View from HQ - 2003/11

176 MODEL AVIATION
ANOTHER MONTH has come and gone,
but not without rain and wind. The 2003
National Aeromodeling Championships
(Nats) is now history.
Again, I want to thank all those people
who volunteered to make this a successful
event. The Nats would not be possible
without the help of the volunteers, Special
Interest Groups, and the paid staff members
who devote much of their time for six weeks
to make this event happen for the
contestants. Even though the weather was
not very cooperative this year, I have heard
nothing but good things from the members
who attended.
A big thank you to all those who are
involved. You are appreciated. Look for
complete Nats coverage in the December
issue of Model Aviation.
I want to share with you a letter from H.
Reuter, a member from Orion, Michigan,
about something that you as an individual or
your club could get involved in for your
community.
“Today I went to our library to exchange
one of the airplanes in my exhibit when it
dawned that next week will be the one year
anniversary of a one-week exhibit. The staff
is still supportive and made an
acknowledgement card hung with the
airplanes. They also indicated that the
display is a bright spot for them and the
public, and the kids never tire of looking.
“I had also been asked if it would be all
right for the staff to provide my phone
number to any interested parties, so we have
a public facility helping promote our hobby
on a daily basis. Who could ask for anything
more as exposure to a public whose support
you may need? The obscurity of your
activity is lifted.
“While this is great for only one person,
how much greater for an involved club?
Working in conjunction with the library
staff, programs for historical events, book
promotions, and technical developments are
a few of the activities that a club could
provide with visual stimulus. A club could
change airplanes monthly or provide a
theme representing different types and use
of airplanes.
“The way I opened up this opportunity
Look for complete Nats
coverage in the December
issue of Model Aviation.
Joyce Hager Executive Director
View from HQ
was by doing small displays befitting a
library promotion event. Usually these are
events to stimulate children’s interest in
books and what the library has to offer.
“In all cases these displays have been
small—16-18-inch airplanes—even when
later (years) the library suggested they may
hang some from the ceiling if not too heavy.
At this point I suggested a mobile. They
became quite enthused. I provided over a
dozen airplanes on two mobiles—a park
flyer for Radio Control (RC), the rest rubber,
CO2, or .020 Control Line. Then each time I
changed the scenery and then added a larger
airplane. I now have at least three .40 size
RC aircraft hanging.
“The single biggest reward in doing this
is the hugs I get from the ladies—a certain
indication of welcome.
“ I would highly recommend that any
club looking for positive public opinion, to
seek out a library they can work with. First,
offer model classes for interested children
disregarding ages. The only requirement I
made was that the parents must help their
children. We have had more moms than
pops and everyone enjoyed their experience.
11⁄2-hour classes with one for building, one
for finishing, and one for flying and
trimming for corrections to flight.”
Clubs may also want to supply the
library with a subscription to Model Aviation
for the cost of $16 per year.
Thank you for your letter and your
contributions to the hobby. MA
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager
Executive Director
[email protected]
Continued from page 5
President
flying, but how much fuel remained? I had
visions of TAM 5 getting within sight, yet
falling short. It was agonizing!
Making matters worse, the radio
operators had to disconnect the speaker to
connect the computer to see if we had
telemetry, so the “noise” would shut off
and give us a start. They finally figured out
how to have both units hooked up or I
think we would have needed a
cardiologist!
At 10 minutes before 2, a shriek went
out. “We have data! It’s 13 miles out,
making 94 kilometers per hour.” A quick
calculation and we realized we needed 13
minutes! I remember the six-minute point,
but the rest is a blur.
All eyes were on the horizon. The
distance kept descending, yet we couldn’t
spot the model. It got to 1.5 kilometers but
we couldn’t see the model! I had time to
ask if they had the right arrival point in the
computer when a cry went out.”There it
is!” It had snuck up on us, and was almost
over us. Boy, was it a beautiful sight!
Sally immediately called Maynard, who
claimed to be turning blue, having not
breathed for a while. They just knew it
should be there. I flipped the proper
switches, took control of the model, and
landed it. History was made at 2:08 p.m.
IDT. Maynard Hill and the TAM team had
conquered the Atlantic.
When I signed the official forms, I
remember shaking and I just looked at my
signature. I hope they can make it out!
The model had flown a little more than
381⁄2 hours—on what should have been 36
or perhaps 37 hours of fuel! Talking with
Maynard on the telephone after the flight,
he came to the conclusion that the reason
for the erratic engine performance was that
he had mistakenly set the needle valve a
little too lean—just lean enough to give us
the extra fuel necessary.
The Spirit of Butts Farm—also known
as TAM 5—was truly a spirited bird. MA
This column is dedicated to the TAM
team, comprising volunteers from the
United States, Canada, and Ireland,
without whose efforts, along with the
vision of former AMA president Maynard
Hill, this would have never been
successful—as well as those proud models,
TAM 1, TAM 2, TAM 3, and TAM 4, which
were lost to the sea paving the way for
TAM 5 to succeed. The Spirit of Butts
Farm glows bright indeed.
Dave Brown
AMA president
[email protected]