Flying for Fun
POTPOURRI: Almost 40 years ago the Air Force sent me to southern Louisiana to be a tooth plumber. We were immersed in a French/English (Cajun)-speaking culture; it was highly enjoyable and enlightening. The International Miniature Aircraft Association's (IMAA) Rally of Giants will be held in Lake Charles, Louisiana June 13-16, 1996. Several AMA Nats have used this venue. Should you attend, do yourself a favor and travel a bit east to St. Martinsville/Lafayette and try out the local food and music. One French word that was commonly used down there was potpourri (pronounced po po ree) meaning "a mixture of pieces." Somehow over the years the term has become fashionable in English usage; it commonly describes a smelly mixture of leaves and herbs in a glass container.
Flying for Fun
I HAVE STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT NEWCOMERS to the model airplane hobby. While some of my opinions are counter to those that are generally accepted, they are the result of more than 55 years of involvement in the hobby. I am certainly no "expert," but I do have experience on which I base my opinions. In the January 1995 Newcomer issue of Model Aviation I attempted to draw a comparison between planting seeds and growing active participants in our hobby. In that column I tried to subtly suggest that it was unlikely that young people under 20 would develop anything beyond a temporary interest in modeling. My premise was that recent empty-nesters, retirees, and father/son combinations possessed the necessary components for long-term active participation, but contemporary teenagers would likely be unable to overcome the built-in obstacles.
Flying for Fun
THE GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY: Guess who's been reduced to watching old movies on cable? Recent eye problems have kept me out of the workshop, as well as making it very difficult to read; it doesn't leave much else to do. Now there is a definition of boredom! At any rate, this month's column will start with the ugly: When using one of those beautiful polished metal spinners from Tru-Turn it seems almost immortal to let them become dull and tarnished. Unfortunately, the nature of aluminum is to become oxidized when exposed to the atmosphere (that's why they are displayed in vacuum-sealed bags at the hobby shop). Additionally, the usual abuses of fuel and exhaust residue, starter cones, and fingerprints lead to pretty ugly looking spinners in a hurry. I've tried polishing aluminum spinners with tripoli and jeweler's rouge, stainless-steel spoon cleaner, and silver polish-with generally poor results.
Flying for Fun
THE ALTERNATIVE to Aging is Unacceptable! Likely, you've heard this sentiment before; consider the alternative and see if you don't agree. Unfortunately, the aging process is both unstoppable and inevitable. That reality only adds to the importance and urgency of activities such as I am about to relate, and on a broader scale, the Celebration of Eagles that will be held at AMA headquarters July 6-7, 1996. Have you ever considered how untimely eulogies are? Much preferred is an expression of respect and admiration delivered to the person while they are still able to appreciate it! As someone once said: "Honor the living, respect the dead."
Flying for Fun
IMAGE: This column will reach you just before Election Day 1996. Need I mention how disproportionately important the candidates' media images have become? Issues are now almost secondary to how the office-seeker looks and sounds on camera and in the newspapers. I mention this as a lead-in to something that involves the model aircraft sport/hobby and the image we frequently present to the public. All too frequently, our image is that of a bunch of senile older men flying toy airplanes! This image is not going to get us "elected" by the voting public!
