Now, I'm not one to shirk an argument, nor even one to take a reciprocal when faced with an oncoming bigger or meaner object but recently I was in company with a group of friends, many of whom I'd not seen in a while - WHEN ! I was called up short five foot two to be exact, by a quote. It was "R/C SUCKS". I was taken aback but the guy who said it, I respect and so I was inseminated to respond in the following fashion (All letters to the editor can be addressed . Dear Bryce)
I'm not religious so R/C means Radio Control and sucking means - the creation of a vacuum whereupon some other force propels matter or objects into the space provided. I have been guilty of sucking in my sixth form accreditation year and also in more recent times but that is of no concern to tender minds.
I accept that you guys are the N.O.C.L.A.S.S. group and that I'm a Similar Sort, BUT, I say that a majority of you will become R/C Suckers and I'm about to give all my reasons why.
History repeats
itself and I believe this is essentially true but usually there are modifications.
Nearly all of present day and past R/C Pylon Racers were Controline men. Certainly
- the successful flyers and also the engine room boys were and are C/L Team
Race and Speed practitioners. The similarity of skills of a C/L Combat flyer
and the skills of flying a Pylon course are obvious. Microsecond reactions coupled
with wind direction, speed, course and height proximity of the other competitors
are the way we all live in the fast lane.
I know that you know that all model glow engine development is entirely due
to C/L Speed men. If I say words like, Sladky, Garofali, Rossi, Picco, Wisnieweski
and Halman you will know what I mean. All these names produce 6.5cc Pylon engines.
Getting a
bit local now. Russ Johnson, Neville Dawson, Bill Cook, Euan Galloway, John
Danks, Alan Barnes, Trev Henderson and Harvey Westland. Everyone of these guys
was an absolute controline Ace in his day. Including the author, seven NZ controline
Champions. True, Alan and Harvey have both built magnificent Pylon motors but
are not flyers. All the others are distinguished national and international
Pylon competitors.
Suck on that you MOTHERS !
Want some
more ? Hal de Bolt, Dave Boddington, John Shannon, Metkemeyer Brothers All magnificent
world leaders in controline, now or recent world leaders in Pylon.
I Have nearly finished my argument.
Controline,
Because it is not complex is an ideal test field for innovation. Progress is
easily measured away from variables. There is a purity there. Materials, metallurgy
and systems developed in C/L classes are adopted by radio enthusiasts because
they work.
There is also an incongruity about controline in my mind for scale flying. A
tight circle, unbanked, asymmetric manoeuvres. These constraints do nothing
for the presentation of scale aircraft models. The three dimensional medium
is where scale and aerobatics belong. I have no difficulty in suggesting controline
as the medium for miniature aircraft technology and development and practice
of highly specialised techniques associated with aviation.
OK, Radio Control Sucks. That's because it creates a vacuum whereupon it is likely that you too will also be directed to that space where you want to go.
Dick Willard