Control Line: Navy Carrier
I'VE BEEN INDULGING in a nostalgia trip for the past few days-cleaning out old magazines, getting ready to move. I did a lot more reading than sorting and cleaning, I'm afraid. The "good old days" really were pretty good. Engines have been developed, of course, and the coming of epoxy, cyanoacrylate glue, plastics, foam, and iron-on coverings have simplified and speeded building a little though the flying has remained relatively unchanged.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
THE INITIAL PROPOSAL portion of the 1984-85 AMA competition rules proposal cycle has now ended with the passing of the September 1, 1982 cutoff date for rules proposal submissions. A few of the rules proposals were printed in the October 1982 edition of the "Competition Newsletter." Most of the remainder of the rules proposals are in this month's "Competition Newsletter." I won't go into the particulars of any of the new proposals here, but I do wish that you would send in comments on any of the ones affecting Carrier to the Navy Carrier Advisory Committee (NCAC). Do it soon! All too often, there is very little time between the publication of the proposals and the deadline for the NCAC to submit comments to the CL Contest Board, prior to its voting deadline. If modeler comments do not get to the NCAC in a timely manner, then the committee members wind up talking only to modelers in their local areas-and you might not be one of them! If you want your views to be considered in the rule making process, you must take the initiative and contact your NCAC representative. (Editor's note: You should at least write down your comments and send them to your AMA district CL Contest Board representative-you'll find his name and address in the Competition Director section of the "Competition Newsletter," RMcM.)
Control Line: Navy Carrier
IT'S BUILDING TIME again around most of the country now that winter has set in, and, with that in mind, this month's column includes a listing of Carrier plans available from the model magazines as well as from some individuals. I'll also give rules for some Carrier events that are run in various parts of the country as a supplement to the AMA Carrier events. And I have another mystery aircraft to give you something to think about while you sit in front of the fire wishing it were warm enough to go flying. You lucky folks down south can join in, too-between flying sessions. Before I get started, I'd like to call your attention to my new address. I've moved to Northern Virginia and will be working in Washington, D.C., for the next few years. My new address is listed at the end of the column.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
MYSTERY PLANE. Because of the time required for editing, compiling, and printing Model Aviation each month, my columns must be in the mail before the issue with the preceding column is distributed. Thus, although I can't announce a winner for the February Mystery Airplane Contest, I will identify the airplane as the Northrop XFT-2. This airplane is a modification of the original XFT-1 experimental fighter monoplane which first flew in 1933. Based on the Northrop Gamma transport and the Lockheed Vega which John Northrop designed, the XFT-1 was fast-but not as maneuverable as its biplane predecessors. In addition, the large fairings on its fixed landing gear caused maintenance problems and a bad tendency to spin. So, the XFT-1 went back to the factory to get a new engine and cowl, new wheel fairings, a larger rudder, and a new designation-XFT-2. The modifications did little to improve the handling, and the Navy grounded the airplane. The only prototype crashed when a Northrop pilot attempted an unauthorized ferry flight back to the Northrop factory.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
I RECEIVED quite a few responses to the Mystery Plane Contest from the February issue. The first reader to correctly identify the Northrop XFT-2 was Gary Hull. Others with the right answer were Steve Adams, Frank Beatty, Read Schuster, Joe Wagner, Ron Boggis, Frank Stetson, Jerry Greaves, Alvin Westerland III, Mike Himmerich, Ed Bearns, Joe Dzialo, and Tom Cassidy. Numerous others were very close with their XFT-1 identification. I enjoyed getting your letters with comments about the column. I try to answer questions in a timely manner, but volume of mail and my work schedule often cause delays. Please be patient. (A return envelope helps.)
