Pictured left to right are: Wayne Stevenson, Don Adriano, and Paul Barbour. Not pictured is Art Johnson. The four of them were manning the circle (above left) when Kathy and Allen arrived for a brief picture session and interview of the
I couldn’t make it that year, but have been attending the annual Oshkosh gathering and volunteering for KidVenture ever since. What better mix of model and full scale avi- ation could one have!
“KidVenture takes place at the Pioneer Airport complex at Wittman Field where the AirVenture convention is held. They have a large, grass runway and parking area, and the adjoining vintage style hangars are per- fect housing for other interactive activities for kids to experience. Everything from carv- ing a wood prop, to building a wood wing rib, to CAD generating their own airplane de- sign, to hands on electronic and hydraulic systems maintenance is available to them. These are all manned by volunteers and are even neat for this adult to spend some time in there with them!
“Each year a survey is done of people at- tending AirVenture, and the KidVenture venue is consistently voted one of the most favored venues of the week-long event. The number of kids that have passed through the C/L circles has ranged from 1400 to a high of 2500 one year. An average year is between 1400 to 1800 kids during the seven days. “The event starts on a Sunday and runs to the following Sunday, and the grounds are open pretty much 24 hours a day, with most activities running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is an afternoon air show each day that
EAA KidVenture control line flying area members. Paul Barbour (above right) is found helping a young lady learn the intricacies of model aircraft control line flight at the EAA KidVenture circle.
runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The KidVenture venue operates from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is divided into two shifts. After you have completed your shift, you are given a wrist band that gets you admission to the rest of the grounds, and the rest of the day is yours to do what you want with it, and there are plenty of things for any aviation enthusiast to see and do.
“Three years ago, they started having a night air show and fireworks after dark on one day, and this year they added another. I usually attend with friends, Bob Arata and Jan Potts, to help share expenses, and we bring some of our own models to fly in the evening if the weather cooperates. Have you ever flown a Stunt pattern while WW II bombers, fighters, aerobatic airplanes, blimps and antique aircraft are flying over- head? It is pretty cool!
“Sig Manufacturing has always been a sponsor of KidVenture and donated a num- ber of the Sky Baby RTF models for us to use. The airframes of the models were kind of fragile, while the Norvel .061 engines have been very reliable and tough. As the supply of Sky Babies dwindled, we knew a replacement had to be found. On the long rides home each year, Bob Arata and I talked about what the airplane should and should not be. The continued use of the Norvel engines was an easy choice.
“We decided that an airplane with a near indestructible fuselage and replaceable fly- ing surfaces was needed. The newly discov- ered plastic material called CorePlast was ideal for the flying surfaces and plentiful. The fuselage was designed and built from hardware store variety material, and the flying surfaces were copied from the Sky Baby and sandwiched between a top and bottom fuse piece. It needed to be a solid, stable model, and not designed to do any aerobatics, just live a long time! “The resulting model has been a resound- ing success. Where we used to have two or three Sky Babies a day ending up in the trash can, we are still using the same five airplanes, now called Tuff Baby, that Bob built in 2010. We just wanted to make life easier for Art Johnson!
“If you have wanted to attend the AirVen- ture convention, volunteering for KidVen- ture is a great way to help make that happen and make it more affordable. You do not need to be an EAA member to volunteer. There is affordable housing near the airport at the University of Wisconsin dorms, nu- merous hotels, bed and breakfast rooms, and if you camp, KidVenture volunteers camp free! For further information you can contact me at
dpmcenthusiast@aol.com or e-mail Geri MacArthur at kvcontrolline@
yahoo.com.”
Shown here is the final, so far, version of the Tuff Baby (above left) copied from Sig Manufacturing’s Sky BabyRTF model. This has been a very tough and rugged control line trainer for use at the EAA KidVenture. Melissa Olson and
FLYING MODELS
Geri MacArthur filled in as a wonderful registration crew (above right) for the EAA KidVenture control line learning area. Dan McEntee and Bob Arata would soon join the ensemble in a day or two.
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