Three Generations with Aeronautics

by: John Sabini Jr

In the third grade I remember my teacher saying:

"Quit staring out the window, because when you grow up, no one will pay you to sit there and just look out the window"...

Guess I showed her...

Fellow modelers and friends, I cannot remember my life without all

of you and model aviation. I am so happy to share this with you all.

I have made a life of this hobby, literally, and I owe this to my Dad,

first generation modeler and AMA member John Sabini Senior. This

is our story. A story of three generations with model aviation and the

wonderful fun and joy it has brought and can bring to future

generations and families alike.

My Dad has always loved airplanes. Our family grew up on

Thompson Street and 3rd, the West Village in Manhattan, NY. My

grandparents immigrated to this country to provide a better life for

their kids. They eventually returned to Italy and their kids made a

life here in America. However, we never lost our ties, returning to

see my grandparents during the summers.

My Dad can recall as a child watching for hours on his roof top

brownstone, many formations of military planes and airliners

streaking the skies of New York in the 50’s. Aviation was in its

glory days and so was the hobby. Bustling with many new products,

the radio control age upon us, the jet and space age in full swing, Dad

remembers the hobby and the hobby stores as they once were. One

of Dad’s favorites a hobby landmark, America’s Hobby Center

“AHC,” he recalls walking in and seeing hundreds of kits, engines

and parts.

My young Dad John Sabini Senior with some of his models hanging from the basement ceiling. He spent the time with me and in turn sparked a passion within me.

Flying RC in Italy during the summer months on the top of mountains with my Dad was the best RC flying I have ever done as a kid.

His first airplane was a CL Scientific ½A Stunt Master. With no one

to help him, my Dad managed to beat the odds and stuck with the

hobby just by trial and error. Many would have quit, but not my Dad.

He remembers flying in Manhattan on empty city blocks. A CL

Magician with a McCoy 35 and no muffler must have been a site and

sound to experience in The Village. But, from what my Dad told me

it was pretty common back then. They would even have formal

events at Rockefeller Center in the Ice-Skating ring during the

summers. How’s that for demoing the hobby to millions of people

and kids! If you explore the lobby of the Rockefeller main building

complex, there are beautiful Art Deco paintings on the ceilings with

airplanes over the city. There is also a glass display case of a Breguet

19 model airplane that was donated by Cartier.

Here Dad shows what can be possible in 10,000 hours of work on a Macchi C-205 Veltro reproduced in its entirety.

My Dad got involved with many facets of the hobby as he got older.

He just loved airplanes. He was never part of a click, everything

interested him. He flew free flight at Van Courtland Park in the

Bronx, building many free flight models. He flew at Flushing

Meadow Park where he flew CL stunt, combat, speed, and scale.

Then at many NYC area clubs Dad ventured into RC. From gliders,

sailplanes, pattern, scale and everything in between, Dad loved it all.

Over the years Dad competed in many events. Dad was very well

known throughout the 70’s entering many of his scale master pieces

in competition and static shows. Looking back at old pictures of the

airplanes he built, you could tell Dad had a knack for designing and

building. Hundreds of airplanes, tissue covered, clear doped and

beautifully painted. Meticulously molded pieces, custom aluminum

parts, retracts’ and fairings all complemented his models with a

personal touch that no one seemed to match. Dad also designed and

machined twelve model airplane engines.

Many new techniques were pioneered by my Dad. Some became

main-stream in the hobby today. Dad was always helping out other

builders around the country. One of the best that come to mind is CA

glues. In the early 70’s my Dad was the only one, as far as he knew

using CA glues. He would buy thousands of those little Krazy-Glue

containers. He remembers calling the company and asking if they

could sell him larger quantities. Curious the company asked him

what he was using it for. When Dad told them he was gluing wood

together they laughed and told him to read the label. It indeed did

say wood could not be glued. CA glue made many things possible

for him. Dad spread the word around to builders and eventually

disbelieved builders gave it a try and it caught on revolutionizing the

hobby.

I can remember going to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC and seeing a Messerschmitt ME-109G. This is a model Dad built with the same camouflage scheme.

I too got involved with every aspect of the hobby. Obviously, like

father, like son. I learned to fly CL at the age of four. I remember

the Cox 049’s very well and the joy they brought during my

childhood. I could not wait to get the AMA Magazine every month

and read it cover to cover. I would race home from school to build in

my Dad’s shops during the week and go flying on weekends. If I

ever got punished for anything taking the television, telephone, or

radio away would not work at all for me. My parents would just lock

the doors to the machine and wood shops and that would get me in

line real fast! I can remember the greatest road trips with my family.

Dad helped me compete but most importantly have fun.

In the summers I would also fly model airplanes in Italy. There were

no formal flying fields there. But there was plenty of open land to fly

from. My grandparents were farmers and flying off their

mountainside and pastures was some of the best RC flying I have

ever done. I also, remember the CL field at Flushing Meadow Park

and watching full scale airliners fly over us. I never forgot the first

time I sat in the left seat of an Airbus A320 shooting the Expressway

Visual to RWY31 at KLGA. I looked down briefly and thought

that’s where it all started.

I would have never thought I would be a college professor teaching

what I liked most, flying.

That’s me age nine with my dad’s Smoothie at Flushing Meadow Park. This is where the family and I spent most of the week-ends.

Flight Instructing was my first flying job. My parents and model aviation played a great part in keeping me focused on a career.

Teaching at a university is extremely rewarding. I have mentored

many students and it was no coincidence, model aviation played a big

role with many of them. These students always made the best

aviators. The washout rates within collegiate flight programs are

quite high. But, the ones with model aviation in their background

always seem too succeeded.

Flight training in my early twenties was challenging yet rewarding. The discipline model aviation brought to the cockpit was extremely helpful. Boeing 737 cockpit.

It sure helped me. I remember my first flight lesson in a Cessna 150.

The instructor felt so confident in my skills that he made me land on

the first flight. He said this was going to be an easy private pilot for

him. I eventually became an instructor and taught all levels of flight

from beginner to Airline Transport Pilot. I have flown many general

aviation piston aircraft and aerobats, single and multi, turbo prop and

jet aircraft. I have flown around the world and have accumulated

over 17,000 hours in aircraft, 3,000 hours of flight instruction. The

hobby gave me a life as it provided the foundations within the

aviation industry.

One of the youngest Airbus A320 captains in the country, John Sabini Junior and his wife Marie both have a passion for aviation. This is an important mix, as Marie supports this healthy constructive pastime for the kids.

Teaching at Vaughn College of Aeronautics has made me realize how important it is to be positive and constructive. This is a key element for your students to succeed. Here are some of my alumni graduates returning to say thanks professor Sabini.

Some of the most beautiful scale replicas ever. My Dad was detail oriented as you can see. Here a North American P-51D Mustang with a backdrop of Floyd Bennett field provides for a convincing dawn photo.

I learned a lot from my Dad, so it was only natural to pass it on to my

kids. I taught Andrew and Jonathan to fly RC at the age of four and

grandpa got his chance to teach the grandkids to fly CL. Both of my

sons are very unique as the oldest loves warbirds and my youngest

loves 3D. The Joe Nall had six flight lines last year. My boys were

probably the only 8 and 9 year olds that actually flew at every single

flight-line. They have been coming for four years straight. People

were asking me how I did it. I would say: “You just have to keep at

it.” Spend the time with them and be patient. What also helps is my

wife always joins us. Just as she would with sports practice or other

activities she supports this activity greatly. When our kids wake us

up during summer mornings, the first thing they ask me is are the

batteries charged and is there any wind today?

Today, my Dad looks in awe at the products available to our

generation and wonders why the hobby is suffering from a lack of

participation and interest from our youth. When he sees a fully built,

beautifully detailed, peanut scale model with a four channel radio

system installed and RTF, he wonders. Back then you got a box of

wood, had to build everything, and it would take months to make it

look like the picture on the box. Dad would have been starring at the

hobby store window for hours if he saw some of the stuff available

today. As easy as we have made it for people with instant

gratification and quick flight, we still seem to lose our kids to other

activities.

The thrill of taking flight is evident as Dad launches an electric Old Timer on a beautiful summer day in upstate New York.

It is so important to spend time with your kids. Let them try. And yes let them fail and you will see them succeed and to things that will make your heart race.

Today, activities can cost thousands of dollars for kids involved in

sports, or lessons of some sort. I know what it costs my kids for

sports, piano, voice, and other activities. It makes the hobby look

cheap in comparison. The hobby has always competed with these

other activities as well as costs over the years. But, sometimes we

have ourselves to blame. My Dad recalls how hard it was as the new

kid in the hobby. He remembers it being quite a challenging

environment for kids. I must admit that I sympathize with my Dad

and can recall at times dealing with the same thing.

Throughout college and my flight training I was out of the hobby for

almost 10 years. However, I really never lost touch with it. As my

life settled down, I eventually gravitated back to the flying field. I

went down one day and started looking around at the models. I was

amazed to see how much had changed in a few years. However, I

was booted out as they called the police on me because I was in the

pit area asking questions with no AMA to show. I explained to them

that I was an AMA member for 30 years and was looking to get back

Joe Nall 2012. The memories we have made as a family here will last forever. This is Andrew’s and Jonathan’s favorite event of all.

into it. I did not have my AMA on me and they said I could not be in

the pit area unless I had my AMA. I had been treated better at the

local airport where I flew. Pilots would invite me in and show me

around multi-million dollar airplanes. I would know so much about

their aircraft that I would get rides with them from small GA aircraft

to warbirds to corporate jets. This was how I got some of my first

flying jobs.

My Dad with the grandkids after building their new CL models. Dad got a chance to teach them at Flushing Meadows where I had my first flights forty years ago.

He can handle it! Jonathan readies for a flight on a giant scale G-202.

Andrew Sabini loves bombers. So I did what any father would do for his son, build a 120” B-17 and put 120,000 rivets on it!

Jonathan Sabini loves flying this 3D Hobby Shop 72” Velox. This is a great platform for the intermediate 3D flyer. He says it hovers and waterfalls very easily.

Jonathan Sabini age seven loves flying aerobatics and 3D. Dad looks on as his son flies a 44% Fiberclassic G-202 at the Joe Nall flyin.

Andrew Sabini age nine loves warbirds, especially WWII bombers. Dad spots at the Joe Nall as Andrew takes a flight on his 120” ASM B-17.

On another occasion I remember going to an event with my two boys

five and six. As they were unloading their Giant Scale equipment I

was told my kids could not be in this area. I conveyed to them, I was

not there for myself, but for my kids. They asked if they could fly

and if they had AMA. I was not about to let my sons fly a $12,000

model. But before I could say anything, my son took out an IMAA

magazine and pointed to his picture in the magazine and said “I can

fly.”

Road trip!! I can remember how exited I was going to model aviation events with my dad around the country. Passing it on to the next generation is just as important.

The one I will never forget happened at my own field. One summer

day a young kid (sixteen) approached me extremely interested in

airplanes and wanted to be a pilot someday. I spoke with him and his

dad for quite some time. I let him try flying my model airplane.

However, this precipitated a chain of events that nearly got me

suspended from my club. I remember reading this from AMA

documents but this did not help some folks see the light.

Pat Hartness is certainly one that knows the importance of providing fun, fellowship and hospitality. It is the secret recipe for a successful event as well as for the future of our hobby.

“For non-AMA members wishing to experience a “hands-on” model

flight, the Academy does allow this, on a one-time basis per person

ONLY. During this one-time flight, the Group is protected through its

liability coverage as long as the non-member’s supervised flying is in

accordance with the AMA National Model Aircraft Safety Code(s).

Under NO situation should the non-member’s equipment or aircraft

be used.”

But what mattered most was what happened next. Thirteen years

after this had happened I got a call from James, the kid I let fly my

model airplane and said to me “Who would have ever thought the kid

you let fly your model airplane would one day be your co-pilot on the

Airbus A320!” I mentored James throughout his career as I have

done for many of my former college students. However, his one was

special. The hobby presented certain circumstances which made this

happen. All of us can do our part to help others “GET THE BUG.”

I’m so grateful my Dad taught my kids to fly CL. Watching my son Jonathan fly CL brings me back to my childhood days with Dad.

Their finished SIG Buster and Shoestring built with grandpa. The kids had an absolute blast at the Joe Nall CL flight circles. This was the first time CL was made available to modelers at this event.

Best buddies, brothers Andrew and Jonathan Sabini ages 8 and 9 at Joe Nall 2012. They have been coming here for the last five years straight.

Obviously these examples are far and few in between my forty-two

years in the hobby. Many organizations have done a fantastic job

reaching out to all of us on how important it is to provide a family

environment for the hobby. It is also important to not close off,

ourselves and our flying-sites from the rest of the world. My Dad

thinks we should do everything possible to make it more accessible to

others and be good ambassadors to the hobby we represent. You

never know who you will be talking too and when someone will be

bitten by the bug. We have to make sure we nurture and cultivate a

family friendly hobby so our future generations will also have the

same memories my family has and will cherish forever.