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Friends
have sent me fantastic links to Web sites
that depict the 1920s and 1930s with
stunning imagery. You know what? It doesn't
look like those days were all that golden,
since that was when the Great Depression
took place. However, that time period is the
age in which we proclaim that aviation was
in its "Golden Era."
Perhaps that title has something to do with
reverse psychology. Many great things came
out of that time period as well—perhaps
something worth much more than gold. Since
it's the people who remember that time,
perhaps it is best to remember that although
struggle and hardship were endured, the
golden rule people grasped is what made
those times golden in a much higher sense.
Although we might be looking at tough times
ahead, I like to think it's also a time when
the "gold" in all of us can shine through.
Great minds created great aircraft in that
era, and the rewards carried us through.
Today we walk through museums and libraries
that are thick with imagery and remember the
golden era as a time overcome with pride. We
will be remembered as those who strived,
just as they were.
Perhaps that's not the only golden era I
want you to be thinking about now. Fred
Randall introduced his Golden Era to us in
the May 2008 issue as a 60-size sport model.
The project came to us after he sent a photo
in to our "Focal Point" department over a
year before, and the editor asked if Fred
would be interested in publishing the
design. Not ever doing anything of the sort,
of course, he agreed.
Ever since, just about every conversation we
have with Fred turns into another great
article. Someone once asked me, "How do you
become a great modeler?" I tell them, "When
the chance comes, you just do it."
Fred keeps on doing it, and we're proud to
feature his ideas for your benefit. That's
part of the golden rule, right?
As Fred will tell you in his article on page
18, he looked at the monoplane and wondered
what it would look like as a bipe. By nature
he has a knack for finding the simplest
solution to a problem, and he found out that
a whole new airplane needed only a few new
parts; the Golden Era 60 fuselage will work
with both wing options.
Fred had the model done when the weather in
New England couldn't be worse: the dead of
winter. It wouldn't be until late spring,
when his club field dried out, that testing
could proceed. He also had me nagging him
for some decent flight shots. (I can be such
a pain that way.) The friendly banter
carried on until Fred wrote in an e-mail,
"How about I just mail the airplane to you?"
[Gulp!]
Long story short, the Golden Era 60 Bipe
arrived a few weeks later and another
article was born. In a month or two, we will
share an article with you about how to ship
finished model airplanes across the
country—another successful venture.
We not only got some great flying shots of
this fabulous sport aircraft, but Shane
Scherschel, a good friend of the MA
editorial staff, made a dynamite video of
the Golden Era Bipe flying that we've posted
online for you. I wonder what this model
will look like on floats.
Also in this issue, Bob Aberle and I report
on the 2008 NEAT Fair held in upstate New
York. Like the electric models flown both
indoors and outdoors at this event, the
valley location is surrounded by the
Catskill Forest: very green.
For seven years, Tom Hunt has organized this
event with the skills earned him as a
craftsman and ingenious engineer. It almost
broke my heart to see those well-built
transmitter impound cabinets go to total
waste last year.
Digital spread spectrum radio systems are
changing the face of the fun-fly and all
group RC events for the better. The
reliability, simplification, and signal
quality has had such a strong impact on the
aeromodeling community that I believe it's a
major reason why we're seeing events rise in
attendance so dramatically.
Not only that, but the flightline is filled
with pilots landing upright instead of
otherwise, because the call of the "I ain't
got it!" pilot seems virtually extinct. Good
riddance.
See you at the next fun-fly! MA |
