Lums Pond . Where's That?

P-40 Flying Tiger

I don't know if you can remember why you first fell in love with airplanes, but for me the reason is very clear. It was the "warbirds". specifically, the P-40 Flying Tigers. I remember as a young boy during WWII seeing John Wayne riding high in the cockpit of one of those beautiful beasts, eyes glaring, teeth flashing, defending the China skies. John in one of these planes was invincible. He was flying the most wonderful machine ever invented by man. I still feel a tug whenever I see a Flying Tiger at a fly-in or museum. To this day I still hang one in my garage.

Lums Pond . Where's That?

Just kidding. We all know very well where Lums Pond is. It's part of the Delaware Park System where the Delaware RC Club holds some of the most spectacular fly-ins in this area. And this year's Warbirds Fly-In was no exception.

It was my good fortune to be standing in the hotdog line with Mark Weiss, the president of the Delaware RC Club. He told me that the club had been at this location for about 18 years. They sign an agreement with the Park Service every five years that allows them to do the things they do. They do all their own maintenance and upkeep. They have no ceiling on their membership and are now at about 175 members. He said the club has been in existence for 50 years. They have a really great web site at www.delawarerc.org.

Maryland flyers were all over the place this day.

Zachary Groth and Ted Stanley

I first ran into Ted Stanley and his grandson, Zachary Groth, from the Harford County Radio Control Modelers (HCRCM). Ted had his P-51 Mustang. The P-51 is his design and scratch-built. It is powered with a G-62 Zenoah engine, and complete with retracts. It was finished in chrome with yellow-and-black checkerboard wing tips and tail assembly. Another of Ted's fine contributions to RC modeling.

Tom Obringer and Fred Romeo, who fly with the Harford County Miniature Aircraft Operators Association (MAOA) and the Sunday Flyers, were present. Tom was flying his Taube (beautiful bird-like lines in the sky) and Fred was flying one of the great classics of aviation, the infamous Fokker Eindecker.

Bill Kalb

Bill Kalb, who flies with MAOA and The Sunday Flyers, was flying his Fokker Dreidecker. His friend, Russ McKenzie, who flies with The Sunday Flyers and Howard County Radio Control Club (HCRC), was also flying a Dreidecker. Both were imposing planes. Spectators from Maryland clubs were all over the place. It was a good day and a fun place to be.

Club of the Month: Chesapeake Bay Miniature Aircraft Association

I had arranged with George Hamel, the president of the club, to feature their club this month because this was going to be their first giant scale RC warbirds at this site. One of the interesting things about the Chesapeake modelers is that they fly at a real airport, the Essex Sky Park at Essex, MD. You approach their field walking past real airplanes. Cessnas, a Citabria, an Ercoupe, and many others. Makes you want to jump right into the cockpit.

I met up with Ed Tennyson, the Vice-president, who gave me a little background on their club. Originally, they were part of the Cheasapeake Bay Radio Control Club near Severna Park. They used to sponsor their giant scale warbirds fly-ins at Ridgely Airport on the Eastern Shore. But that was rather far and many of their members lived closer to Baltimore. Accordingly, George and Ed reached an agreement with Essex Sky Park authorities to carve out an area of airport property for flying model airplanes.

George and Ed started out two years ago mowing a little grass strip just for themselves. Where they first began with a little narrow strip, they now have a runway which is 650 feet long and 125 feet wide. And their membership grew accordingly. Presently they have about 35 members. In that little time they're up to having their own giant scale fly-ins. The club maintains all of its flying area. They have an excellent rapport with the airport, in that the club helps them with some of their maintenance. They assist the airport with their annual open house and, accordingly, get space to put their models on display. If you would like more information on the Chesapeake Modelers, you can reach George at (410) 285-4105 and Ed at (410) 665-4217.

Ed Tennyson is really quite an interesting fellow. It's not an easy task carrying the name of one of the most prominent English poets.

Ed Tennyson

He has had to develop his own personal skills in order to carry his head equally high. He did it this way. He became a top-notch organizer and one of the greatest proponents of RC modeling. The extremes to which Ed has gone to excel in this field is manifest in a 5-cylinder radial engine which he personally fabricated from scratch. He had samples of the castings he made and the pieces he machined to complete the engine. The engine is just a remarkable piece of craftsmanship. He had the engine running in a smooth idling mode. I never cease to marvel at the extraordinary skills that some of our fellow modelers possess.

When I first came onto the field I was greeted with a fly-by of three Fokker Dreideckers.

Lou Bertazon

These things are becoming more popular than Corsairs, P-51s, P-40s and AT-6s. Flying the first one, of course, was Bill Kalb, "King of the Dreideckers" (he owns three himself). And then his buddy Russ McKenzie was flying the second (you remember them from Lums Pond). The third one, which I hadn't seen before, was flown by Lou Bertazon of Hunt Valley Hobby Shop, Inc. Lou flies with the Chesapeake Modelers, Sunday Flyers and Wright Flyers.

Bill and Jim Compton

Jim Compton from Phoenix, AZ, was visiting his dad Bill, who flies with RCMB and MAOA. They brought out Bill's Cessna Bird Dog. Also from out of state we had Raymond Piette from Sunrise, FL. He was flying a beautiful P-51 Mustang powered with a 3W60 engine.

Jerry McCallum flew a Cessna 02a, a push-pull airplane. The 02a had a Zenoah 445 in front with a G23 in back. An outstanding piece of work. Jerry flies with RCMB. Milt Peacock was flying his now familiar white Stuka, scratch built from Ziroli plans. Milt flies with RCMB and the Westminster Aero Modelers (WAM).

Ron Stahl

Ron Stahl of RCMB, while not flying, had an interesting display of some of his good stuff. He had a ducted fan F-18 and a huge fiberglass partially built F-4. He also had a turbine jet engine on display. He will eventually put two of these in the F-4. I want to be there when he flies it.

There were so many other planes and pilots that we weren't able to catch up with them all. It was a good day because of a very good show. It's a real credit to the Chesapeake modelers to see how far they have come in such a short time.

Milt Peacock's Excellent Adventure

Milt Peacock of the Radio Control Modelers of Baltimore (RCMB) filed this report. We paraphrased it to fit your screen.

Milt Peacock

"I just got back from the STARS Rally in Olean, NY. Olean is just below Buffalo and, accordingly, gets a lot of Canadian fliers. They manage to get just as excited as the Americans. The STARS Rally is held at the Olean City Airport.

"Each flight station has one of their guys in radio contact with an "Air Boss" who gives clearance for all takeoffs and landings. An announcer hears the information being transmitted and pulls a card on the prospective pilot. I have to tell you it is really moving to hear him say, "Taking off now is a white Stuka being flown by Milt Peacock from Finksburg, MD. The model is scratch built from Ziroli plans From the right in a low-level pass is Dave Lander flying his Skybolt. Landing now is" If the announcer knows anything else about the pilot or airplane, he throws that in too. This goes on continually. it's really well done.

"The event is well-supported by the natives, and at any one time there may be as many as a thousand spectators. After flying, there are many activities to occupy your time. There are barbeques, auctions, and story telling around the campfires. There's even a wine and cheese party. They have plenty of space for trailers, motor homes and tents. This is one of the best organized rallys I have ever participated in. The people are genuine and make you glad to be here."

Pilot Down

Our good friend Malcolm Gordon, who flies with MAOA and HCRCM, has just had bypass surgery. He's doing well and will shortly be recovering at home. We wish him well. I'm sure he would appreciate some calls: (410) 676-5097 and e-mails: malkix@aol.com.

Thanks To You

We appreciate the inputs to this month's column provided by George Hamel, Ed Tennyson, Mark Weiss, and Milt Peacock.

Is There Something You Want To Say?

If you have any reports or announcements concerning your club's activities that you would like included in our column, you may e-mail the information to axsilvestri@earthlink.net. Anything received by the 15th of the month will be included in the next month's issue.

Next Month

Our featured club will be South Carroll Aero Modelers (SCAM). who could pass up a club with a name like that? It's going to be a little different this time. we're going to do some pattern flying. That should be educational for a lot of us. Don't miss our report.

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