I AM THE AMA
Bob Hunt
CL World Champion, author, and designer
by Jay Smith
Jay Smith: How did you get involved with model aviation?
Bob Hunt: My father, James A. Hunt, had been a modeler since the mid-1920s. Almost everyone my father knew was a modeler, and modelers were a constant presence in the Hunt household. Leon Shulman, Fran McElway, Larry Scarinzi, and the legendary Harold “Red” Reinhardt were regulars in my dad’s shop. I was around six years old before I realized that not everyone in the world flew model airplanes!
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
BH: There have been points that have helped set my career paths. The first
was when I saw an article in the June 1964 issue of Model Airplane News, by Ed Izzo and Ray Olsen, that detailed pertinent information about how to make the equipment required to hot-wire cut expanded polystyrene foam (EPF) and how to blank, spur, cut, and core foam model airplane wings.
In 1978, I went to England with the US F2B World Team and won the gold medal in Control Line (CL) Aerobatics. Bill Hunter at Satellite City had heard that I built a significant portion of my winning Genesis model using his Hot Stuff CA adhesive. He asked me if I would appear in his ads.
He arranged for me to go to the Flying Models (FM) magazine offices and have the editor, Bob Hoeckele, take the photo. Bob told me that FM was looking for an associate editor and I got the job. A year later, I was promoted to the editor’s position and I stayed for 17 years.
In 1995, I started my own video production company, Robin’s View Productions. I produced a number of modeling how-to videos, all of which are still available. I also restarted my foam wing business.
In 2001, Rob Kurek, from AMA, asked if I might be interested in interviewing for the position of aeromodeling editor of Model Aviation (MA). I served in that post for roughly seven years. I currently write the MA “CL Aerobatics” column and serve as the editor of Stunt News, the 100-page newsletter of the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association.
I’m now dedicated full-time to producing foam components, fully sheeted wings, built-up wings in my Lost-Foam Wing Building System, and other custom work.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
BH: I still fly competition CL Aerobatics, but at the 2015 Nats, I announced my retirement from Nats Open competition. I’m dealing with a number of back-related health problems and cannot maintain the practice regimen required to be competitive. I intend to fly for as long as I’m able, and I might dabble at the Nats in Classic Stunt and Old-Time Stunt. I’m also anxious to get back to doing some RC flying. In the 1980s, I competed in the Advanced class in RC Pattern.
JS: What are your other hobbies?
BH: I’ve always had a love of music and a related hobby to both music and model airplane building that I’ve recently begun is building acoustic guitars. My friend, Jeff Traxler, has been helping me to learn the trade of guitar building while I’ve been helping him learn Stunt.
JS: Who (or what) has influenced you most?
BH: I’d list my father first. Beyond him, the biggest influences, as mentioned earlier, were Larry Scarinzi and Red Reinhardt. Once I learned to build and fly at a higher level, my influences were Bill Simons and Gene Schaffer, and the master himself, Bill Werwage.
Above all who have influenced me is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without him I am nothing.
JS: Of all of your aeromodeling accomplishments, what are you most proud of?
BH: That’s easy—the development of the Lost-Foam Wing Building System. Many fliers use this method to build their competition Stunt wings; two have won World Championship titles and multiple National Championships using them.
My only regret is the name I gave it; Lost-Foam is really a misnomer; none of the foam components of the system are destroyed, and the fixtures can be used to build multiple wings of a given design.
