Radio Control: Electrics
MY INCOMING LETTERS are most often responses to a recent column, and the writer usually has some questions. Sometimes a letter will just be a friendly conversational offering. Whatever the case, I do appreciate knowing that the column is being read, and I do try to be promptly responsive to individual requests for help. "RC Electrics" is itself often a reaction to incoming mail! One recent example was the April column which I devoted to the making of a high-current shunt-because several readers asked me how to measure those large motor currents. This month's column is another example. Many readers have requested information about how to get into Electric at low cost. These persons have varied reasons for asking. Some simply can't spend much, and that's perfectly OK.
Radio Control: Electrics
ELECTRIC RULES-a follow up. It is now late in May, about one month since the June MA hit the streets. The June column, you may recall, was "different" in that I strayed from the normal "how to" format and instead offered my thoughts on first-time AMA Electric rules. Surely, I thought, if anything would bring reader response, it would be my treading on the controversial turf of Electric rules! Now don't get me wrong; I wasn't trying to stir controversy. It's just that it seemed like an unavoidable risk associated with my true purpose-the development of first-time AMA Electric rules that everyone can live with-initially. Well, to date I've had seven letters of reaction. All seven were very "pro" the suggestions I made, and two of these were from "names" in Electric modeldom.
Radio Control: Electrics
FIELD TESTS of my June 1986 column's Electric rules suggestions have taken place on recent weekends. First came the Capital Area Soaring Association (CASA) Electric Contest on June 7-8 at the Sugarland Sod Farm in Maryland. Tom Dickey of Gaithersburg, MD gave me a rundown of the weekend's activities. The meet was a combined Two-Meter and Electric event. There were nine Electrics on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. Except for the absence of a graduated landing element, Electrics flew the same tasks as the Sailplanes. There was a total of six flights (rounds) per day, and one charge was allowed for each set of three flights.
Radio Control: Electrics
EVERY MONTH when I sit down to write this column I'm faced with the same basic problem: There is so much to write about I have to sort through and choose what to include and what not. This particular issue each year is "double trouble" because it's two months since I've written-the November issue is the annual Nats issue and has no regular columns, so the last week of June was the last time I wrote anything. That means that now I'm faced with most of the summer's wealth of information to condense. Seriously, this matter is a real problem for me in that I strive very hard every month to offer items which I judge to be of greatest interest either to modelers in general or to Electric enthusiasts at large.
Radio Control: Electrics
IT WAS WONDERFUL! The seventh annual KRC Electric Fly is now history. In hindsight, this September 20-21 meet might better be named the Camelot Electric Fly, for the affair somehow managed to escape the threatening weather predictions for rain on both days. It did rain-but only at night! A number of people were scared off by the weather outlook, but as it turned out the weather both days was comfortable and quite flyable. Somehow, this annual meet has enjoyed the good fortune of good weather ever since it began in 1980. This year's meet was the most heavily attended ever with a surprisingly large spectator turnout. While we've always had many spectators, this year saw huge numbers, to the extent that we sold out of raffle tickets and most on-field concessions: a first, and a "no-no!" The meet was not advertised to the general public because of parking limitations, so most present were from the modeling community. Perhaps it was the advertising in the AMA "Calendar of Events" that did it!
