pag? 14
daily nebraskan
thurcday. October 16, 1930
Models buzz life Into mudflats
si
LAS VEGAS, Ncv. - Once a yeaiwhen
the temperature drops to a mere 1 10 de
grees at the El Dorado Flats, a few hundred
dedicated model airplane enthusiasts get
together on the mud-cracked surface of the
dried lake to show off their latest creat
ions. The event is sponsored by the Radio
Control Quarter Scale Association of
America and attracts entries from ail over
the world, including hobbyists from Aus
tralia, France, England and South America.
This year's meet, the association's
fourth, was highlighted by a four-engine
B-17 bomber model entered by a german
group.
Another attraction was a quarter-scale
replica of the late Howard Hughes' Spruce
Goose, the largest aircraft ever built. The
model has a wingspan of 13 feet snd is
complete with a pilot that resembles its
designer-pilot Hughes.
The aircraft entered at the meet, which
attracted about 2,500 spectators, must
have a wingspan of at least nine feet and
can be constructed of aluminum, nylon or
fiberglass. The planes are powered by small
chainsaw engines.
According to Ed Morgan, founder of the
organization, the replicas of commercial,
military and pleasure aircraft weigh any
where from 13 to 60 pounds and cost from
S700 to S3, 000 to build.
Morgan said he established the Radio
Control Quarter Scale Association because
he was disturbed by the competitive nature
of local hobbyists. The organization was
formed in an effort to see model airplane
interest grow, he said.
The association has 21 clubs in as many
different countries, including seven chap
ters in the United States, Morgan said.
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Story and photographs
by Mark Billingsley
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