In the Air
Membership news and updates
from AMA Headquarters
Club Makes Improvements
Walter “Trey” Chanter, president of the Flying Aces Pilot Association in Huntersville, North Carolina, shared some information about recent improvements at his club’s field:
The David B. Waymer Aeromodeler Flying Field is part of the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation system. It was created roughly 20 years ago as a recreational use of a closed landfill.
The field supports the Flying Aces Pilot Association and the Metrolina Control Line Society. The site is governed by the Waymer Aeromodeler Chapter of the AMA, and through an agreement with the county parks and recreation system, is allowed to charge an annual fee of $25 for access to the field.
Although the site has a 50 x 30-foot pavilion, it had no electricity. In 2014, one of our members—tired of carting around a 70-pound storage battery to charge his airplane’s batteries—attended a parks and recreation citizen advisory meeting, where he gave a presentation about the need for power at the field. He struck up a relationship with the regional manager and the conversation continued with many options discussed.
Finally, a solution was found. The regional manager procured a retired shipping container. One of our club members engineered a solar charging system and found a certified contractor to install it. The cost was covered by the annual fees and the county. The key here was the collaboration on, and joint financing of, the project.
Throughout the years, the landfill settled, playing havoc with the Control Line circles and the 40 x 400-foot runway. Two of our members attended a parks and recreation department citizen advisory meeting and made the case for refurbishing the circles and runway as a way to preserve valuable park resources. The clubs offered to help with the cost.
On September 5, 2017, the refurbishment project was started and today we have a world-class aeromodeling facility. The spirit of collaboration continues with the pavilion’s roof also scheduled to be replaced.
These improvements would not have occurred without club members taking the initiative to respectfully engage with the Mecklenburg County officials. They developed invaluable personal relationships.
By offering financial support, the clubs convinced Mecklenburg County leaders that there was strong community support for the facility and made the decision to invest in the facility compelling.
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!
The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Members David L. Portwood, Salem OR; Douglas Clemens, Mobile AL; Michael D. Williams, Jersey Village TX; Donald Crowe, Chino Valley AZ; Amir Kaykha M.D., Saratoga CA; Brian S. Bullard, Unionville CT; Don Beissel, Oronogo MO; Jay Granzow, Marina Del Ray CA; James Ockner, Bend OR; Thorsten Lockert, Prescott AZ; James Collins, Monterey CA; Jeffrey Schlimmer, Snohomish WA; Ami Rososhansky, Boca Raton FL; Carey Myers, Fairbanks AK; Frank Nester, Easton PA; Rolf A. Heinecke, Appleton MN; Chester Carson, Valencia CA; Jonathan Gholson, Yuma AZ; Daren D. Domon, Buffalo NY; Michael J. Holbrook, Elkin NC; Orlando R. Torres, Bayside NY; Jose L. Rius, Murrieta CA; David J. Rimland, Holbrook NY; Roberto C. Mejia, Simpsonville SC; Larry A. Nieman, Clemmons NC; Geron A. Craig, Collierville TN; Kasra Naghshineh, Palo Alto CA; Chris E. Kraft, Westminster CO; Daniel D. Galasso, Warren MI; Alex Fredrickson, Raleigh NC; Frank Migliaccio, Rancho Santa Margarita CA; Jeffrey B. Frazier, Media PA; John P. Iovacchino, Blackwood NJ; Jerold L. Hunter, Fountain Valley CA; Larry D. Havenstein, Manhattan KS; and James W. Johnson, Denver CO.
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262.
—AMA Membership Department
THE NORTHROP FILES
AMA Plans Services now houses all plans formerly sold through Model Builder magazine, Bill Northrop’s Plan Service, and the Scratch Builder’s Almanac. There are more than 1,000 plans in the collection.
The Moraine Solnier, from the Bill Northrop collection, was designed by Grover Moore and drawn by Lee Renaud. It’s a 55-inch wingspan design of a full-scale World War I French fighter produced by the Morane-Saulnier company.
You can order the Moraine Solnier, plans number GL105, for $8 by calling AMA Plans Service at (800) 435-9262, extension 507.
settled, playing havoc with the Control Line circles and the 40 x 400-foot runway. Two of our members attended a parks and recreation department citizen advisory meeting and made the case for refurbishing the circles and runway as a way to preserve valuable park resources. The clubs offered to help with the cost.
On September 5, 2017, the refurbishment project was started and today we have a world-class aeromodeling facility. The spirit of collaboration continues with the pavilion’s roof also scheduled to be replaced.
Before and after images from the club runway.
George Aldrich’s Original Nobler
Even more than 60 years later, descriptions of George Aldrich flying his Nobler are exciting. From Model Airplane News, November 1951, describing the 1951 Nats, “Saw George Aldrichs (sic), a Senior, practice flying stunt. Had a keen airplane. One night he was doing square loops that had real corners. Five loops in a glide. Stuff like that. George, we remembered, used to follow the great Palmer around and some of that smoothness must have rubbed off. So we watched George fly officially—a realistic, big airplane based on the Caudron racer in profile. He proceeded to rack up about 400 points, then couldn’t shut his engine off and they hit him with a 40 point penalty, moving him down from first to third. But that is one ship you’ll be seeing plans of soon.”
At the 1952 Nats, George was still a senior competitor and still flying his Nobler. This time he had no problems. According to the November 1952 issue of Model Airplane News, “Highlight was George Aldrich’s piling up 379 points in senior, despite a sizable loss of appearance points for an old ship. His point total was considerably higher than those run up by nationally known experts in the Open category. George runs his Nobler through the stunt pattern with as little fuss as Walt Good used to display with his Rudder Bug in rc (sic). In Aldrich’s case, it is the airplane as well as the pilot—it amazes us so few people have grasped the fact that the Nobler is the best approach to a stunt job in the country today, bar none.”
The 379 points was also the Stunt High Point Score, winning him the Walker Trophy as National Stunt Champion. Jim Saftig called George the “Star of the Stunt Circles.”
For the next five years, George with one of his Noblers, continued to turn heads during competition. When the Nobler was kitted by Top Flite in 1956, it was advertised as “The Winningest Stunt Model Ever Flown!” That’s still a true statement today.
The Nobler in the National Model Aviation Museum’s collection is the original one built by George in 1950. It suffered a crash in 1963 and was left in a closet until it was restored by Charlie Bruce in 2002.
Charlie flew it at the 2002 Vintage Stunt Championships before George’s wife, Julianna, donated it to the museum, along with a 1951 Plymouth Internats first-place trophy and 1952 Nats first-place trophy.
—National Model Aviation Museum staff
