SFM News Letter

October 2008

by: David P. Andersen

The last meeting of the season for the Scale Flyers of Minnesota will be Friday, October 31, 2008 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Post, 6501 Portland, Richfield. East entrance, downstairs. Guests are always welcome. Come early and dine in the non-smoking restaurant.  (Directions)

At the last meeting ...

(Click on any photo to enlarge)


Jim Jacobson  presented his P-26 Pea Shooter under construction from a Royal kit.  67” span., 1/5th scale.  He described the interesting history of the full-sized P26. Model now in 7th year of construction.

Darren Blitzer and Zach Garagi’s  B26 Marauder was framed up. This one's an 1/8th scale, with two G-38s.  3000 building hours work at this point.  Built from Jerry Bates plans.


Kirk Hall’s P-47 was built from a Yellow kit.  1/6th scale.  German color scheme and markings were based on Internet photos of a captured P-47.

Congratulations!

Roy Maynard for his 2nd place in Civilian Scale at this year’s 2008 Toledo R/C Expo.


Congratulations!

Wayne Siewert and Scott Russel for 3rd Place in Team and Best Civilian at this year’s Top Gun.

Wayne's New 1/4 Exact Scale Porsche Mooney M20L Kit.


Why Are There No Women R/Cers?

Primitive hunter-gatherer societies are typically communities of 50-150 individuals.  If more, communication breaks down and if fewer, there are not enough specialized workers.  And so it seems that all successful RC clubs have membership within this range too, for essentially the same reasons.  We aren’t very far from the primitive, are we?

And in these hunter-gatherer societies, it is always the men who periodically wander from home in small bands to go hunting or raiding or looting and pillaging while the womenfolk maintain a home and family for them to return to.  It was this way for eons and it is still in our genes.

In my 50+ years of modeling, I have yet to meet or even know of a woman with more than a passing or peripheral interest in building and flying RC model airplanes. I’ve asked many women—they can’t explain it either.  I know of no other hobby or sport that is so exclusive despite their understanding and support.  Women are active in full-size aviation and all other sports except maybe sumo wrestling, but there has never been an Amelia Earhart or a Patty Wagstaff or a Hanna Reisch in RC.  It’s not intentional; it’s just the way it is.  Their role, like their hunter-gatherer forbearers, seems to be supportive instead.

It appears that we have not strayed far from our primitive past.  But it also reveals how civilization develops.  Modeling is a paradigm for using our base and primitive instincts for something more creative and grand.  For it is much better to pretend to be a German fighter ace than to actually be one.


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Roy's rocket ship of Rosemount
German Warbirds at Tri-Valley R/C
Al Schwartz Autogyro Cal and Kirk's Spitfires at 3V Dan Schmidt's Pfalz D-XII 007
Dave Kolbilka's P-40 Dick Steine's Spitfire at AgAir10 Jim Jacobson's P-26 - Royal kit

“There's more to life than airplanes ... but not a helluva lot more"

...Budd Davisson


Recommended Website

Contacts

Cal Branton, President

BRANTONCFB@msn.com

(651) 459-5107

Mark Prokop, Treasurer

mjprokop@comcast.net

(651) 688-6340

D. Andersen, Secretary

davidpandersen76@gmail.com

(952) 890-9529

Jon Bomers, Webmaster

Jon.Bomers@Comcast.net

We'll See You At  This Months Meeting!