BIG PLANS FOR JOE DEMARCO

Model Airplane News, Jul 2004 by Swiatowicz, Jill

We at Model Airplane News arc extremely privileged to work with many talented people who share our passion for model airplanes. One such person, Joe Demarco, has been creating plans for Model Airplane News and other RC publications for 30 years and recently finished his 1,000th plan: an electric de Havilland Mosquito for an upcoming issue of Model Airplane News'.

Demarco, who lives in Oceanport, NJ, should be accustomed to success by now. After he graduated from Monmouth College and served four years in the U.S. Navy, he began a 34-year career as a Senior Right-of-Way Agent for Verizon. "[Verizon couldn't get rid of me," he jokes. "I stayed on another three years as a consultant!" Although his work kept him busy, Demarco and his wife of 38 years, Marie, have raised three children who possess their dad's drive to achieve: their older son practices medicine in New York City, their daughter is a graphic designer in Myrtle Beach, SC, and their younger son is a stockbroker in Philadelphia.

With a full-time job and a family, when does he find the time to draw? "At night, after dinner, I would spend hours drawing ... [an average-size plan] takes 6 to 8 hours." he further explains that it used to take much more time, but with practice comes perfection. The tools help a bit, too. "I draw on Mylar film and use Leroy Lettering stencil ink."

Demarco built his first model at age seven (no, it didn't fly), but it wasn't until 1975 that he drew his first plan. "Bill Winter asked me to draw a plan for him .... After drawing plans for two or three years, I was hooked!"

But that was just the beginning for Demarco. "I have built about two dozen planes, eight or ten of them from my own drawings. I used to buy kits, but I enjoyed designing my own more." Demarco explains that when it comes to model airplanes, he's more interested in control-line and free-flight. Like many of our readers, Demarco also favors scale WW II planes.

In almost 30 years of drawing plans (which have graced the pages of seven magazines!), Demarco has witnessed many developments in modeling. When asked about RC airplane trends over the years, he remembers, "When RC 4-strokes first came out, almost all of the plans I drew were for planes that used those engines. Now, with the popularity of small electric RC, more than 95 percent of the plans I draw are for smaller electrics."

So what does Demarco do in his spare time? You can find him taking classes in oil painting and collecting toy soldiers and electric trains. "I'm just a big kid," he admits with a laugh. When asked what his future holds, he pauses slightly, trying to hold back another chuckle, "1 think ... in the fall, my wife and I are going to Disney World." But he adds seriously, "As long as people need me to do [plans], I'll do them." We at Model Airplane News congratulate Joe on his 1,000th plan and look forward to many more to come!