PHOTOS: MICHAEL ISERMANN
Syrup, anyone? Mike Isermann’s immaculate, slightly mad, peanut Boeing 391 contra-prop concept aircraft (above left) from 1943. Features a new, super- secret, prototype CP unit made by Keith Sterner. Shhh. Flipped too soon—looks
penning similar words about his mentors? What F/F business venture will pass from one hand to the other, and keep the supply train on track? Aaron Narance of Boy Scout JAT Troop 304 may have the answer to that question. The following letter arrived from Aaron and his dad, David, the other day: “Sometimes ideas for the Salesmanship and Entrepreneurship Merit Badge fall out of the sky…or in this case, glide down from the sky. Aaron Narance, Tenderfoot Scout from Troop 304 of Galion, Ohio has been building model airplanes with his father for several years. In 2012, Aaron competed in the AMA National Championships and won a third place trophy from the NFFS for his deHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk. He also competed with his rubber embryo en- durance model and catapult glider. “While researching for a simple model and event to compete in during the Summer 2014 season, Aaron discovered that there is an in- ternational postal contest centered on an all- sheet balsa model called the Cloud Tramp (designed by Charles H. Grant and pub- lished in the August, 1954 MAN). Competi- tors from around the globe build the same model, and on a selected day and time, fly the model in a timed endurance event. The plans for the model were available on the in- ternet
http://www.mikedparker.karoo.net, and after a few hours’ work, the model was completed. Test flights conducted at the local PHOTO: PETER KAITERIS
a little underdone (above right). Note Mike’s attention to detail. Despite this being an unbuilt concept airplane, for FAC scale competition the model must show the likely details of aircraft of the day.
park revealed that the design was excellent and that the model would be competitive. “During a fall Troop 304 camp out, the subject of using the model as a sales project for the merit badge requirements were dis- cussed. It was discovered that there was only one source in the world for the kit, and that the majority of the builders had to do what Aaron had done earlier, download the plans, and scratchbuild it. The only source for the kits was in England, and the cost of the kits with shipping was over $30. “Aaron and his father knew that it could be done cheaper. They sourced materials for the production of kits and discovered that they could build the same kits and sell them for $10.99. Sales projections were made. Several hobby specialist and current kit manufactur- ers were consulted on the marketing and the construction of the kits. After several meetings approval was granted by his merit badge coun- selor to proceed with the marketing plan. “Plans and instructions were printed, ma- terials were purchased and balsa cut and sanded to produce an initial run of 24 kits. Several kits were sold to friends and fellow modelers, and many more as a “buy-it-now” on the popular site
ebay.com. With the kit sales, Aaron was able to pay off the expense of the materials and to make a small profit. Profits were re-invested to purchase more materials, and another version of the kit of- fered to fill requests of customers.
“The purpose of the merit badge program in Boy Scouts is to allow the scout to ex- plore, learn new skills and to apply new found knowledge. Aaron was able to find a market that had a need, and was able to produce a good or service to fill that need. While doing the requirements, Aaron expe- rienced another benefit of Scouting…to have fun!”
If you are interested in participating in this event, and becoming a part of an inter- national contest, you can contact David Narance at
dnarance@msn.com, or Caley Ann Hand at
caleyannhand@yahoo.com. A few kits are still available at John’s Hobby Shop in Mansfield, Ohio and on
ebay.com (under “Toys and Hobbies”). Simply type in a search for “Cloud Tramp”. For those who are not experienced at building balsa mod- els, an ARF (Almost-Ready-to-Fly) version is available from the Narance workshop for $14.99. The ARF version only requires the gluing of three parts (wing and stabilizer) and the model is ready for its first flight in 30 minutes. The full kit will take around a day to complete.” Bravo, Aaron!
D-Day commemorative event There will be a special 70th anniversary D-Day Commemorative event at the 2014 FAC Nats this year. For further informa- tion, including a list of eligible aircraft see:
www.flyingacesclub.com/facnats.html.
PHOTO: SCOTT RICHLEN
Not to be outdone, Andrew Ricci poses with his P-47 Snafu (at left), purpose- built for the D-Day event and resplendent in its hand-painted checks and invasion stripes. That’s Michael Kaiteris to Andrew’s right. The clean, classic lines of the Zaic Z-15 (above) are evident in this picture. It’s a great flyer, and fun for allages!
FLYING MODELS 33
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