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I've gotten a lot of positive responses to my editorial, "Growing Old or Changing?" (December 1998) from both readers and the industry. It seems that I described what many people are seeing or feeling when I suggested that our hobby was once again becoming more diverse in the interests displayed by model aviation enthusiasts. Most see this diversity as a good thing; many feel it's the reason that we're seeing younger faces on the flightline. Others think the young faces are causing the diversity. In either case, it's a good thing, in my view.

But with these changes come challenges for model magazines. Some magazines specialize in a particular form of model aviation, and for those readers who do only one form of modeling, these may be appealing. What's gained are more pages on a particular topic; what's lost is the ability to learn from people doing different things so that the techniques can be applied to what you're doing.

One of the cornerstones of Model Airplane News editorial policy over the years has been that many modelersmaybe most modelers-do not specialize in one particular niche; we assume that most people who read our magazine participate in several areas of model aviation throughout the year, enjoying each form of flying, knowing that there's no single "best" way to enjoy model aviation.

Are we correct in this view? A reader called yesterday and he underscored this view. He called to renew his subscription and to tell us how much he liked the magazine. He said he flew a lot of giant-scale planes powered by gasoline engines, multicylinder radials, etc. He told me of his Spitfire and his 1/3-scale Sopwith Pup and several other birds that are near and dear to his heart. Then he told me of the fun he'd been having with Norvel engines-how he'd just finished up a small L-19 that was cute as a bug. He told me how he and some other guys were pylon racing Q-Tees using Norvel engines. In other words, this guy was flying airplanes, big and small. He made the point of saying that one of the things he liked most about Model Airplane News was that we "cover it all."

Well, the truth is, while we try to "cover it all," that's a difficult goal to achieve, and we need your help in making decisions. Tell us what you like. We'd love to see a flood of letters from our readers telling us what sorts of modeling they do, want to do, or just want to read about others doing. Do you fly giant scale; do you fly small planes? Are you a helicopter flyer; do you fly free flight, possibly when winter forces you indoors? Do you fly any electric-powered models; do you fly with gas and/or glow engines? Do you prefer scale or sport planes? Do you fly ARFs, kits, or scratch-built airplanes? We'd like to hear what you're doing, what your club is doing, and what kinds of activities your club has planned for the upcoming year. After you finish writing that letter, I urge you to take part in our Readers' Survey; see page 81 for details. With your help, we can better understand what excites you and what we should be doing with the magazine.

HIROBO CUP, SCALE MASTERS AND ORNITHOPTERS

We bring you two first-class events this month, put on by two first-class organizations. Scale Masters was again a big success. The pilots always rave about the organization and the good time they have whenever it's held in Columbus, and 1998 was no exception. Once again, Jerry Nelson provides the playby-play and great photos.

I went down to the Hirobo Cup this year. It was my first time there, but I'm looking forward to returning, as it was a great event and Altech did a great job of hosting a fun event for helicopter newbies (like me) and experts alike.

Aviation is what it is because of people with vision. Percival Spencer had a vision of a bird-like flying machine, and he made that vision a reality. We're fortunate to be able to bring you Faye Stilley's restoration of that grand machine; we hope you like it.

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