By Jay Smith | [email protected]
JAY SMITH: How did you become involved with model aviation?
MARK FREELAND: I took an early interest in aviation while watching airplanes flying overhead. I built my first airplane when I was 5, but it didn’t fly well.
By the time I was 10, I discovered the Belfast Model Shop, which had many Keil Kraft, Mercury, Veron, and other kits, as well as engines!
The first real kit I could afford was a Mercury Magpie Towline Glider. My father had loads of tools and a workshop that I could use after finishing my homework. I was 11 when I finished the model and tried to fly it, but without any guidance, it was not the best flyer.
I met a boy at school who introduced me to the Belfast Model Flying Club, which is still in existence. The club flew mostly Control Line and a little Free Flight (FF). I progressed to a Keil Kraft Phantom Mite with a DC Merlin (.049 diesel) then built a 1/2A combat wing and started building from the free plans in Aeromodeller magazine.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
MF: My interest in aviation eventually led to receiving a scholarship, which paid me an apprentice’s wage for the four years I was at university. I earned an A&P trade apprenticeship at Short Brother & Harlands aircraft factory in Belfast, where I learned more than most university students because of my practical work in the aircraft factory.
I left Short after I graduated and ended up working for Ford Motor in the south of England, where I continued modeling and flying with the Chelmsford Model Club.
I first joined AMA in 1986, when I transferred from the U.K. to work at Ford in the US. After retiring, I started my "cottage industry" company called Retro RC LLC. I have been designing and manufacturing flying model kits ever since. I have also used my designs to teach modeling at local schools.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
MF: After purchasing Campbell’s Custom Kits, my business and interests gradually changed from mostly RC to FF. In FF, you don’t get to "fix" the trim after launching, so you have to get it right the first time! I compete a little, but I enjoy flying for fun more than contests! I dabble in Scale modeling from time to time, but I prefer building models that look like models! Most of mine have a vintage flare to them and are usually built with traditional materials.
JS: What other hobbies do you have?
MF: Cooking is one of my passions. I love to cook on holidays because I have an eager audience. In baking, getting the proportions just right is important—kind of like mixing your own diesel fuel for a model! I often experiment with new recipes, and I’ve recently taken to growing vegetables in a small allotment in the city in which we live. I guess some of my wife’s passion for gardening might have rubbed off on me.
JS: Who or what has influenced you the most?
MF: I give this credit to Aeromodeller magazine, which got me hooked on building from the interesting articles and free plans during my early days. I was thrilled when Andrew Boddington (David Boddington’s son) resurrected the magazine, and I enjoy the new version now edited by Colin Sharman.
JS: What airplane kit would you recommend for a first-time builder?
MF: I am a believer in teaching how to build before teaching beginners how to fly. People who learn to work with their hands and think through solving problems are equipping themselves for a lifetime of satisfying achievements. When you start flying and breaking airplanes, it is helpful if you can fix them. It is satisfying to successfully fly something that you built rather than something you took out of a box.
I recommend starting with a simple FF glider with some building involved, and then learning the basics of trimming it for flight. The Retro Gnome is a good choice, as is a stick-fuselage, rubber-powered model like the Minnow, which can be built in a couple of hours and will fly for more than a minute indoors.
A third alternative would be a capacitor/electric-powered model such as the Ritzy, which can be built and flown the same day. After succeeding with a model like one of these, the beginner can move on to something more challenging.
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