CI Aerobatics
THE PRECISION Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA) is the Special Interest Group that functions within AMA to serve Control Line (CL) Aerobatics. Most people who read this column are already well aware of this. But there is one feature of PAMPA that I have not mentioned in this column: as does AMA, it has a Hall of Fame which recognizes and preserves its past.
As far back as 1976, there was sentiment to establish a Hall of Fame. PAMPA was still in its infancy at that time, having been in existence for only two years. It wasn't until 1991 that then-president Ted Fancher, along with Steve Buso, drafted Hall of Fame guidelines which included skills in competition, aircraft design, publications of articles, service activities, and product activities related to stunt. In short, it was a series of criteria to measure lifelong contributions to Precision Aerobatics.
The first election was held in 1992, and the elected PAMPA officers voted. The charter members who were elected to the Hall of Fame—George Aldrich, Bob Palmer, Wynn Paul, and Jim Walker—are familiar to most CL fliers. Since then, elections have been held every other year. As more members were inducted, they were able to vote along with the PAMPA officers in succeeding elections.
As the following elections proceeded, the results showed that the early fliers were being ignored simply because time had passed, and few knew the contributions that these individuals made.
Working with George Aldrich, who was Hall of Fame chairman, Wynn Paul developed a new category—"Pioneers." It included personalities such as J.C. Yates, Don Still, and others. This change finalized the current approach to looking at potential members. There were Pioneers from the early days and Veterans from the more-recent past.
The last election was held this past January. Pioneers Ray Mayes, Harold "Red" Reinhardt, Jim Saftig, and Davis Slagle were inducted, as were Veterans Jim Casale, Jack Sheeks, and Jim Shilavy. Congratulations to all; they are well deserving.
As of 2002, there are 27 people in the PAMPA Hall of Fame. The selectees represent a true cross-section of the Precision Aerobatics event, with five World Champions, several multiple Walker Cup winners, and others who have contributed significantly to the event.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
