Thistledown Flyers Radio Control Club : Corky's Corner

Hello Big Bird Lovers!
It saddens me to have to report that we have lost another of the true Giants of Giant Scale modeling. Miles Reed, a truly gifted model airplane designer and pilot, passed away on September 11, 2009. I first met Miles back in 1964, and have flown with him hundreds of times in the years since. Our mutual friend Kraig Krumm has written a nice memorial article about Miles in this issue of HighFlight. I would encourage you to read it. If you never met Miles, you missed a unique experience. His humor, his knowledge and expertise, and his sincere desire to help his fellow modelers will be greatly missed.

Miles Reed at the 2005 Thistledown Fliers Mini-Fest, with the perpetual trophy named in his honor. Yearly, this active Ohio Chapter presents the Miles Reed award to a deserving pilot who has contributed to the hobby.

As this is being written, the 2009 flying season is winding down. There is starting to be a chill in the air, and by the time you read this, the first snow will likely have fallen. This is the time to take care of those little, nagging maintenance issues on your fleet of big birds. It’s time to give your planes a thorough cleaning, and a thorough inspection. Check out the control linkages, the hinges, and the fuel lines. Drain the tanks, and maybe squirt some afterrun oil into your engines. You might want to cycle the batteries, and check them out, under load with a good meter. When you’re excited about going flying next Spring, it is easy to forget about the little things... that can make the difference between flying fun, and disaster.

And now is the time to start thinking about your next big bird project. This might be the year to take on that Big Dream project. It has always amazed me how MANY airplanes have been built. Automobiles and airplanes came on the scene at about the same time... in the very early 1900’s. But there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t learn about an airplane that I have never heard of before. There are LOTS of aircraft that have only been built once... or perhaps just a very few were manufactured. Some of these deserved to become

Corky's Corner Columns

  • Summer 2004
  • Fall 2004
  • Winter 2004
  • Spring 2005
  • Summer 2005
  • Fall 2005
  • Winter 2005
  • Spring 2006
  • Summer 2006
  • Fall 2006
  • Winter 2006
  • Spring 2007
  • Summer 2007
  • Fall 2007
  • Local pilot takes ride of his life
  • Summer 2009
  • Fall 2009

immediately extinct, but many others were excellent airplanes, that went away because of financial issues, or personal issues that kept their designers and builders from pursuing their dream. With the advent of the internet, it is possible to do a lot of research very quickly. Find an airplane that interests you (and if scale birds aren’t your thing... then find a plane that inspires you, and create your own, original design.) This is a very creative hobby, and there is a lot of information avaiable to help you design and build a model that has never been done before.

In these tough economic times, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a kit or an ARF. A couple of spruce planks, some balsa wood and plywood, and some time with a tablesaw and a jig saw... and you can have all of the components necessary for a giant scale masterpiece. Flex those creative muscles, and build a really unique, attention grabbing aircraft. The experience will be very rewarding, and the thrill of flying a one-of-a-kind model will last for a lifetime.

This isn't a dress rehearsal. This is the real thing. Design, build, create and have fun!

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