CONTROL LINE AEROBATICS
CRASHES HAPPEN
By Joe Daly | stunt38060@gmail.com
WHEN YOU FLY Control Line (CL) Aerobatics (Stunt), you will inevitably and eventually crash, and it is usually a disappointing moment. Crashes do not only happen to beginners—the absolute best fliers crash sometimes too! After a crash, there is no sense in getting mad. It has already happened and you cannot go back in time and avoid it. The next step is probably the most important: Save all of the pieces!
Twenty-one days before the 2020 AMA Nats, I crashed my new aircraft. This was heartbreaking because, in my mind, it was the best aircraft ever. (It must be the new paint smell that makes us think that!) I saved all of the pieces and was able to repair it and only needed to use one new piece of wood.
When I got home, I did not jump right into the repair. I had a cup of coffee then I started it. I was able to repair it quickly, and it was a great learning experience. It was rewarding, especially when I made the first flight after the repair and the airplane was as good as new.
Another example of the repair of a good airplane that really paid off is that of Paul Walker. He had an unfortunate event in 2019, six days before he left for the Nats. Paul felt that the airplane flew so well that it was worth fixing, and boy was he right! His airplane finished in the top five and did very well in appearance points at the Nats. Not bad for a six-day repair!
Field of Dreams
It recently dawned on me how important it is to attend and support local contests and events. This past contest season was an interesting one and
many events had to be canceled and rescheduled for 2021.
An event was held at the hallowed grounds of Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York, during Labor Day weekend 2020. For those pilots who attended, it turned out to be much more than a Stunt contest.
For those who do not know, the Flushing Meadows Park CL field was built in the parking lot of the 1964 World’s Fair site and was constructed in 1966. It is a fantastic flying site made up of two grass circles and two asphalt circles. In the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, Flushing was the hotbed of Stunt on the East Coast. Legendary Stunt fliers such as Gene Schaffer, Billy Simons, Vic Macaluso, Bob Lampione, Bob Hunt, “Big Jim” Greenaway, and many others, flew there.
Every year, in early September, a contest is held there and it is always a good time. This year, however, was something special, and only later did it hit me that this was more than a contest! Those who attended got to see something magical!
Many came just to watch and reminisce about days gone by, what that field and the legendary fliers who flew there meant to them, and how it shaped their childhood. (People will come!) It was really special to see Bob Hunt join us and look around. Seeing the expression on his face—it was like 1969 all over again. Throughout the day, the memories came back.
This experience was priceless. This was much more than a contest for many. It reminded me of James Earl Jones’ quote from the movie Field of Dreams: “The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.” On this particular day, the Stunt legends of Flushing were shining down.
What I am getting at is that local contests
are much more than competitions, and we should all support them by attending and supporting one another. This is a really great event and will not be around forever unless we support our contests.
SOURCES:
Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA)
www.pampacl.org
Stunt Hangar: NYCLST 2020 Stunt Championship
www.stunthangar.com/smf/open-forum/nyclst-2020-stunt-championship
