They say
confession is good for the soul—but it's lousy
for the reputation. I began last month's
column with, "For the first time in my
flying/building career, I am so far behind
that I cannot justify buying one more thing
until I finish some of the other projects that
are calling my name every time I go into the
workroom."
Well here comes the confession: I
wrote those words and only two days later, at
the Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) show
in White Plains, New York, I purchased
something else.
Is it an addiction when you
buy more things when you cannot finish what
you have? There must be some fancy medical
term for this affliction. My wife has come up
with one: no self-control.
That's when I lapse
into my well-rehearsed speech that goes, "Of
all the sports and hobbies around, at least
modeling keeps me home at night." Another
often-recited speech is the one that always
comes up when people find out what your hobby
is. Someone will ask, "Well, isn't that
expensive?"
I always follow that with a
question of my own. "Do you own a boat, hunt,
fish, restore cars, camp out, or collect
something?"
Don't talk to me about expensive
hobbies! I truly think modeling is
misunderstood. The common person does not know
what it is to risk four or six months of
emotional building time every time we fly. I
have not yet heard of a set of golf clubs
being lost because of a bad putt—I'm sure it
has happened, but you know what I mean. Boats
can sink, cars can crash, but the risk is not
comparable to the emotional investment we face
every time we fly. (If you're into skydiving,
the preceding does not apply to you.)
Brad
Porter of Auburn, Washington, has contributed
to this month's column with the latest
installment of "You know you're a modeler when
... " offering some Soaring, RC Combat, and
3-D additions.
• "You know you're
a thermal duration pilot when you nearly run
off the highway watching hawks circling.
• "You know
you're a thermal duration pilot who is up too
high when you have to ask spectators if they
can still see your plane.
• "You know you're
a thermal duration pilot when you cancel all
your afternoon meetings because there are two
puffy clouds in the sky.
• "You know you're
an RC combat pilot when your workshop is built
into the back of your pickup.
• "You know
you're an RC combat pilot when you hear
yourself say, "Nothing a little strapping tape
can't fix!"
• "You know you're a slope soarer
when you find yourself scrambling up steep
hills with a plane in one hand and a
transmitter in the other.
• "You know you're a
slope soarer when you're more interested in
checking out the dunes than the beach.
• "You
know you're an RC glider pilot when you think
'if it weren't for the wife and kids, I'd
trade it all for a hang glider.'
• "You know
you're a scratch-builder when you peer into
the recycling bin and see your next three
projects.
• "You know you're a park flyer when
you volunteer to make extra runs to Target to
see if AirHogs has put out anything new.
• "You know you're a 3-D pilot when you respond
to "check out that waterfall' by looking to
open sky.
• "You know you're a 3-D pilot when
you have scuff marks on your rudder."
The AMA
is changing, as do all dynamic organizations.
Retirements and staff changes have put some
new faces in positions at AMA HQ in Muncie,
Indiana. Other positions have been combined to
better serve the membership and be more cost
effective.
On page 183 you will find the 2008 AMA
Organizational Chart. I hope this diagram will
help you understand the operations better.
MA
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry, Executive Director
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