The WRAM Show

Seminars and the WRAM Flyer Program

Seminars for beginners and advanced modelers were introduced at the show in 1996 and proved enormously popular. One earlier program was a free building program for boys and girls, aged 8-12, in which a rubber band-powered WRAM Flyer (the great Delta Dart design by Frank Ehling) was provided for completion by each participant. Sessions were held at 11 am and 2 pm each day.

One of the latter program's instructors, Tony Tartaglia, offers insights after some 15 years of experience:

Kids have a sustained interest in even the simplest of planes like the WRAM Flyer. You must view this as both a building and flying project. In our experience the controlled flying competition that takes place after the building is done carries more impact than the actual building.

Anyone familiar with the little rubber band-powered plane knows its wonderful simplicity of design and construction. Little needs to be added to the list of instructions for any adult who wishes to help a child with it or to encourage other adults to get their kids involved. Before the program begins, we encourage parents or older friends to join in with the kids. Often the adult who is unfamiliar with modeling becomes hooked by this shared experience, if only to find a new door of contact with the child. Make it clear to the participants what the Flyer model can do once it is built, and that the child will see his or her completed model really fly.

Once building begins, the kids complete construction of the wing, rudder, and stabilizer. The construction simply involves gluing down the sticks right onto the plan, which then becomes the covering of the airplane. To speed up the building process in the limited time we had at the show, the components are finally assembled by an experienced project leader.

The final assembly consists of joining the motor stick to the wing and stab. We used glue guns earlier, but now use CA adhesive with an accelerant to fill in the gaps that sometimes come of youthful exuberance. When there is plenty of drying time, any white glue will do the job and a child can use it with a little help to assure that joints are properly filled

Once the Flyer models are done, the flying phase begins. This is the most satisfying stage of the project for instructors as well as students. The competition is simple. dollar bills are hung from the ceiling roughly six to eight feet apart. Each youngster gets to fly his model, one at a time, and trims his plane with the goal of hitting the dollar or the string attached to it. Of course, they kept the prize if hit! The planes are trimmed with a small amount of clay in the nose to keep them from climbing. After each flight, the instructors discuss each plane's performance, suggesting any improvements possible in balance or launching techniques. Each participant then gets to fly again.

The fly-off has proven to be the most eagerly awaited part of the project. This is evidence of the interest and enthusiasm kids have to see the planes perform well. Without doubt the project would not be nearly as successful without the attention given to each kid, their plane, and its flight.

After the project of building and flying the WRAM Flyer, what's next? That depends on the age of the modeler and their contact with adults, parents, or teachers interested in model aviation. Over time, the most significant contribution to these kids' interest in models has been the satisfaction of watching their simple planes fly. With no regard for the experience of their builders, these planes give kids a taste of the thrill of model flying.