Model Aviation Online - Modeling Spoken Here (January 2007)

Like it or not, the computer
has become a vital tool for
accessing and keeping
abreast of information.

When I was a youngster in the 1950s, the most anticipated day for me was Thursday. That evening was when the model airplane club I belonged to conducted its meetings. That's right—every Thursday! (Most model clubs of today have monthly meetings at best.)

    There wasn't even discussion around my house about if we'd attend the meeting; it was a given. My father and I were members of the legendary Union Model Airplane Club that was based in Union, New Jersey. I use the word "legendary" because many of the East Coast's most famous competition modelers were UMAC members, and in those days the focus was centered on competition flying.

    Two UMAC members were larger-than-life figures. Larry Scarinzi and Red Rinehardt were not only outstanding fliers, but also were prolific model-airplane designers and magazine authors. That was big stuff in those days. And we got to see all their creations fly before they were submitted for publication in one of the major magazines.

    In those days modeling magazines were the only source of modeling information other than personal contact. Clubs generally did not have newsletters, and it was a time long before the Internet and E-mail. You either knew someone from whom you could glean information in person or you learned by reading modeling magazines.

   I was lucky; my dad was an accomplished, and published, modeler, and I was able to learn many lessons about model building and flying from him. I also had an unfair advantage in that Red and Larry were close family friends who visited on a regular basis, and I could pester them with questions. Information flowed freely in that environment, and I didn't realize until much later how blessed I was to have been raised around such knowledgeable and gifted modelers.

    Now let's fast-forward four and a half decades and look at the information situation. Today information exchange can be almost instantaneous. The advent of the Internet has brought the entire world of knowledge about virtually any subject into your home via your personal computer.

    Perhaps the most often used "online" format for finding information is the Internet forum. There are forums dedicated to each modeling specialty, and others are more general. When a new thread (subject) is started on a forum, all are free to weigh in with opinions and questions. You can learn and teach in a forum environment.

    Of course, not all who express their opinions on forums are expert modelers, and many times the thoughts presented are not proven by actual use. Many who post on forums can "type the talk but not walk the walk." Still, if you are careful to examine all the information you might receive via a forum, you can learn at an accelerated rate.

    Many forums have a chat-room feature that allows real-time conversations with other modelers. In this manner you can exchange information almost as fast as if you were on a telephone conference call. Chat rooms can be a lot of fun, and you can make many new friends via the typed conversations you have there.

    There are also myriad Web sites where you can get information about almost any modeling subject. Many are company sites that have a complete listing of the wares available, and many are personal Web sites where a modeler can post his or her personal thoughts on modeling subjects. Those are called "blogs," and they can be entertaining. Just be prepared to read things with which you might not necessarily agree.

    In recent years many clubs have begun hosting their own Web sites. In many cases the information on them is aimed at members of that particular group, but many clubs have features that make their sites fun and educational to visit for nonmembers.

    In this issue we are presenting an article by Bill Bitautas that gives a comprehensive explanation of what a model-airplane club Web site should contain and how to go about constructing one.

    In today's society many do not have the option of attending club meetings when they are scheduled. By having a well-conceived Web site, a club can keep all its members posted on activities.

    Like it or not, the computer has become a vital tool for accessing and keeping abreast of information. As the automobile made long-distance personal travel between one place and another convenient, the computer has made personal information gathering convenient.

You can reach me via E-mail at robinhunt@rcn.com or by the somewhat dated invention called the telephone at (610) 614-1747. You can even contact me using the fabled US mail service at Box 68, Stockertown PA 18083. MA