In The Air
We belong to a very exclusive club. That is not the good thing we might think it is.
In the 1970s I had the great fortune to attend the model airplane air show held at the then-mothballed Boundary Bay airport in Delta, British Columbia. About the only specific logistical detail I can remember is that it was organized by the Radio Control Flying Club of British Columbia (RCFCBC). Perhaps taking its cue from the popular and nearby Abbotsford International Airshow, the model show featured a structured program of flying demonstrations and even included a PA announcer, just like the big show across the valley. All-in-all, it was quite the event.
What I also remember is that it seemed to draw a huge audience, many of whom were seeing RC model aircraft for the first time. The gorgeous, exotic planes seemed to be everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. They were all powered aircraft— there were no gliders — but it didn’t matter. This was like having arrived in Xanadu after traipsing through a featureless, barren desert for most of my young life. It galvanised my interest in the hobby and I likely couldn’t get home fast enough to mow some more lawns so my brother and I could eventually afford to buy our own radio and sailplane kit. Perhaps we dreamt about being able to join the elite community at the Boundary Bay model air show some day with our own, magnificent aircraft and have the assembled masses ooh and ahh at our breathtaking manoeuvres.
Often its best not to go and re-examine dreams that we had when we were kids. Within a couple of years, Boundary Bay was re-opened for General Aviation — a good thing for that equally compelling interest, but really bad for its smaller scale brethren. The air show, if it ever ran again, was quickly shoo-ed away by the reanimated airport authority. The RCFCBC is still alive and well. I would be genuinely be interested to know how it compares to the robust, thriving entity it appeared to be at the beginning of the final third of the 20th century.
It’s unknowable whether, without that RCFCBC event, I would be sitting here at least 40 years later thinking and writing about a pursuit I’ve loved for virtually all of my life. But it sure as heck didn’t hurt. What I do know is that I was not alone — countless people undoubtedly went forth from that same event and have been RC modellers ever since. Maybe some of these folks were even inspired to take up aviation as a career — either in the cockpit or on the engineering staff. So, extremely belatedly, thank you the unthanked, unnamed organisers of the RCFCBC model airplane show in the late 1970s. Thank you for changing my life in a very positive and very beneficial way.
What made me think about this was a delightful note I received from Gary Quiring in late September. If that name seems familiar, it’s because you just read it in the caption of the key photo for this missive, above. Gary is on the right. In one of his emails, he said: “The club is called Eutawville Fliers and is located in Eutawville, South Carolina…[it] is small at 23 members [and] we are desperate for some new members. We would love to get a few more sailplane pilots…we have three active sailplane members which are all in that photo”. Gary also sent along another photo and I was stunned at how beautiful a locale they have for their club field — and apparently no airport authority to chase them off any time soon.
The good news is that if you live anywhere near Eutawville (pronounced ‘utah-ville’ as Gary confirmed) there is a club which is ready, willing and more than happy to take your particulars and wrap their arms around you in a warm, welcoming embrace (figuratively speaking, of course!) The bad news is that a club with apparently everything going for it that you can still get all the glider guiders in one photo — with plenty of room left over for the quite exquisite composition that Gary somehow captured with a remote shutter while balancing his camera on his portable work table. Clearly a man of many talents.
Before I continue with what RCSD intends to do to help Gary and clubs like his all around the world, let me just say that there is nothing in the world that says clubs need to grow. Or even exist, for that matter. There are plenty of RCSD readers who are perfectly content — in fact, they prefer — to fly on their own, or with a small informal cohort of friends or even in a more formal club where they have known all of the members for as long as they can remember. I’m not here to preach to you that you must somehow try and hunt down others with whom to comingle while pursuing your unearthly endeavors. If that’s you, it’s perfectly OK to stop reading now —that is, so long as you click to the next article and keep reading this issue of RCSD!
But for those who are still with me, and may have the same concern that my new friend Gary has, here is my pitch for why our hobby needs to grow in a very broad sense. Serendipity being what it is, our Bob Dodgson blast-from-the-past this month is entitled I’ll Get a Real Job Tomorrow! It’s Bob’s gritty, authentic account of what it was like being in the RC glider kitting business for two decades. It’s great reading for everybody but, in particular, it should be required reading for anybody who finds themselves in the same or a related business today. I think much of what Bob recounts will be very familiar. Without stealing any of his thunder, here’s my observation: much of what Bob encountered, and that which frustrated him, was from the market for his excellent products was so darned small.
For the life of me, I don’t understand why RC gliding isn’t way more popular than it is — it has just so much going for it, none of which I have to sell you on because you already know. And I’m sure you already do your bit to advocate for it with your friends and family. But I would also argue that nothing can quite compare to a big event like that Boundary Bay show all those years ago — something that practically speaking only active, viable clubs can stage. So even if you don’t intend to join one any time soon, we all have an interest in clubs not just surviving, but in growing and perhaps growing a lot. A critical factor in that effort will be determined by our ability to reach beyond the boundaries of our familiar communities. To reach out to those who may not have heard from us for a while. Or maybe have never heard from us at all.
For RCSD’s part, here’s what we’re going to do: I’m hoping that with Gary’s co-operation the Eutawville Fliers will soon be featured as our first RCSD Club of the Month. They’ll be featured in an article in issue of RCSD with no limit to the amount of text or the number of pictures they want to include. That article will then be added to the RCSD Clubs of the Month List which will serve as a resource for those looking for a club to join. And how about your club? Are you interested in being an RCSD Club of the Month? If so, we want to hear from you!
Having, in all probability, already overstayed my welcome I’ll keep the rest of this brief: we have a truly amazing issue for this month with some authors that while they are new to RCSD’s pages, will be very familiar to you. Who are they? Well, there’s only one way to find out, click the link below and head off to the first article in our October 2021 issue. I only hope that your reading enjoyment is commensurate with the pride the RCSD staff has felt bringing it to you.
Fair winds and blue skies!
Cover photo: For the October issue, we’re featuring the always breathtaking photography of the firm Speedamigo-Modellflugfilm. In this particular shot their FW-Models LS 6c is captured against that inimitable ‘cielo azzurro italiano’ near Cantiano, Italy. We love the light in this picture — summer with just a tinge of fall. Check out Speedamigo’s YouTube and Instagram feeds: they’re amongst the best we’ve found.
Here’s where you can find the first article in the October, 2021 issue. Or go to the table of contents for all the other great articles. A PDF version of this edition of In The Air, or the entire issue, is available upon request.
