Airwaves

Model Airplane News, Dec 2002

WRITE TO US! We welcome your comments and suggestions. Letters should be addressed to "Airwaves," Model Airplane News, 100 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT 06877-4606 USA; email man@airage.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity. We regret that, owing to the tremendous numbers of letters we receive, we cannot respond to every one.

THE "GOOD" GUYS

As we enjoy the great number of RC frequencies available to us, it's easy to forget that back in the mid-30s, there weren't any RC frequencies as such; you had to have an amateur license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate an RC device.

It was in about 1936 that some of us first heard of a model airplane being flown with RC. This was accomplished by Walt and Bill Good-twin brothers from Michigan. With licenses from the FCC and the experience needed to acquire them, the Goods designed and built their own RC equipment and a model called the "Big Guff." The model has been on display for many years at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The AMA was also born in the '30s, and in 1937, the first RC competition at the AMA National Model Airplane Championships was held. The Good brothers did not win that year, but in the following years, they were the first to win the event three times.

The Good brothers went on with their separate careers after WW II; Walt continued aeromodeling, and he and Bill often consulted each other regarding RC technology. Walt went on to design other successful RC models, notably the Rudder Bug and the Multi-Bug. He was also involved with the AMA, and in the '50s, he became its Ilth president. His goal was to make it easier for others to become involved in RC and to do this, he focused on getting specific radio frequencies designated for RC and on eliminating the requirement for an FCC license.

As a 25-year-old newcomer to RC, I came to know Walt in 1949 at my first AMA Nationals at Olathe, KS. I entered the RC event with a model that used the new Aerotrol equipment, but I didn't have an FCC license. Walt suggested that we test a possible loophole in the FCC rules which, at the time, said something like "A licensed radio operator must turn the radio on and off." Walt stood by when I was ready to fly and switched my transmitter on. I then flew the rudder-only model and, after landing, Walt switched off the transmitter. We went through the Nats RC in this way for several flights. An FCC agent observed the RC activity, but he didn't interfere with what we were doing. Afterward, Walt received a letter from the FCC saying that this type of operation was not legal and would not be permitted in the future.

Walt concentrated his subsequent efforts on getting the FCC rules changed. When I became the 13th president of the AMA in 1963, I worked with him on this. By obtaining financial support from the model industry and donations from AMA members, we were able to hire a former FCC commissioner who was also a lawyer to press our case. Walt was appointed as the first chairman of the AMA's newly established Frequency Committee, and he led this group through the early negotiations with the AMA lawyer and the FCC. Over several years, this effort became more and more successful; we first obtained a few license-free RC frequencies and then, finally, the fifty 72MHz RC frequencies we have today were approved-plus 30 more for RC cars and boats.

After retiring from his prestigious position with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Baltimore, MD, Walt moved to Florida. He continued to fly RC models-mostly sailplanes-until the early part of this year. He passed away on July 24, slightly more than one year after the death of his brother, Bill. Those of us who know how much they contributed to RC as we enjoy it today fondly remember them as "the Good guys." We all owe them our appreciation for the legacy they left us.

JOHN WORTH

Fairfax, VA

BURNELLI BIPLANE?

I recently visited the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT, during its open house at which you could actually go inside several of the old airplanes on display-very cool! One was a strange-looking, lifting-body design cargo plane designed by Vincent Justus Burnelli. It had twin engines and was really out of the ordinary. In my research on this aircraft, I stumbled on the fact that there was once also a twin-engine biplane-the Remington-Burnelli RB-2-- that had a large airfoil-shaped fuselage to increase the aircraft's lifting surface. I want to build a model of this strange-looking biplane but haven't been able to find a plan. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

JOHN SALISBURY

Canton, CT

John, you are in luck. We published a plan of the RB-2 in the November 2001 issue of Model Airplane News, and we sell this plan! The model is 76 inches in span and is about 44 inches long. The wing loading of this 91/2-pound model is only 16.8 ounces per square foot, but its effective wing-loading value (including the lift from the fuselage) is only 11.22 ounces per square foot. That's in glider territory! Powered by two K&B .45 engines, this model is sure to turn all the heads at your flying field. You can order the plan ($24.95) by calling (800) 537-5874; ask for plan number FSP1101A. You may also order it online at rcstore.com. Just click on "Plans," and follow the menu! Have fun!