Giants invade Swan Farm

It's hard to believe that the season's major flying events are almost over. The upside is that this initiates all those great flea markets. Radio Control Modelers of Baltimore (RCMB) extended a great service to the RC modeling community by facilitating the transition from flying to buying. On Sept. 16th, they sponsored a flea market followed by a fun fly. What a concept . buy it in the morning, fly it in the afternoon. Can it get any better!

GIANTS INVADE SWAN FARM
Harford County Miniature Aircraft Operators Association (MAOA) hosted its Third Annual Big Bird Fly-In on Sept. 9th at its flying field at Swan Farm near Havre de Grace, MD. It was a gala affair with good weather and good food, and a wonderful day to be out for both pilots and spectators. While there were many contributors to this successful operation, major credit must go to the leadership of Steve Snyder, the President of MAOA and Contest Director for the fly-in.

Andy Finizio and his Carden 232

After you watch so many air shows, you have to be careful that they don't start to run into a blur. But there are always several events that stand out in your mind and help you characterize individual shows. This day was no different. The dominant plane which caught everyone's eye was a 40% Carden Cap 232 powered with a 16HP 3W150. It is owned and piloted by Andy Finizio, who flies with DCRC. Andy put the plane through some outstanding maneuvers. Even seasoned RC modelers watched in awe.

Neil Snodgrass and his fleet

Neil Snodgrass is home grown and probably the best RC pilot to come out of Harford County. He has participated in and won many national competitions. Neil was out of RC modeling for a few years, but now he's back. He flies with Harford County Radio Control Modelers (HCRCM) and Delaware RC. This day Neil had two fine planes: a 30% Byron Pitts Special powered with a Homelite chain saw Super LX 6HP, and a Lanier 33% Extra 300 powered with a Quadra 100XL. Neil put on his usual outstanding flying performance. Lot's of fun to watch . nice to have him back.

Clark Woodring's Piper in the Luftwaffe

Then I saw a Piper Cub which made my neck snap. It was finished off with the colorings and markings of the Luftwaffe. It was a very nicely built 1/4-scale Balsa USA kit powered with a G23. I spoke to Clark Woodring, the owner, who flies with Lewes RC Club and Delaware RC Club. He says it's legitimate; he has all the documentation. There were some Pipers in Germany during WWII, and the Luftwaffe used them for training. I mean, Piper Cubs are as American as baseball. What will they tell us next, that Ted Williams was a collaborator?

Approximately 30 planes were at the field. All were colorful and a lot of good flying was demonstrated. There were no crashes, all pilots returned safely. The presentations were immensely appreciated by the spectators.

IRON CHEF
Ray Mack has been serving up good food for Harford County flying events for as long as I can remember. He never made me a hamburger I didn't like, nor a hot dog I couldn't keep down. Sure, he started with the usual small stuff, the hamburgers and the hot dogs.

Ray Mack, the Iron Chef

Then he added Italian sausage smothered in onions and peppers on a bun (yum!). Now he is specializing in pit beef. He served up plenty of it this day . the best around, and affordable. He has a mystery sauce of his own invention which is just incredible. Ray has made many contributions to RC modeling . he is a builder, flyer, instructor, and friendly companion . but most of all he is the IRON CHEF.

CLUB OF THE MONTH: RADIO CONTROL MODELERS OF BALTIMORE (RCMB)
This is the first time I went to a flea market/fly-in combination. Actually, it makes sense. Flying events are dwindling down, and there's a feeling that summer has come to a close. This is the season for flea markets. Check the "Upcoming Events". It's a good time to start planning those winter projects. At a flea market you may find a new kit in a box, or a partially built plane which lost someone's interest, or you may find one of those great "fixer uppers" where you start with nothing and end up with

Jack Stites, the president, gave me an excellent overview of RCMB. This is Jack's first year as president, and says he is very pleased to be associated with a very agreeable and hard-working bunch of guys. They presently have about 135 members, of which nearly 1/3 are retired. You can access their web site at www.geocities.com/rcmbaltimore.

Jack Stites, President of RCMB

Their site, Kirk Field, which is just above Parkton, is located on top of an old landfill. Because their field is on a plateau, it seems to always be sort of breezy . makes for some interesting landing approaches. They just underwent a major effort to seed and improve the overall quality of the field. The result of their hard work is just starting to come in.

They place great emphasis on teaching. They have a set-aside club trainer and six buddy boxes for new members. How do they keep those batteries charged? They actually have a wind generator which feeds into two 12 volt storage batteries. It provides all the power for their flying needs. Pretty smart, huh! Additionally, they have a complete kitchen and a water storage facility for washing. This is a very impressive setup; these guys are very self-sufficient.

Albert Santiago and incredible Intrepid

Following the flea market, everyone was invited to fly at the field. And just to ensure that everyone had a good time, those RCMB boys set up some very interesting shows. They invited Albert Santiago, who flies with Westend Wings, Effort, PA, to put on a helicopter demonstration. Now I'm not a helicopter-kind-of-guy, but what Albert did absolutely captivated everyone . spins, rolls, loops, backwards, cut the grass, and on and on. I'm sure some of the maneuvers don't have names. He flies an Intrepid, and is sponsored by Bergen Machine and Tools, and V-Blades.

Bill Netta flies the Diamond Dust

Also, Bill Netta, a resident flyer and also with Delaware RC, gave a demonstration of speed flying. He flew the Diamond Dust with a Sport Jett 50 at incredible speeds . he said he was approaching 180 mph. Just amazing. You really have to be quick, because if you think about it, it's out of sight.

Jim Parks and the piggy-back glider

Then Jack Stites and Jim Parks demonstrated how to take a glider aloft on the back of a plane and release it at high altitude. Jack flew the "carrier", Load Star powered with a two cu. in. Pullen chain saw engine, and Jim flew the Pussy Cat, the "free loader", a two meter glider. Jack very precariously took the Load Star very high with its "load", which was no mean feat considering the extra weight and wind, which had become very gusty. But they got it up there, released the glider, and then flew their separate ways. Excellent display of teamwork and coordination.

John Holbrook and Giant Aeromaster

There were many fine planes and excellent pilots at the field. John Holbrook, a resident flyer, was flying a Goldberg Giant Aeromaster. It was powered with a G62, and John demonstrated some excellent flying.

I must say that RCMB knows how to treat visitors. They did an excellent job of making sure that we had a good time. The flea market, and then the fly-in coupled with those excellent demonstrations, were outstanding. Thanks to you RCMB.

Will the real Captain Kirk please stand! It was my greatest pleasure this day to be introduced to John Kirk. John is a flying Ace from WWII.

John Kirk

He was in the 78th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force, which was stationed at Duxford, England. This is where the "Brits" fought the Battle of Britain off a simple grass runway. Today it's the site of the Duxford Imperial Museum, which houses many of those vintage planes. John flew 12 missions at Duxford as a P47 Thunderbolt pilot. Then he was assigned a P51D Mustang and flew an additional 60 missions. In the course of his tour John was credited with 6 kills, which included a Messerschmidt ME262, one of the first German jet fighters put into service. I can't tell you what a tremendous sense of history I felt in talking with John. I was able to connect with one of the most significant periods of the 20th century.

John has been in modeling all his life. He was a member of the Aero Craftsman, one of the oldest flying clubs in the country; it still exists today for free flight. In addition to RCMB, John flies with the Bonita Flyers in Naples, FL.

When the club lost its field 10 years ago, John and his associates were instrumental in acquiring property from the county, designing and building a field. His friends were so appreciative of his efforts that they elected to name the field after him. More recently, they built a weather vane using the profile and markings of his old P51D Mustang.

Did I say John's rank in the Air Force was captain? No need to stand, John, we know who the real Captain Kirk is. We're pleased that you shared your experiences with us.

SOMETHING ABOUT WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS
A couple of months ago we reported that Malcolm Gordon, who flies with MAOA and HCRCM, underwent bypass surgery. He was recovering nicely. But now, additionally, he has just undergone a hip replacement. He will be recovering with therapy at Harford Memorial Hospital for several weeks. I'm sure when he gets home he would appreciate getting some calls: (410) 676-5097 and e-mails: malkix@aol.com. Malcolm's a good guy. We wish him well.

FOR THE GOOD NEWS
Thanks to Jack Stites and John Kirk for their excellent contributions to this month's column.

I'll tell you once again. As I move around visiting other clubs, I find that RC modelers are very interested in knowing what their comrades are up to. Believe me, what you think may be trivial or nonsensical often initiates the wildest and most interesting discussions and story telling you could imagine. If you have something to contribute, e-mail the information to me at axsilvestri@earthlink.net.

WHAT'S UP
For our next club of the month, we will visit Prince George's RC Club on October 7. Hey, it's an open house . I figure we're all invited.

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Courtesy Links Baltimore Area Soaring Society   District of Columbia Radio Control Club   Harford County Radio Control Modelers   Patuxent Aeromodelers   Prince Georges Radio Control Club   Radio Control Modelers of Baltimore   Sunday Flyers of Baltmore   Swan Harbor RC   Westminster Aeromodelers