Letters to the Editor
Our mailbag runneth over.
We’re thrilled this ‘what is old is new again’ forum for readers input is beginning to take off. Check out these remarkable contributions this month.
Three Aviation Legends Captured in One Photo
Hi Terence,
I enjoyed your article about Jonathan Livingston Seagull this morning. Turns out I have a photo of Richard Bach along with Teresa James and my mom and at an air show:
I wish I could tell you the circumstances of the photo. I’m pretty sure it was taken in Florida. I have no idea who took the photo.
The back story is both women were former Women’s Airforce Service Pilots. By the time the WASP program was disbanded these women had hundreds of hours in warbirds. And certified to fly dozens of different aircraft. Out of the thousand plus women twenty six were lost for a variety of reasons. My mom went on to become an air traffic controller for 30 plus years.
If it could be said she did it all, she did. And her fellow sisters of the air have similar histories. My mom is my hero.
Her diary from 1944 is on Kindle: A WASP Diary: Ferrying Aircraft for the Army Air Corps. Although I’m listed as the author all I did was transfer it to a larger format so it would be easier for someone to type it up transfer it to media storage.
David Nutt
Tucson, Arizona
David — that is one remarkable photo! Thank you so much for sending it in along with that great story. We’re also happy to pass along the link for your mom’s incredible diary: readers can find A WASP Diary: Ferrying Aircraft for the Army Air Corps on Amazon. — Ed.
Would You Listen to RCSD Articles?
I agree that this is a great idea and as you said will expand the base that can enjoy the work you all are doing.
I am a HUGE podcast consumer. Pretty much the only thing I listen to in the car. A majority of the articles in the new RCSD rely on pictures to help tell the story, just having the articles read one after the other may not make for a good podcast.
My favorite RC related podcast is the ‘RC Roundtable’ the guys are a good mix and they keep it interesting. I could see a podcast with a couple of people as hosts discussing the articles and having a guest on to go in depth. I would love to hear Bob Dodgson talk about his life.
Thanks,
Raymond Wright
Lusby, Maryland
Raymond — that’s great feedback, thank you. We agree that not every article would be a good fit for spoken word. And we also agree that there are some characters in our community who would be great podcast guests. So leave that with us as we continue to cogitate on the possibility of an RCSD podcast. Thanks for the input — Ed.
More on Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Movie
Thanks, Terry, for another great issue of RCSD.
Your In The Air column reminded me of an article written by our club historian, Gary Fogel and published in the April 2020 edition of Gull Wings, about the Jonathan Livingston Seagull models. It was part of a series of articles entitled TPG at 50 — Looking Back that were written in honor of TPG’s 50th anniversary as an RC soaring club.
I’ve attached a PDF of that issue. Check out pages 18 and 19.
Cheers,
Dale Gottdank
San Diego, California
Dale — thank you so much for writing in and if readers click the link above, they will be taken directly to issue and page of the article you mention. A personal note: readers are well advised to subscribe to Gull Wings: it’s the second best 😉 publication in the world dedicated to RC soaring. — Ed.
Older Beginners In RC Soaring
I am having a great time enjoying the new version of RC Soaring Digest! Good job all around.
The beautiful models shown and described are what dreams are made of, but I am mired in the basics and need help which may be the case with many model sailplane advocates. As simple as it sounds, planning a battery, receiver, and servos that work together properly is not as easy as it appears. For example, the many comments about Lipo battery fires and proper chargers opens a whole mix of issues. Other battery choices are available, but some are too heavy or bulky for the small 1.0 to 1.5 meter models I am working toward. You can see where this line of thought is going for the enthusiast who will build a model and outfit it for flight from a clean sheet of paper. I cannot believe I am the only one with this dilemma.
Is there a place in the new format RC Soaring Digest for material to be developed to cover onboard system specifics as well as how to minimize the safety hazards of battery systems? This subject speaks to the issue of bringing new RC sailplane flyers into action without being confronted with hugely expensive air-frames and radio systems. Now in my 80’s, I don’t have decades left to develop my own direction with the usual trial and error methods!
Thanks for your time. There are more facets to this story, but the idea is clear that you may have one of the best platforms to work from to go back and refresh the foundation under RC soaring as well as lead the new part forward.
Regards,
Karl Hube
Alpharetta, Georgia
Hi Karl — thank you so much for writing in and we couldn’t agree more that there is room for a series of ‘getting back to basics’ articles for people just like yourself. There are lots of poeple like you out there. How about it, RCSD readers? Anybody out there want to take this on? Perhaps with something like the Hummingbird Mini CX RES or similar as the subject, so folks can build along with the series? Thanks for the idea, Karl, it’s a great one. — Ed.
Send your letter via email to NewRCSoaringDigest@gmail.com with the subject ‘Letter to the Editor’. We are not obliged to publish any letter we receive and we reserve the right to edit your letter as we see fit to make it suitable for publication. We do not publish letters where the real identity of the author cannot be clearly established.
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