August 2011 Inside Loop


Editor Jay Smith
[email protected]		 Competition is defined as the act or process of competing and competitive is someone inclined, desiring, or suited to compete. These words and thoughts of what draws someone to compete came to mind when I attended my first Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2011. This was the 100th Anniversary and 95 running of the race, due to no racing taking place during World War II.
It is estimated that over 350,000 people were on hand to see Dan Wheldon take the lead when JR Hildebrand slammed into the wall on the final turn.
Although I had never been to the Indianapolis 500 before, I have attended several races from the Daytona 500 to the Gatornationals, to 12 Hours of Sebring. Every one of them was exciting for different reasons, like Don Garlits breaking the speed record at 272 mph in 1986, or getting to sit in A.J. Foyt’s Porsche 962 after he won at Sebring in 1985.
Being the editor of Model Aviation and working here at the AMA and the IAC (International Aeromodeling Center) allows me to attend several flying competitions. While they may not draw the crowds of auto racing, they are certainly exciting whether you are a pilot or a spectator.
Attending these types of events has allowed me to meet some of the top pilots from around the world and see first-hand some of their design and setup methodology.
Getting to talk to Quique Somenzini about how to become a better pilot or chatting with Frank Beatty about his experience in designing and flying Control Line models are just a few examples that come to mind.
By the time you are reading this, the 85th Nats will be taking place here in Muncie, Indiana. The outdoor Nats begin on June 25 and run through August 11.
If you have the drive to compete or just want to learn from those in attendance, the Nats covers several of the different disciplines of modeling. For more information on the specific dates and events taking place visit our website.
We sent veteran Top Gun reporter, Stan Alexander to cover the 23rd yearly invitational, which took place from April 27 to May 1. It was held at a new site called Paradise Field at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida.
Top Gun brings out the best scale competitors and is truly international with some in attendance traveling from as far as Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia. At this event you will find models of aircraft from all eras of aviation, including World War I, World War II, Golden Age, and the modern jet age.
Even if you don’t want to compete; maybe you have considered designing your own airplane? With that in mind we have an article with an overview on designing in CAD by David Walker. While this is a very basic overview of the process and tools available, we will follow it up with a more in depth article in the future. Once you are familiar with CAD there is no limit to the aircraft you can model, whether your interest is RC, FF, or CL.
This month’s construction article is on Bob Gialdini’s Eclipse which was the first Precision Aerobatics (Stunt) model to win the AMA Nats with a muffler installed. Michael Schmitt and Allen Brickhaus helped bring this 1965 winner back to life and made plans for us in the process.
For readers looking for flight instruction and tips, we have a great article from Dave Scott. Building off years of experience in RC instruction, he has provided us with good information to improve our procedure and rudder turns, focusing on good control inputs that reduce the need for corrections altogether.
Having attended his flight school, I can attest to the fact that his instruction methods do indeed work and we look forward to printing more of his articles in the future.
If you are interested in getting kids involved in flying, while possibly adding another flying site in your area, then check out “Starting School Clubs” by Dick Streetman. Drawing off 40 years as a teacher and administrator in both public and private schools, Mr. Streetman provides a lot of useful information that could help your club be successful in working with schools.
We are heading into a busy season here at the AMA with a lot of great events taking place and look forward to bringing you a lot of event coverage through the rest of the year. While we certainly can’t cover all of them, if there’s one you would like to see in our magazine, please let me know. MA


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