LOOK TO THE SKY

[Music] the youth of our world has always been quick to seize upon the new developments in science and to attempt to parallel on its own the progress and development of these sciences foremost in their interest has been the field of aviation from its inception aerodynamics has stirred the imagination of the youth of all nations and the making of scale flying models has enabled them to unfold many of the mysteries of flight from these amateur attempts have come many ideas and designs which have found their place in modern aviation much of the equipment now in use all over the world can trace its birth to the scale model of some budding modeler with the making of models came competition it was natural that bill felt his model could fly longer and better than any other in town so why not take on all challengers on saturday in the field outside of town or in the schoolyard or the nearby vacant lot from these small weekend groups we saw the beginning of the academy of model aeronautics these boys had something in common something which required thought study and general discussion but the final proof was only to be had by actually flying the models in competition through the organization of the academy of model aeronautics boys and girls received help in staging contests but qualified instruction in many areas was at a premium and while competition ran high between local modelers the field was limited adequate places for meetings were also scarce the weekend contest in the local bacon field grew and soon there were intersectional and national contests each year staged with the help of the academy of model aeronautics the plymouth motor corporation and its dealers recognized the importance to the nation of this great hobby here was a youth activity which would develop character scientific skills sportsmanship and most important of all the spirit of good citizenship here where a group of young people who with proper guidance in organization could become an important national asset in 1947 plymouth motor corporation sponsored the first international model claim contest at detroit plymouth possessed an ideal organization for the furtherance of his hobby both national and international had its dealers throughout the world men of character with faith in their community and country these men could and were ready to encourage and help the young people in their community they could help in the securing of facilities for meetings and flying areas and personnel to run them [Music] newspapers radio and television stations were ready and willing to get behind this youth activity because of its far-reaching effects for the good of the community in the first year on the plymouth sponsorship there were 58 organized local contests with 6 500 modelers participating roughly 600 plymouth dealers sponsored contestants that first year to the internationals at detroit 14 000 spectators saw the contest from that beginning the growth has been rapid as more and more plymouth dealers became imbued with the idea behind this great youth activity in 1948 almost 1 million people saw the local and state meets and at the international in detroit 62 000 spectators watched the 518 local and state winners compete in the finals the growth of this great hobby has continued each year and the international has truly lived up to its name with contestants from as far away as europe alaska hawaii mexico and canada [Music] now over 3 500 plymouth dealers sponsor contestants in local and state meets these men with faith in their community and with knowledge of happenings in the world today are pinning their hopes for a better tomorrow on these youngsters many of whom are members of their plymouth arrow league clubs [Music] almost one and one half million people now attend the local and state qualifying meets each year which decide who is to be among the 500 contestants selected to compete in the international in detroit where as high as 187 000 spectators turn out to witness the finals in the motor city truly this thrilling hobby has become a spectator sport of the first magnitude the contestants work hard in their efforts to win the coveted trophies which will make him or her tops in the class they have selected to compete in there are trophies for first second and third places in each class and with each trophy goes a savings bomb one hundred dollars for first fifty dollars for second and twenty five dollars for third place contestants can be five or twenty if they have the skill and know-how they can win while most local and state contests allow those over 21 years to compete the international limits the maximum age to 20. however many older modelers still come to detroit and keep their hands in by acting as mechanics for the youngsters the international at detroit is one of the most colorful and awe-inspiring events of the year famed selfridge air force base each year plays host to the model flyers here surrounded by the grandeur of the united states air force the boys and girls work like beavers to ready their entries and launch them for their bid for the magic of the winner circle here we see some of the gas-powered free-flight events the patient work in care of months rides the air currents with these tiny aircraft the jet models are always of great interest and call for much careful preparation [Music] what did we say about age making no difference this veteran mechanic is an old hand at launching jet jobs the rubber-powered models are among the most quiet and graceful of the events a thing of beauty to watch in flight [Music] at belle isle park athletic field where most of the control line events are held the buzz of activity is terrific there are planes flying on all nine circles and the hopes and dreams of the contestants ride with their planes as they become airborne these are part of the speed events 125 miles per hour is small time stuff here the stunt planes are put through their paces like a group of ballerinas there's no trick in the book that is not part of this great show [Music] and here are the scale model planes in action each tiny plane in many instances represents several hundred hours of painstaking craftsmanship aside from maintaining fidelity to detail they must fly a prescribed flight pattern one of the newest developments in model aviation is the navy carrier deck landings the plane must come in and land with the aid of a deck arrestor just like its larger counterpart does in actual service it's tricky flying and calls for real skill and split-second action by the contestant here's real excitement the combat events the idea is to shear off the opponent's streamer tail the one cut off closest to the plane is the loser of the dogfight anything can happen and many times it does it's not unusual to see the entire plane taken out of action by way of the crash route each contestant has his hands full readying during the hours of competition but as the old saying goes all work and no play will make jack a dull boy contestants find plenty of time for fun and recreation after the pressure is off some will go for a quiet canoe ride after the noise and excitement of the day's events others like the rushing winds in a speedboat on the detroit river of course there is plenty of cycling at home but this tandemide there is something different to some of the farah contestants other young contestants take the opportunity to look over the cruisers at the detroit yacht club and the trip through the plymouth plans unfolds many of the wonders of precision automotive manufacture and why plymouth builds great cars [Music] when all of the results are tallied in the magic circle of winners has been determined the big day of the international arrives we go by boat down the detroit river to the pablo island pavilion a boat ride never ceases to be a thrill and the weather was perfect for this trip bob lowe is in canadian waters and the site of the canadian flag flying gives the thrill of a visit to a foreign shore [Music] but there was nothing foreign about the fun to be had in the amusement part of the island it was a regular coney island put on just for the contestants [Music] the bandwidth pavilion among the glitter of the trophies and lights contestants and their sponsoring dealers join with officials at the plymouth motor corporation and their 1200 guests at the victory banquet many of those present are parents of contestants proud of their youngsters win or lose and well they can be for they have been competing with the world's best and here come the winners 107 strong acclaimed and applauded by everyone assembled as they take their seats in the victor circle [Music] these are the champions not only the best of 497 contestants from the 45 states the district of columbia and canada who flew in the international but of the 21 500 model plane fliers who flew in the 209 local plymouth dealer contests across the nation and canada [Music] if it was a great day for the winners it was doubly so for the 3 500 plymouth dealers who made it possible for these boys and girls to participate at detroit in the olympic games of model aviation what stories these boys and girls will have to tell of the things they saw and did of new friendships made with lasting gratitude for the men who made it all possible after the young appetizer satisfied we get to the big event of the evening a warning of the trophies as mr r c somerville plymouth's general sales manager calls each winner's name the award is made by a corporation official or other distinguished guest here is mr l colbert president of chrysler corporation presenting the freshman high point trophy [Music] this is mr d s evans president of plymouth making a presentation mr jb wagstaff vice president of de soto makes the next award to the girls winner and mr w.c newberg president of dodge presents a trophy to two thrilled youngsters followed by mr eddie myers a chicago plymouth dealer who has chosen to represent all plymouth dealers presenting the most coveted of all trophies that for sportsmanship [Music] mr rh appleman assistant general sales manager chrysler sales division who presents the next trophy to a dual winner and so it went until all the trophies were presented truly a real parade of champions it is with a deep feeling of pride of accomplishment that plymouth motor corporation and its dealers view this great youth activity they sincerely believe that in boys and girls like these rest our hope for future leadership the qualities of leadership are many character imagination knowledge skill good citizenship and good sportsmanship no other sport offers a better opportunity to put these qualities of leadership to the test the boys and girls give all they've got to beat the other fellow yet they do it in a fair and friendly fashion in victory they realize the rewards of hard work in defeat they learn how to take it on the chin and come up smiling and from their association with fellow competitors they learn to understand some of the problems of others [Music] and so as we look forward to future international contests together with plymouth dealer sponsorship of local and state contests their pal clubs with a continuing year around activity here indeed is a youth activity that offers unlimited opportunities for the building of character truly a proving ground for the leaders of tomorrow a program that plymouth is proud to be so closely associated with grateful acknowledgement is made to all those who are so helpful in making it possible for plymouth motor corporation and plymouth dealers to hold these fine contests among them are academy of model aeronautics united states air forces united states navy detroit department of parks and recreation [Music] you