Flying for Fun
LOOSE ENDS: A few assumptions have been made in the last several columns that left some readers confused; let's try to clear things up. In the little piece that accompanied the photo of the Anderson Greenwood, I presumed everyone knew where to obtain Paul Matt materials. Paul's magnificent three-view drawings and books are now available through Aviation Heritage Books, P.O. Box 2065, Terre Haute, IN 47802; Tel.: (800) 999-0141.
Flying for Fun
FOR SOME OF US, one big source of fun in this model airplane hobby comes from problem-solving. We experience a certain rush of accomplishment that comes when a persistent problem is conquered, don't we? Sometimes the problem is in our own model, but often that rush comes when someone else's problem is resolved. There seems to be a direct proportion between the duration and persistence of the problem and the amount of joy felt in its conquest.
Flying for Fun
THIS IS BEING written in mid-September-the peak season for fun-flys, fly-ins, rallies, or whatever you want to call them. The events I've attended so far have experienced record-breaking attendance. There were nearly 100 fliers for the Labor Day 49th Jumbo in Kansas City, Missouri; 75 at the Wichita IMAA event; a local fun-fly with nearly 50; and I read of 267 pilots at the Joe Nall Memorial, held in Greenville, South Carolina.
Flying for Fun
FLYING BUDDY John Riggs-who will fly in anything short of a hurricane or blizzard-invariably calls once or twice every winter to invite me to go fly with a bunch of guys using skis on the snow. My response is always "John, I can't see any way to fly off snow without standing in it. Call me back in April." Winter: Like some of you, I despise that season between fall and spring. The only possible positive aspect of winter is that it provides concentrated model-building and maintenance time to prepare for flying weather. (Of course, this doesn't apply to those fortunate souls who live in the sunbelt.)
Flying for Fun
SAP IS RISING, birds are singing, grass is growing, trees are budding, and evenings are lengthening. Obviously, we've survived another winter and it must be spring! Just as the sap rises in plants, the flying sap seems to surge within modelers each spring, stimulating a call from the flying fields to renew contacts with our flying buddies, check out our old models, test our new ones, and determine what mental and physical skills have been dulled by winter's cold.
