Nats RC: Aerobatics
LIKE a well oiled machine, that's how the Pattern event went at the California '77 Nationals. The theme of this year's Nats could well have been PRIDE, which we noticed printed in great big block letters on the Headquarters hangar as we drove in. Our first surprise was at check in. No lines all afternoon. From the beginning it was obvious that all those involved had only one goal, to make this a good Nats. Pattern at the 51st Nationals will probably be remembered as the year of the tuned pipe. From just a couple of pipes in use last year, almost every competitor was using a pipe this year. The pipes give 700-1000 rpm gain and are quieter than standard mufflers.
Mel Anderson: Model Engine Pioneer
IF YOU DON'T know the story of Mel Anderson, then you don't know about the man who designed and built the first the crankshaft rotory valve model power plant, made the first needle valve for a model engine, and built and flew the first twin-engine model. He was born in 1902 in Minneapolis, and his family moved to California in 1908. His first job, in a Los Angeles jewelry store, exposed him to the metal crafts and set the stage for his biggest accomplishments. In this job he learned to run a lathe, make castings, and lap and hone the parts. There were no model kits in those days, so Mel's first scratch-built models were rubber-powered and made of bamboo, wire, and silk.
