Model Airplane News – August 2019

48 ModelAirplaneNews.com

Tell us about yourself and how long you’ve been

involved with RC airplanes.

I’ve been involved with RC airplanes since the late

’50s. My dad was my mentor, teacher, counselor, and

investment banker during those early days of single-

channel (controlled-free-flight) models of the day. I

don’t recall anyone, including myself, having much

success actually flying them.

What is your view of the state of the RC airplane

hobby today?

The RC airplane hobby today can be a bit confusing

and is certainly controversial. One first has to define

the activity, which has grown dramatically in the

number of participants. It now includes a number of

subgroups that didn’t previously exist, like drones; FPV

[first-person-view] activity; and highly sophisticated,

specialized turbine-powered models. None of

these activities involves the traditional “building”

of model airplanes as we once knew it. Today’s

hobbyist assembles a collection of premanufactured

components and, if successful, ends up with an air

vehicle which he can fly, which was probably the

primary objective anyway. He probably wasn’t at all

interested in gluing wood parts together, sanding,

shaping, painting and detailing, then flying when he

can buy the project already in that state from the

manufacturer. There’s nothing wrong with either

approach, and the hobby seems capable of adjusting

to accommodate any level or interest.

I do, however, expect the hobby to continue to

lose “modelers” who simply will not have sources of

materials to fulfill their needs. The same [is true] for

fresh new designs for plans-built models; the number

of qualified RC model designers—the building end of

the hobby—is on that same downward trajectory. It’s

unfortunate but, nonetheless, a fact.

What aspect of model airplanes do you think is

growing the fastest?

Beyond a doubt, the molded-foam ARFs with electric

ducted fans are leading the way. We’ve now reached

a point where there’s almost nothing to assemble or

decorate: You install a charged battery and head to the

flying field. You can see some of the same “modeling”

roots in the quest for creativity and individuality with

many of these models going through the “makeover”

process, with the owner changing the markings and

color schemes.

What do you think is our biggest challenge in

growing the hobby?

The biggest challenge in growing the hobby is one

shared by many other leisure-time activities: exposing

potential participants to the activity and making

something that they really want to try. Make it exciting,

something they can talk (person to person) about,

not through their smartphones. Trying something and

accomplishing the goal is a whole lot more rewarding

than watching a video of the same activity.

The other major challenge the activity faces is also

shared: the intervention of legislators with no direct

knowledge of the activity creating the sometimes

unrealistic and unreasonable rules under which we

must conduct our activity. If this process continues

unchecked, growth of the hobby, as we know it, will be

seriously stunted.

What’s more important: learning to build or learning

to fly?

Learning to fly has long since eclipsed the learning-to-

build aspect, for the reasons cited earlier.

Tell us about new hobbyists you’ve mentored.

I have tried to mentor a number of newcomers,

including Luke Redito, a local young man I made the

acquaintance of when he was around 15 years old at

our flying field. He just seemed to take to RC flying

very quickly and seemed obsessed with anything

aviation related. He was accepted by the U.S. Naval

Academy in Annapolis. He graduated a year ago is now

at NAS [Naval Air Station] Pensacola in flight training.

I heard from him on the day he soloed in a T-6A Texan

turboprop trainer.

The other young man is a bit younger (now 11) who

has accompanied his father and grandfather to our

field nearly every weekend, starting when he was eight.

This kid’s name is Fischer Strickland. I nominated him

for an invitation to Top Gun, which he received and

began an intense period of practice. He was awarded

second place at “Young Guns” in his category at the

event, and I can’t recall seeing anyone, kid or not, so

excited and thankful to all who have helped him.

RICH URAVITCH, CONTRIBUTOR, MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

Luke Redito, now a Navy pilot.

Fischer Strickland, modeler
for life.

The annual Warbirds Over Brazil event is a fun day out for everyone. (Photo by Rogerio Araujo)

TRYING SOMETHING AND ACCOMPLISHING THE GOAL IS A
WHOLE LOT MORE REWARDING THAN WATCHING A VIDEO OF
THE SAME ACTIVITY.