Radio Control: Old-Timers
IT'S NOW official; the 1977 SAM Championships will be held in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. There has been considerable comment and controversy concerning the Vegas site. Many West Coasters were pulling for the Taft, California site but to quote from Al Hellman's correspondence ". . .The SAM Championships are now of such large caliber, all considerations must be made regarding accommodations, sites, local tourist attractions, and the availability of host club(s). To this end, the Las Vegas area offers the best attraction for a nationwide contest."
Radio Control: Old-Timers
THE THOUGHT of soft summer breezes with puffy Cu's identifying latent thermals is enough to inspire the most procrastinating modeler to turn to and get cracking. Now is the time to lay in that supply of good balsa, get the desired plans from Pond, and start creating that masterpiece of yesteryear. The very thought of sunlight filtering through the structure of a big and beautiful time machine floating overhead is enough to cause a flurry of activity, with accompanying balsa dust and pungent odors, to issue forth from the workbench.
Radio Control: Old-Timers
BY THE TIME you read this Summer will soon arrive. With any luck you could be smearing these pages with gas and oil (purist) or castor oil (non-purist) smudges from the day's relaxed RC-Assist flying session. That's relaxed if you are not a competitive flier. You relaxed types probably spend your flying time lazily cruising up to altitude to enjoy the beauty of the Old-Timer in controlled flight overhead and, hopefully, to hook a thermal and just enjoy. You contest-oriented guys probably try props and fuel for the optimum combination to put the thing on the moon in 20 seconds or less. I'm addicted to both types of RC-Assist since each has its own attraction.
The 1978 SAM Championships
THE 1978 SAM Champs! Once again the gathering of the players in New Jersey for the annual grand National Antique and Old Timer Championships. Somehow, to this writer, it seems particularly appropriate for SAM activities to be taking place in the New Jersey/New York area. When one reviews the modeling events of the Thirties, the metropolitan area surrounding the "Big Apple" stands out. The list of pre-WW II modelers and designers from the area reads like the Who's Who of modeling. SAM Champs "78" arose from the ashes of an organizational conflict within the parent group. The meet was originally scheduled for the New England area; however, the sponsoring SAM Chapter caveated their sponsorship by insisting that original SAM rules be in force during the meet. The 1978 rules change eliminated glo engines in the basic free flight events and, apparently, the sponsoring chapter took exception.
16th SAM Championships
HEADING EAST on Rt. 291 just after passing under an overpass, the large sign said: "Rodeway Inn-Chicopee." Moving up out of the road's depression, we could see the inn's marquis: "Welcome-Society of Antique Modelers." We put two and two together, and decided that we had found the place. We drove up to see modelers unloading boxes, wings, fuselages, and other paraphernalia that nearly blocked the area. It was a grand sight! What more could a modeler want than the anticipation of experiencing three or four days of holing up with other modelers-talk-models, looking at models, reminiscing about models and modelers, meeting old modeling friends, making new modeling friends, talking old engines, looking at old engines, feeling the motivation of modelers, feeling the enthusiasm of those who where attending their first SAM Champs, and generally just living model airplanes.
