My New Book, Flying Model Collectibles

Leonard, said go ahead and post sales of this book. I am trying to recoup my intial costs to put it together. After that I don't care as this was more about modeling than making money. For all PAMPA and SSW members cost is $25 plus $3 S/H. This is $4.95 off list price. I will also sell to foreign buyers at this price but shipping is more. If you order more than one book the shipping costs go down. If you want the book signed please let me know. The book contains 627 color photos, and around 100,000 words of text. This is not the end all book on collecting but a great start. An end all book would be in the $125 range. This book is the beginning of a series of books on collectible flying model memorabilia and history. Mostly FF and Control Line though RC is gaining some ground in the current market. The book contains an excellent reference source, a list of over 600 of the best and rarest eBay autions during 2003, complete list of the AMA Hall of Fame members, a list of every model airplane magazine ever published with their dates of publication ( this list may be incomplete as I have found a couple since that I didn't include), care and archiving your collection, and the disposistion of your collection when the time comes to so. John Brown, the formost collector of books on Model Aviation in the world and contributor to Flying Model Collectibles has said "Your book is the greatest thing to come along in years, my compliments to you, John Brown". Please contact me at the listed email and I will give details on your hopeful purchase. The one picture of me in this post is me at the Virginia Military Institute with my crashed Imperial Ringmaster in 1973. I may be the only cadet to fly CL on the parde grounds of the Institute. Thanks to everyone that has made this possible, Jim Johnson Email me at [email protected]

Nice 1st class private look going there cadet Johnson!

I'm most likely the second cadet to fly U/C on the Parade Deck. I flew a ringmaster off the deck sometime in the spring of '88. When I was done it looked about like yours, courtesy of a flameout at the top of a wingover. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the members of the Corps not on weekends cheered wildly when the unmuffled Fox quit and the plane plunged to the ground. The Tac on duty, Maj Tate, came over after I wrecked and I figured I was a lock on getting boned for unauthorized aerial activity on the Parade ground. Turned out he had flown U/C back in the 60s and was looking forward to an afternoon of flying.

I didn't shoot a picture on the parade deck, but I have some lying around of the Ringmaster sitting where we stashed it in Scott Ship, and later when I gave up fixing it and burned the model on the stoop in New Barracks. During my time there, some upperclassmen flew an Ugly Stick there off the parade deck, but eventually they smoked a tree with it right in front of Mallory Hall, and pieces were stuck in the tree all winter. The word went out that R/C was not a smart idea on the Parade deck, so I waited a year to attempt the Ringmaster. Maj Tate was enlightened enough to realise a U/C job was harmless compared to the runaway Ugly Stick. Its too bad nobody in the Corps flys U/C now, something like an ARF Streak with FP-20 would be so quiet and unobtrusive you could fly all day without causing any trouble.

Steve Fitton '90

Steve, I quit after two years and ran off and joined the USN, becoming one of those Air Traffic Controllers that never gets to see a tower. God Bless Precision Approach Radar. Bounced around never completing my college education....something my mother is still on me about. I would have been class of 1976...have stayed in touch with a few guys that I had fun with at the "instaroot". I could go back and get a degree now but wonder why. Maybe to say I finally did it. Still the memories are fresh.....and the tales I could tell. We used to drop water ballons from the 4th floor on upperclassmen that were so big that they would knock you down if you were hit by one. And the girls.....never had a problem getting a date around VMI, an upperclassman's girlfriend always knew someone to set you up with, great times. Jim Johnson

I'm doing a more complete review of this book for the next Stunt News, but for those that can't wait, THIS IS A FANTASTIC, and WELL DONE BOOK!

THe color photography is OUTSTANDING. It will become a classic on the subject. Don't wait till they're gone--truly a book you will be happy to own.