Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
WE are all in favor of safety. John Preston has been like a bulldog in pursuit of safety problems in his column in Model Aviation. Apparently the rigorous safety program has borne some fruit that hadn't been intended. John Krekelberg, president of the Twin City Radio Controllers, wrote a letter to me containing the following: "Just finished reading your column in the August issue of MA, and the first couple of paragraphs struck me right between the eyes. "I struggled with how I was going to word this letter because I happen to agree with Ed Hunter and his ideas on sharing past editions of MA and other periodicals with local schools, dentist waiting rooms, etc. However, I do want to share an experience our club had which may make it not so good an idea in certain areas.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
GOOD NEWS! Back in the May column I asked modelers to assist Jed Mottola (Fairlawn, NJ) in getting his Saito .90 twin repaired. He had almost run out of ideas after contacting several potential sources. He then wrote to me for assistance. When my column reached the Model Aviation editorial offices, my editor remembered that another MA staffer had just gotten his Saito repaired at A&M Aircraft Supply (18015 Crest, Carrolton, TX 75006). He quickly wrote directly to Jed to tell him of the Saito repair source, but left the request for assistance in my June column just to see what would happen. The results are in. I got a letter and pictures from Jed a week ago. He has gotten his Saito repaired and reports that he got a lot of responses about where to get the repairs. Thanks. It's the nice things we do for each other that really make RC modeling a gratifying hobby.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
LET me pass on a few hints before getting to the meat of this article. The first two involve adhesives. I've been in the hobby long enough that I can remember when everyone used Ambroid (didn't it smell great?) The water-soluble glues like Titebond and Wilhold were big improvements, and so were the cyanoacrylates like Hot Stuff, Jet, Zap, etc. The same is true of the epoxies and contact cements; they all work great in their own way.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
THANKS to RC Aerobatics Contest Board member John Fuqua. I can report that the final vote for RC Aerobatics rules for 1990/91 is in (finally). The short answer to "What were the results?" is, "Everything except the noise-limits rule passed." ( Starting in January 1990, the current Expert/Master classes will be combined into a class called Master, with a fixed schedule of maneuvers. ( A new entry-level of Turnaround will be called Expert Turnaround. ( Normalizing will be the standard scoring method for Pattern contests. ( Several maneuver descriptions and downgrades will be clarified.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
LET'S SEE if we can help out a fellow modeler. A.J. Hansen (32 E. Columbus Ave., #5, Phoenix, AZ 85012) wrote to me and asked if I could help him locate copies of deBolt Kitten and Kazmirski Taurus plans. The Kitten had been his first RC airplane 27 years ago, and he wants to build another using modern radio components. Talk about coincidences: When I started in RC 35 years ago, my first RC airplane was a deBolt Kitten! Unfortunately, I no longer have Kitten or Taurus plans. I put him in touch with Tom Dixon (1938 Peachtree Rd., Suite 401, Atlanta, GA 30309) who sells a lot of items not generally available through local dealers.
