Aviation History - January 2016

briefing

10 AH January 2016

More than 45 years ago, aeromodeling legend Maynard

L. Hill (shown below working on one of his transatlantic

models) set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

world record for gain in altitude for aeromodeling and

space modeling that remains unbroken. On September

6, 1970, after Hill launched his Catbird from Virginia at

5:24 p.m., it spent roughly 43 minutes climbing to a

record height of 26,920 feet, then dived for 20 minutes,

landing within 33 feet of its launch point. Before his

death in 2011, Hill established 25 model-aircraft records

for speed, duration and altitude. A metallurgist who had

become interested in aeromodeling as a youngster, Hill

spent more than two decades on the staff of the Johns

Hopkins University Applied Physics Labora tory. He later

managed research on unmanned aircraft.

T

his fall the last

ÆaQVO)^ZW>]TKIV

JWUJMZUILM_PI\

_I[X]ZXWZ\MLTa

Q\[ÅVITIQZ[PW_

IXXMIZIVKMWV

;MX\MUJMZ I\\PM

AWZS[PQZM)QZ[PW_

<PMLMT\I_QVOML*

@0 L]JJMLThe

Spirit of Great Britain

[PW_VIJW^M_Q\P\PM

:).:ML)ZZW_[_I[

WVMWN>]TKIV[

XZWL]KML,MTQ^MZMLQV

!@0 ZMUIQVML

QV[MZ^QKM]V\QT! 

XMZNWZUQVOI^IZQM\aWN

UQ[[QWV[QVKT]LQVOUIZQ

\QUMZMKWV.WTTW_QVO

\PM.ITSTIVL[?IZ_PMV

ZMN]MTQVO\IVSMZ[_MZM

[KIZKM\PMJWUJMZ_I[

M^MVKWV^MZ\ML\W\PI\

ZWTM)N\MZQ\[ZM\QZMUMV\

QV! \PM>]TKIV_I[

OZW]VLML]V\QT!!I\

_PQKPXWQV\Q\]VLMZ_MV\

IŠUQTTQWVZM[\WZI\QWV

ZM\]ZVQVO\W\PMIQZQV

;QVKM\PMVThe

Spirit of Great Britain has

_W_MLI]LQMVKM[L]ZQVO

M^MZaIQZ[PW_[MI[WV

)TI[VWIUW]V\WN

UWVMaKIVSMMX\PM

RM\ÆaQVOI\\PQ[XWQV\

IKKWZLQVO\W\PM>]TKIV

\W\PM;Sa<Z][\IVL=3

4W\\MZa0MZQ\IOM.]VL

_PQKPPI[JMMVSMMXQVO

\PMRM\ITWN\*]\_PQTM

\PMJWUJMZ_WV¼\JMXMZ

NWZUQVOQVN]\]ZMQ\_QTT

UW[\KMZ\IQVTaZMUIQV

WV^QM_I[\PMKMV\MZ

XQMKMWNIVML]KI\QWVIT

^MV\]ZM\PM>]TKIV

)^QI\QWV)KILMUa

0MZQ\IOM+MV\ZMI\

:WJQV0WWL)QZXWZ\

KTW[M\W,WVKI[\MZ

)KKWZLQVO\W\PM>]TKIV

\W\PM;Sa_MJ[Q\M\PM

QVQ\QI\Q^M_QTTNWK][WV

[Q`IZMI[WNI^QI\QWV

[SQTT["XQTW\QVOIQZ\ZIٻK

KWV\ZWTOZW]VLWXMZI

\QWV[IQZKZIN\WXMZI\QWV[

KIJQVKZM_IVLI^QI\QWV

MVOQVMMZQVO5MIV_PQTM

\_WW\PMZ*[IZM

JMQVOUIQV\IQVMLQV

\I`QIJTMKWVLQ\QWVNWZ

OZW]VLZ]V[IVLLMUWV

[\ZI\QWV[I\4WVLWV

;W]\PMVL)QZXWZ\IVL

?MTTM[JW]ZVM5W]V\NWZL

)QZXWZ\

Nan Siegel

Last Airworthy

avro Vulcan

grounded

MILESTONES

Altitude Record

Still Stands

TOP: ©MOD CROWN COPYRIGHT 2015; BOTTOM:

MODEL AVIATION

MAGAZINE/BARRETT JOSEPH FOSTER