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Conference vmszoo::rc

Title:	Welcome To The Radio Control Conference
Notice:	dir's in 11, who's who in 4, sales in 6, auctions 19
Moderator:	VMSSG::FRIEDRICHS

Created:	Tue Jan 13 1987
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1706
Total number of notes:	27193

1249.0. "the blimp attack in California" by EUCLID::OWEN (Rent-to-own a clue) Mon Oct 01 1990 09:43

Article         2819
From: [email protected]
Subject: Model airplane rips blimp
Date: 1 Oct 90 05:26:20 GMT
 
 
	CARSON, Calif. (UPI) -- Pilot Nick Nicolary said he did not see the
two planes that attacked his Goodyear blimp as he was bringing the 192-
foot-long airship in for a landing, and no wonder -- the ``bogeys''
measured only 4 feet.
	Nicolary was at the controls of Goodyear's blimp Columbia on Sunday
when the big airship started losing helium.
	``I was making a normal approach and I felt a shudder on the rudder
pedals,'' Nicolary said. ``The first hint we had a problem was when the
ship began to get heavy, with the nose high and tail low. I knew I was
losing helium but didn't know why.''
	The reason was that a couple of pranksters were buzzing the blimp
with their radio-controlled model planes from a nearby parking lot. One
of the planes hit the blimp, ripping a hole in its side and forcing the
pilot to make an emergency landing with six passengers on board.
	The deflating blimp landed safely, and there were no injuries.
	Witnesses told deputies two men were flying model planes from a
Holiday Inn parking lot about a half-mile from the blimp's home airfield
south of Los Angeles, and joking that they were buzzing the airship,
sheriff's Lt. Paul Harman said.
	Late Sunday night, deputies said John William Moyer, 28, Redondo
Beach, was booked on a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily
harm and held on $5,000 bail. His 4-foot-wingspan Thunder Tiger remote-
controlled plane was confiscated.
	Crew members at the Goodyear Airship Operations Center patched the 1-
by-1-foot hole in the right side of the silvery blimp to prevent it from
further deflating and causing structural damage, Harman said.
	Nicolary said the blimp would be out of service for several days
while a special machine sucked the gas out of the craft and replaced it
with pure helium.
	The blimp's skin is a dacron fabric impregnated with the rubber-like
substance neoprene to seal in the helium that makes the ship lighter
than air.
	The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation
Administration were investigating the incident, Harman said.
	Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. said it lost a few thousand dollars
worth of helium from the blimp, which is operated as a public relations
vehicle.
	The Columbia, which began service in July 1986, is one of three
blimps flying for Goodyear and was returning from Redondo Beach on its
seventh passenger run of the day, Nicolary said.
	Goodyear has flown blimps since 1925, and they and other lighter-
than-air craft have become fixtures at such events as football games.
	Nicolary, who has been flying blimps for 23 years, said he had never
heard of one being brought down by such an incident. A deputy said he
recalled someone firing a shot at a Goodyear blimp about 12 years ago,
but it did not pierce the skin.
	``The reason we have to patch it is unsettling,'' Nicolary said. 
``Usually mother nature is the only person that gives us fits.''
--
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T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1249.1	THROW TH' BOOK AT "HIM" (NOT US).....!!	UPWARD::CASEYA	THE DESERT RAT (I-RC-AV8) 551-5572	`Mon Oct 01 1990 11:49`	16
	Re: .-1, I sincerely hope they hang this irresponsibly lame-witted _individual_ up by his genitals rather than assail the hundreds of thousands of responsible modelers in the country. It's the idiotic act of just one jerk-off like this that can put our hobby/sport/recreation in extreme jeopardy if justice is not meted out with an even hand and a level head. I urge all R/C modelers to join the AMA (if U.S. residents-for the insurance) and abide by _ALL_ rules of safety and good ol' common horse sense lest you put ua all in jeopardy! __ \| \| / \|\ \\|/ \|______\|__(o/--/ \| \ \| \| 00 <\| ~~~ ____ 04 ---- \| -------------------- \|_\|_\| (O>o \|\)____/___\|\_____\|_/ Adios amigos, Al \| \__(O_\_ \| \|___/ o (The Desert Rat)
1249.2	Gee, do you feel strongly about this, Al? ;^)	LOEDGE::REITH	Jim Reith DTN 291-0072 - PDM1-1/J9	`Mon Oct 01 1990 12:01`	7
	I totally agree that stupid actions by the few, can really crimp the hobby for the normal, responsible majority. 28 years old? seems a bit less mature than that... I hope they walk up one side and down the other. The shame of the matter is that it will cause us additional regulations.
1249.3	Let's all be prepared to lend our support	RVAX::SMITH	I FEEL THE NEED	`Mon Oct 01 1990 12:58`	23
	I just got off the phone with Jeff Styles of the AMA. They (the AMA) are WELL aware of the incident and are currently investigating. So far, they have gotten conflicting reports on the story. The person who commited the alledged incident has had his name spelled in the press a couple of different ways and they are not sure at this time wether he is a member of the AMA. They have heard that, as this story says, he was flying from a parking lot. They have also heard that it was a "field". Unfortunately, what we all fear is apparently happening. The press is jumping all over this situation and is making model avaiation look dangerous and uncontrolled. Jeff has been doing nothing but answering calls all day from concerned members. Tonights headlines should be just as active. I gave Jeff my opinion on what should be done to this sh*t head should he be found to be a member and then let him get back to the investigation. I think we should all be prepared to spend a few bucks on phone calls to the media should this begin to look particularly bad. I, myself, am perfectly prepared to call the wire services as well as several California TV stations to register my complaint is they start to take a biased look at Radio controlled modeling. Steve
1249.4	More info	RVAX::SMITH	I FEEL THE NEED	`Mon Oct 01 1990 16:37`	25
	Update......I called the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company public relations dept. and talked with a Dick Sailer. I expressed my concern that the RC modeling community as a whole would suffer because of this one cement head. He assured me that as a company, Goodyear was not out to bad mouth RC flying. However, he basically said that he couldn't control the press. He was a VERY nice guy and understood completely. I asked him if the press went off on a crusade AGAINST RC models, if he thought it would be appropriate for Goodyear to make a statement that the actions of this one individual should NOT reflect on the RC community as a whole. The answer was basically this. If it comes to that (getting alot of bad press), he felt that Goodyear would be very willing to endorse a letter from the "AMA" TO THE WIRE SERVICES condeming this ONE INDIVIDUAL and not the whole RC community. In other words, if we do start getting alot of bad press and the AMA will send a letter explaining that this individual does not represent RC'ERS in general, and that we SHOULDN'T be getting this bad press, Goodyear would probably be willing to acknowledge and support that letter. So folks, let's keep an eye on the news and if it starts getting sticky, start making calls to the AMA.
1249.5	Great goin' Steve	HPSRAD::AJAI		`Mon Oct 01 1990 19:04`	3
	good work ajai
1249.6	GIVE THAT MAN A PLAQUE...!!	UPWARD::CASEYA	THE DESERT RAT (I-RC-AV8) 551-5572	`Tue Oct 02 1990 11:19`	11
	Yes, let me add my kudos to Steve for a nice piece of proactive investigative work. It'd be nice to hope the media doesn't go off the deep end sensationalizing this incident but, if they do, sounds like we have a way to defend ourselves with Goodyear's blessing. Good work ameego' and muchas graceeass'!! __ \| \| / \|\ \\|/ \|______\|__(o/--/ \| \ \| \| 00 <\| ~~~ ____ 04 ---- \| -------------------- \|_\|_\| (O>o \|\)____/___\|\_____\|_/ Adios amigos, Al \| \__(O_\_ \| \|___/ o (The Desert Rat)
1249.7		RVAX::SMITH	I FEEL THE NEED	`Tue Oct 02 1990 13:43`	10
	It has been suggested by Dan Snow that we not go off the deep end here. As was stated by the AMA, and consequently myself, reports have been conflicting and the investigation is still in the works. News paper/TV reports, at least here on the east coast, have been minimal. I have hopes that this whole thing will just blow over. In other words, I concur with Dan. Steve
1249.8	Goodyear is Pro-R/C	AKRON::RATASKI	Veni, Vidi, Vomui	`Tue Oct 02 1990 18:05`	15
	re: .5 The Goddyear Tire and Rubber Co. has always been good to us modelers (R/C and otherwise). I'm sure I'll hear more about this episode at our GMAC (Goodyear Model Aircraft Club) meeting this thurday evening. If I get any more info on Goddyear's position, I'll post it. BTW this month's meeting is the first of the indoor winter meetings. These meetings are held at Goodyear Hall across the street from Goodyear's World Headquarters. They supply the room free of charge. And FWIW the signs on the Blimps are run by PDP-11/23s with RT11. I did some code review work on the latest and biggest of their stable 'The Spirit of Akron'.