He flies
Precision Aerobatics as if he were back in
his F-15E.
Greg loves this swap meet because
there are so many unheard-of avenues to
venture down. This year he took Friday off
to attend. He said:
“Most people have heard about it and
they’re thinking this is just a little swap
meet. But you walk into the first building
and think to yourself, ‘this is amazing!’
Then you realize there are two more [giant
buildings] just like it. That was my first
year’s experience. The second and third
year I came with some of my stuff and
shared a booth with a friend. This year I
came just to be here!
“Sunday is the day to drive home, face
the wife, and tell her not only did you get
rid of four models, but you only brought
two new ones home.”
There’s so much to take in, you end up
with mental overload. Greg is experienced
with stress of “the mission.” He investigates
all options. He went on to say:
“The magnitude of the show is
awesome. You can see anything and
everything. I’ve never learned much about
vintage engines and we just spent a half
hour talking to a guy who sells them. He
had an old 1939 original model engine. It
was fabulous.”
Like an old engine made from one’s
commitment, events require effort and
endurance to create. Jim Parker said:
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 12:06 PM Page 55
56 MODEL AVIATION
Some people like to build, and we’re
thankful for them because there could be
hobbyists who want to cover or learn how.
Jim Slaughter of Hurricane Flight
Systems holds his 7-horsepower motor.
Many people who are looking to experiment in a new area of the hobby will visit a
swap meet to break into the special interest at a fraction of the price.
Members of the Georgia Aircraft Modelers Association made the SMS annual event run smoothly.
At a show that is more than 10 rows deep as far as the eye can
see, virtually every modeler’s take-home dream can be fulfilled.
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:57 AM Page 56
June 2008 57
GAMA member Kenny Bryant wanted to
swap his Micro Butterfly for a Giant Scale
model.
Herman Rieben holds a 1937 Bunch gasand-
oil power plant. Engine collectors are
bountiful at these events.
Dave Mathewson (center) and Jim Cherry (R) at the AMA booth in the McGill
Building. Sheila Tweedy (L) of AMA’s museum store brought items from the catalog.
Colonel Greg Brown (in the white hat), Alan Anderson, and several others discuss a P-
51 project. Look pricey? Maybe it is, but maybe not.
Models ranging from frontline ARF Aerobatics aircraft to Top
Gun-level Scale airplanes can be obtained—for a price.
It’s a family affair. Victor Wendt, 91, joined the AMA in 1938. His
three sons have been members for as long as they can remember.
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 12:06 PM Page 57
GAMA President Jim Parker appears calm in the midst of all the
members and guests’ vibrant activity.
Joe Traughber demonstrated his FF model as a tow glider and a
personal slope soaring aircraft, as shown.
Dan Malone is a speed freak. It only took
one day for him to sell all his fast-flying
foamies.
 Check the club’s Web site for information.
 Have lots of cash.
 Take lunch and even dinner; the lines for $4 hot dogs are
very long.
 A good pizza at the end of the day could get you a fully
loaded foamie.
 Arrive the day before or you will burn out early.
 You get the best deals in the morning of the first day and
evening of
the last day.
 Next year
the SMS will
be held
March 6-7.
Mark your
calendar
now! MA
—Dave Terry
Swap Meet Checklist
“Our event really starts in October,
when we begin taking the table
reservations. We’re all volunteers and
we’re a good team. We enjoy it and I
have not met a bad person yet. The guys
in the club are the best ... These guys are
a joy to work with. And the people
involved in the RC world are great. We’re
all a bunch of characters.”
One of the GAMA’s characters is a
mobility-challenged man named Blake
Walston. He had some great stories and a
warm heart, and he has been a part of this
show since the beginning.
“In 1976 we held this event in a 14 x
12-foot building,” said Blake. “We had 14
people in attendance, and nine of them
were our club members. I haven’t missed
one yet.”
Blake shares these RC modelers’ good
nature. When I asked about his missing
leg, he responded, “I haven’t been able to
find it.”
Ninety-one-year-old Victor Wendt,
who started modeling in 1938, has the
system figured out. His three sons have
booths at the SMS. They get their wives
to do the work while they explore the area
with their father. These older guys are the
ones who paved the way for the newer
electric-power generation.
As of this year, many of the big
companies in the industry haven’t caught
on to what they’re missing at this show.
However, Hobbytown USA had 14 tables.
I had been talking to a person for 10
minutes before I realized it was George
58 MODEL AVIATION
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:57 AM Page 58
Hicks of E-flite. He explained the evolution.
“These days you can fly in your yard.
You can build a plane in a day, where it
used to take a half a year. I used to buy kits
for $200 to $300. Now you can buy Readyto-
Fly ‘foamies’ for less than $100.”
The “backyard flyer” phenomenon
seems to be taking over. Well-known
“speed freaks” such as Dan Malone, who
are used to flying models at speeds
exceeding 150 mph, are designing and
selling slow-flight foamies with graphics
and RC Aerobatics performance for
approximately $50. He sold out the first
day of the SMS.
Saturday at 5:30 a.m., three people were
out in the park flying combat in front of
the closed buildings, awaiting the opening
of the indoor flying room. They had little
lights on their models. They showed up
early for two reasons: to practice and to
avoid the rush. By 6 a.m., cars were
backed up nearly a mile to get into the
venue and people were herding at the gate.
The highlight of the indoor flying for
me was young Joe Traughber. He flew his
aircraft inside the fourth massive building
that the GAMA contracted.
Joe was entertaining. Tim Lavender
built him a tiny foam glider, which Joe
towed up to the ceiling with his 18-gram
ParkZone Cessna 210 Centurion. He
pitched it up to stall, and the detailed little
8-inch glider released and flew gently
down into the crowd.
After that, Joe picked up a board and
ran around the auditorium. He “surfed” his
tiny glider on the sloping air his board
produced, which cut an updraft in the still
air. The crowd cheered Joe on as he carved
his little glider around the perimeter of the
flight field.
Our hobby/sport is all about people
such as Joe Traughber. These creative kids
are the future and the fun of RC. We’re all
kids, even though we take RC modeling as
seriously as we do our personal
responsibilities.
A big, joyous “Thank you, GAMA!” is
echoing in the minds of those who were
fortunate enough to take time from their
schedules and duties to have this incredible
experience. Go up into the attic and start
cleaning off the dust covering those old RC
art pieces so you can attend the SMS in
2009!
To make your reservations or learn
more about the GAMA, visit the club Web
site. See y’all! MA
Dave Terry
[email protected]
Sources:
GAMA
www.gamarc.com
60 MODEL AVIATION
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:57 AM Page 60

54 MODEL AVIATION
The US Model
Airplane Swap
Meet by Dave Terry
Above: People began lining up at the gate
of the Georgia National Fairgrounds at
dawn on the opening day of the SMS.
This panoramic view of the largest of the three main
buildings used for the show gives an idea of the vast
sprawl of this gathering.
“Giant” is not a
big enough word
to describe this
event’s size
THE SOUTHEASTERN Model Show
(SMS) takes place annually in Perry,
Georgia. This year it was held Friday and
Saturday February 29-March 1.
Driving to the event, you see moss
hanging from 100-year-old oaks that dwarf
large, white houses with stately columns,
rocking chairs, and porch swings. White
picket fences enclose crazy chickens and
lazy coonhounds. Almost every radio
station is “The Message.”
However, at SMS Ed Stefan
broadcasted a different message through
loud speakers into three massive buildings
at the Georgia National Fairgrounds &
Agricenter, where more than 1,000 tables
were set up to support an excess of 5,000
models. The SMS has been held at this
venue for the last 14 years, and more than
100 Georgia Aircraft Modelers Association
(GAMA) members work together to make
the event happen. In the dim light of early
dawn, enthusiasm shined while laughter
echoed from the group.
The GAMA is headquartered in Warner
Robins, Georgia, with its flying site in Fort
Valley. The SMS is held the first weekend
of March each year on Friday and
Saturday. The dates were moved in 2008
for the leap year.
Norm Deputy is the secretary, treasurer,
and SMS show co-coordinator. He and
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:56 AM Page 54
June 2008 55
Photos by the author
The SMS is the GAMA members’ love,
and it glows from the spirit of each
vendor standing behind the more than
1,000 3 x 8-foot folding tables that are
packed with everything from attic junk to
cutting-edge technology, super deals, and
rare treasures. The club has produced
what is arguably the world’s largest
meeting place for our country’s
hardworking hobbyists.
This is not the major manufacturers
showing their wares, although some of
that is present; it is down-home garage
designers and inventors who work in
tight, little spaces where their wives allow
them to make a mess. These are not
marketing moguls; these are the true 150
grit of model making.
They attend the show to meet others
like themselves and show their art. They
like to talk about their projects, trade up
from last year’s model, and offer their
latest works in sport. They have ideas,
memories, and plenty of experience.
These artists are the soul of aircraft
modeling. Frank Liberatori has been
coming to the SMS for years. He said he
has seen a CL Ringmaster he flew when
he was 12 years old.
An attendee, Hugh Steel, was
overheard telling his friend, “It’s 21 years
old! I’ve got a house full of airplanes and
my wife gets ill when she can’t walk
through the house.”
They come to see, tell, and sell. They
would rather make a good trade than pay.
Some vendors do take credit cards, but a
flawless model for a low price is a prince,
and cash reins as king.
Colonel Greg Brown is retired from
Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and is
currently working at nearby Hurlburt
GAMA President Jim Parker cocoordinated
the team to host the largest and
most amazing RC aircraft swap meet in the
US and probably the world.
“We started out with little annual events
held in the Armory of Warner Robins,”
explained Norm. “We called them swap
meets out of convenience. Each year the
event grew until 1994, when we moved
here. Now we have over 3,500 attendees
from all over the country.”
The magnitude of the SMS is what
brings modelers from California,
Minnesota, New York, Texas, Mexico, and
even Puerto Rico to this Bible Belt location.
The GAMA won’t hold the show on
Sunday; its members want to give people
the opportunity to drive home and get
prepared to go back to work. In addition,
support from the area dropped when the
GAMA tried it on the “Lord’s Day.”
Jim Parker appears young, lean, and
calm in the midst of this tornado of RC
activity. But he has 18 years of experience
with aviation, as director of engineering for
Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Jim knows how
to manage—and he has managed to draw
the attention of some of the big players in
the Southeast RC region.
George Hicks, Tony Fandino, Ron Van
Putte; AMA attendees Tony Stillman, Rich
LaGrange, Jim Cherry, Sheila Tweedy, and
Jim Griffin; and hundreds of other major
players in RC modeling attend the Perry
event each year. Our new AMA president,
Dave Mathewson, brought his wife, Ginger,
and expressed the magnitude of this
experience.
“The sheer size of the event is very hard
to imagine,” he said. “This is exponentially
bigger than anything else [in modeling] I’ve
ever seen.”
Field as a defense contractor. He has been
coming to the SMS for the last four years.
Greg’s lean face and confident style define
a career of attentive discipline. He flies
Precision Aerobatics as if he were back in
his F-15E.
Greg loves this swap meet because
there are so many unheard-of avenues to
venture down. This year he took Friday off
to attend. He said:
“Most people have heard about it and
they’re thinking this is just a little swap
meet. But you walk into the first building
and think to yourself, ‘this is amazing!’
Then you realize there are two more [giant
buildings] just like it. That was my first
year’s experience. The second and third
year I came with some of my stuff and
shared a booth with a friend. This year I
came just to be here!
“Sunday is the day to drive home, face
the wife, and tell her not only did you get
rid of four models, but you only brought
two new ones home.”
There’s so much to take in, you end up
with mental overload. Greg is experienced
with stress of “the mission.” He investigates
all options. He went on to say:
“The magnitude of the show is
awesome. You can see anything and
everything. I’ve never learned much about
vintage engines and we just spent a half
hour talking to a guy who sells them. He
had an old 1939 original model engine. It
was fabulous.”
Like an old engine made from one’s
commitment, events require effort and
endurance to create. Jim Parker said:
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 12:06 PM Page 55
56 MODEL AVIATION
Some people like to build, and we’re
thankful for them because there could be
hobbyists who want to cover or learn how.
Jim Slaughter of Hurricane Flight
Systems holds his 7-horsepower motor.
Many people who are looking to experiment in a new area of the hobby will visit a
swap meet to break into the special interest at a fraction of the price.
Members of the Georgia Aircraft Modelers Association made the SMS annual event run smoothly.
At a show that is more than 10 rows deep as far as the eye can
see, virtually every modeler’s take-home dream can be fulfilled.
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:57 AM Page 56
June 2008 57
GAMA member Kenny Bryant wanted to
swap his Micro Butterfly for a Giant Scale
model.
Herman Rieben holds a 1937 Bunch gasand-
oil power plant. Engine collectors are
bountiful at these events.
Dave Mathewson (center) and Jim Cherry (R) at the AMA booth in the McGill
Building. Sheila Tweedy (L) of AMA’s museum store brought items from the catalog.
Colonel Greg Brown (in the white hat), Alan Anderson, and several others discuss a P-
51 project. Look pricey? Maybe it is, but maybe not.
Models ranging from frontline ARF Aerobatics aircraft to Top
Gun-level Scale airplanes can be obtained—for a price.
It’s a family affair. Victor Wendt, 91, joined the AMA in 1938. His
three sons have been members for as long as they can remember.
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 12:06 PM Page 57
GAMA President Jim Parker appears calm in the midst of all the
members and guests’ vibrant activity.
Joe Traughber demonstrated his FF model as a tow glider and a
personal slope soaring aircraft, as shown.
Dan Malone is a speed freak. It only took
one day for him to sell all his fast-flying
foamies.
 Check the club’s Web site for information.
 Have lots of cash.
 Take lunch and even dinner; the lines for $4 hot dogs are
very long.
 A good pizza at the end of the day could get you a fully
loaded foamie.
 Arrive the day before or you will burn out early.
 You get the best deals in the morning of the first day and
evening of
the last day.
 Next year
the SMS will
be held
March 6-7.
Mark your
calendar
now! MA
—Dave Terry
Swap Meet Checklist
“Our event really starts in October,
when we begin taking the table
reservations. We’re all volunteers and
we’re a good team. We enjoy it and I
have not met a bad person yet. The guys
in the club are the best ... These guys are
a joy to work with. And the people
involved in the RC world are great. We’re
all a bunch of characters.”
One of the GAMA’s characters is a
mobility-challenged man named Blake
Walston. He had some great stories and a
warm heart, and he has been a part of this
show since the beginning.
“In 1976 we held this event in a 14 x
12-foot building,” said Blake. “We had 14
people in attendance, and nine of them
were our club members. I haven’t missed
one yet.”
Blake shares these RC modelers’ good
nature. When I asked about his missing
leg, he responded, “I haven’t been able to
find it.”
Ninety-one-year-old Victor Wendt,
who started modeling in 1938, has the
system figured out. His three sons have
booths at the SMS. They get their wives
to do the work while they explore the area
with their father. These older guys are the
ones who paved the way for the newer
electric-power generation.
As of this year, many of the big
companies in the industry haven’t caught
on to what they’re missing at this show.
However, Hobbytown USA had 14 tables.
I had been talking to a person for 10
minutes before I realized it was George
58 MODEL AVIATION
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:57 AM Page 58
Hicks of E-flite. He explained the evolution.
“These days you can fly in your yard.
You can build a plane in a day, where it
used to take a half a year. I used to buy kits
for $200 to $300. Now you can buy Readyto-
Fly ‘foamies’ for less than $100.”
The “backyard flyer” phenomenon
seems to be taking over. Well-known
“speed freaks” such as Dan Malone, who
are used to flying models at speeds
exceeding 150 mph, are designing and
selling slow-flight foamies with graphics
and RC Aerobatics performance for
approximately $50. He sold out the first
day of the SMS.
Saturday at 5:30 a.m., three people were
out in the park flying combat in front of
the closed buildings, awaiting the opening
of the indoor flying room. They had little
lights on their models. They showed up
early for two reasons: to practice and to
avoid the rush. By 6 a.m., cars were
backed up nearly a mile to get into the
venue and people were herding at the gate.
The highlight of the indoor flying for
me was young Joe Traughber. He flew his
aircraft inside the fourth massive building
that the GAMA contracted.
Joe was entertaining. Tim Lavender
built him a tiny foam glider, which Joe
towed up to the ceiling with his 18-gram
ParkZone Cessna 210 Centurion. He
pitched it up to stall, and the detailed little
8-inch glider released and flew gently
down into the crowd.
After that, Joe picked up a board and
ran around the auditorium. He “surfed” his
tiny glider on the sloping air his board
produced, which cut an updraft in the still
air. The crowd cheered Joe on as he carved
his little glider around the perimeter of the
flight field.
Our hobby/sport is all about people
such as Joe Traughber. These creative kids
are the future and the fun of RC. We’re all
kids, even though we take RC modeling as
seriously as we do our personal
responsibilities.
A big, joyous “Thank you, GAMA!” is
echoing in the minds of those who were
fortunate enough to take time from their
schedules and duties to have this incredible
experience. Go up into the attic and start
cleaning off the dust covering those old RC
art pieces so you can attend the SMS in
2009!
To make your reservations or learn
more about the GAMA, visit the club Web
site. See y’all! MA
Dave Terry
[email protected]
Sources:
GAMA
www.gamarc.com
60 MODEL AVIATION
06sig2.QXD 4/24/08 11:57 AM Page 60