Harford County Radio Control Modelers

Whoa! Is it cold out there! Do you fly all year round? How do you handle the cold? Not very well? Well, let me introduce you to some hardy folks who fly all year round. I ran into them at the Frostbite Fly-In. We'll see how they cope.

CLUB OF THE MONTH: HARFORD COUNTY RADIO CONTROL MODELERS (HCRCM)

Entrance to HCRCM

Fool that I am, it's January 1, and I could be home watching bowl games all day long. But no! I had to go to HCRCM's traditional New Year's Day Frostbite Fly-In at the Sandy Hook flying field. It's about a group of real hard heads that impose on themselves this requirement to fly all year round. That's what real pilots do. But why do they have to fly New Year's Day? The theory is . now get this . "You can't fly every day of the year if you don't fly on New Year's Day." (Smart, huh!)

They had a nice turnout for the occasion. Among them was a nice group of young boys. It's always good to see parents and grandparents sponsor their offspring in RC modeling. This hobby is kind of expensive and time intensive, and the boys need our help. And we need these boys.

A Roaring Fire

They're the ones that are going to keep this hobby going for us as we get old . kind of like Social Security.

They were well prepared for the rigors of the day. They had a roaring fire going in a steel drum (plenty of firemen attending to it, no harm). Others huddled close by to keep their body temperature up.

Sam's Heartburn Chili

And just about this time Sam Harbold started serving up his famous "heartburn" chili. They were assured that they were going to be warm in and out. And then they dressed smartly. Many had one piece insulated coveralls, some with hood attached. One guy even had an insulated transmitter pouch. Me, I had on long johns. It all works.

And you know, with the proper clothing, a roaring fire and that fiery chili, it was never really that bad. The temperature got up to 35 degrees F., the sun was bright, and the wind was calm.

Ray Mack

It really turned out to be a beautiful day for flying. If you weren't there, you missed a good one.

The great competition that attends this event is who will be the first in the air in the new year. The call was a little fuzzy, but be assured that Ray Mack and Doug Brackins were first in the air in this, our third millennium.

It was my pleasure this day to meet master David Plaine, a remarkable young man. David is twelve years old and has completed his solo flight after only 10 flights.

David Plaine

Ten flights! How about ten months! That's what it took me. It's the video games, right . it's got to be the video games! Congratulations, David.

And then it's always fun to talk with my pal Zachery Groth. Zach was born running for office. What office I don't really know. I don't think he knows. But I know he's in the race. He's as positive and exuberant as any young man I know. One day, with all that charm and enthusiasm, Zach will win the race. And then, he'll be the man.

Zachery Groth

HCRCM has been in existence since 1975. For many years they rented farmland on Route 543. But eventually they fell victim to progress (encroaching developments . sound familiar?). Fortunately, they were able to reach an agreement with the County to lease some land held by the Department of Public Works that was not in use.

The new HCRCM field is located on Sandy Hook Road, 8 miles north of Bel Air off US route 1. It was officially dedicated on August 14, 1999, in a ceremony attended by county and state officials. It's in a park-like setting facing Deer Creek, one of the most beautiful streams in Harford County. They lease the land from the County for $1 a year.

Lee Reightler, President, and John Plaine

Lee Reightler, the president, deserves a lot of credit for steering the club through this very disruptive and tumultuous year.

Doug Brackins

HCRCM has made many improvements to the property since they acquired it. They put in all the necessary fencing, delineating pit and taxi areas and restrictions for spectators. Sam Harbold built a classic '30s style racing pylon for the wind sock. They erected two large soft shelters to protect flyers and visitors from the environment. Most recently, they installed a driveway from Sandy Hook Road to a magnificent new parking lot. Originally, there was some concern with standing water in the field. But engineers in the club designed and installed a drainage system which appears to have alleviated the problem.

Vic Modugno

And their newest, most recent "piece de resistance" (I love to speak French) is the new transmitter impound built by Sam Harbold. Except it's much more then a transmitter impound, it looks more like a little chapel. Maybe there's a reason.

HCRCM is sensitive to the community and the environment, promotes safe flying, and has a rigid training program. They have briefings for community groups, hold open houses and fly-ins, and sponsor field trips. The club is fully organized, with officers and a constitution. They meet the first Tuesday of the month at the Harford County Library in Bel Air. Visitors are welcome to stop in, or visit with them at their flying field.

Phillip and Randy Armstrong

Learn all about HCRCM at their web site at http://www.hcrcm.com/.

WHERE DO WEB SITES COME FROM
Well, they originate with real people, of course. But do you ever wonder when you get on the Internet, especially on some of those weird sites, that there might be someone on the other side of the tube watching you? But it doesn't work that way . does it?

Anyway I know a guy that owns a web site, a real person. He's Dan McCoy, and he owns this site, the very one that we're on now - http://www.harfordvista.com/main/. Dan started hanging around the HCRCM field a few years back, and came to realize that RC modeling might be a good diversion to get away from the stress of the business for a little while. He joined the club, bought a trainer, and is gradually working his way into the hobby.

Dan has very generously made space on his site for the Harford County clubs and, of course, sponsors this column. I have been in RC modeling in Harford County for a decade, and I can tell you that none of the advances in RC modeling in those years can compare with the advances afforded by communication about this hobby as a result of this web site. We are fortunate and very appreciative for the services that Dan provides to RC modeling with Harford Vista.

Dan McCoy, Mr. Harford Vista

You know, web sites and the Internet make me think of strange things like dungeons and dragons. One of the reasons for this interview with Dan was to find out if he was as weird as all that. Unfortunately, such is not the case. Actually, Dan turns out to be a regular, ordinary kind of guy. (Disappointed? Now don't bail on me, there's more).

Dan pretty much grew up in the Aberdeen area, did some time at the University of Maryland, and served two years in the Army. Upon discharge, Dan went to New York to work for Bache & Co., a large brokerage firm on Wall Street. Back then they had those "big iron" mainframes, and this is where he got his start in computers.

He then went to work for NBC on the "Tonight with Johnny Carson" show. He was always the guy at the end of the stage just off the TV screen. He worked some at WOR radio with talk show personality Barry Farber, and then did 13 years at CBS News. He worked his way up to a Director's position, and along the way graduated from the CBS School of Management.

During his years in New York, Dan met many stars and personalities, including Gloria Swanson, the author Robin Moore, Cybil Shepard, and Robert Merrill, the opera star.

In 1985, Dan returned to Bel Air for family reasons. He spent some time at some piddling jobs, and then decided in 1996 to start his own Internet consulting firm, Computer Technology Associates. As an aside, he started Harford Vista, a local take-off on the large national Alta Vista search engine. He's working hard at building up the market to make it a good place for local advertisers.

Dan was a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Special Education to the Board of Education of Harford County. He gave that up to become a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Gifted Education. He thinks he has some ideas on how to bring the Public Schools into the 21st century. We wish you well.

Well, what do you think? Interesting background? I think so. Dan McCoy is a good guy to know.

FOR THE GOOD NEWS
Thanks to Lee Reightler in bringing me up to date with the HCRCM activities, and to Dan McCoy in letting us into the secret world of web sites.

Remember, if you want to see your club in the news (and who doesn't), send me the information at axsilvestri@earthlink.net.

NEXT MONTH
What do you do when it's just too cold to fly (the Frostbite Fly-In not withstanding)? Next month we're going to visit with some of the top modelers and find out what they do off season. Aren't you anxious to see who we chose?

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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