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Corky's CornerFall 2011 by Corky Heitman – IMAA #FS-006, LM
Hello Big Bird Lovers... and Old Friends! It’s a hot summer... with lots of flying activity everywhere, and IMAA members everywhere are enjoying the fun and friendship all over the world. I modified my usual greeting with that bit about “Old Friends”, and it wasn’t an accident. Radio control models (and the people who fly them) have been an important part of my life for a long time. It’s hard to imagine what my life would have been without the RC hobby. The skills that I have learned, the fun that I have had, and the friends that I have made have been a very rewarding part of my life. As I get older, it becomes more important to share with the younger generations, and sharing this hobby that we all love is a priority for me. When I was a young man, life was much simpler. I went to school... I played ball... I rode my bicycle... and I built model airplanes. There weren’t the hundreds of activities and demands on my time that kids have today. There were no iPods, no computers, no soccer leagues, karate classes, video arcades…. the list goes on and on.
I’m not saying that all the activities that are available to today’s kids are a bad thing. I’m just saying that the model airplane hobby can contribute a LOT to a young person’s life. The sciences that are involved to make a successful model airplane flight are many.... aerodynamics, mechanics, electronics, fluid dynamics. The mechanical skills to build a model airplane are exacting... and very educational. I’ve got an orthopedic surgeon friend who spends his time on a day to day basis in the operating room cutting, drilling, tapping, fitting, etc. He swears that he relies much more on the experience he acquired building model airplanes and it is much more relevant than what he was taught in medical school. Med school taught him about infection prevention, and the healing process… but the hands on, “Miracle Working” that he does in replacing hips and knees and such.... was learned from building R/C models. So what can we “old timers” do to encourage today’s youth to become modelers? I believe that simple exposure is the main thing. As our communities become more densely populated, the flying fields have become more isolated. So, if you have young kids in your neighborhood, get with their parents, and volunteer to take the kids to your flying field. The recent flood of small, electric powered R/C “foams” has made it safe and practical to fly at the local school yard, but the kind of “modeling education” that I am talking about really only comes from the larger, builtup types of models. The foams are fine to initiate an interest in R/C modeling, but truly “graduating” to larger, more sophisticated models is where the learning, the skills, and most important... the satisfaction is going to come from. Growing up in a modeling family, of course, is where most of our young pilots are coming from. We saw a classic example of this in young Kal Reifsnyder. Kal’s father was an active modeler.... so he started Kal flying his computer simulator at age three.... and started with electric foams at age five. Now, at the ripe old age of seven, Kal is competing in IMAC aerobatic contests, and is flying a hollow molded, CARF aerobatic plane with a 50cc engine. Dad says that when Kal comes home from school, he’s not playing the same video games as his contemporaries, but is practicing the IMAC patterns on his simulator. At the time of the Joe Nall, Kal had flown in his third IMAC competition… and was showing the 3D guys at the far end of the field some pretty impressive flying. It’s time for us “old Pro’s” to give back. Take a look around the rafters and corners of your shop. I’ll bet that you’ve got a plane or two that you’ll never really fly again. Take a peek in the drawers and cabinets, and see if you don’t have an extra radio, engine, or some servos. Put all of that surplus stuff together in a pile, and I’ll bet that you’ve got enough stuff to put together a perfectly flyable trainer. And if you don’t have time to put it together, take it to your next club meeting and find a volunteer. Or better yet, make it a club project. Build a half dozen trainers, and put on a “Try RC day” event. Gets the kids (and their parents) involved, and spread the joy. Let everyone in your community know that the radio control hobby is within their reach. Teach a Kid to Fly! Partner with a Service Organization Like the Lions, Rotary, Boy Scouts, or Boys & Girls Club and sponsor a “Learn to Fly” Day !
Web site by DeTray Associates
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