Written by AMA Staff (02/2006); Transcribed by JS (06/2008), Reformatted by (02/2010)
According to John Worth, former AMA president and executive director, Don Srull is at the forefront of microflight’s technological progress. He has made a career out of his love of airplanes – full-scale and models.
Don worked for Convair for 16 years, then started Hi-Line Ltd. Co. with Tom Schmitt, developing kits for sale and building electric motor power systems for model airplanes. He has worked with the U.S. government’s Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAC) and Micro Air Vehicle (MAC) programs.
Since 1970, Don has competed in the AMA Nats and Flying Aces Club (CFAC) Nationals. John Hunton wrote:
“Don has won eight AMA Rubber Scale National events, three AMA Radio Control Scale National events, numerous regional Radio Control Scale events, and has won in the Mint Julep and Scale Masters events.
“Don has 220 kanones (the term used by the FAC for a victory or win in an event) in FAC events and was FAC Nationals Grand Champion a phenomenal six times. In 1998, he set the Indoor Endurance record at 96 minutes.”
Don has been a member of the DC Maxecuters Club, FAC, and AMA for many years. He served on the Indoor Contest Board and as a Scale judge at the Nats.
In addition to his induction into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame, Don is a member of the Flying Aces Club Hall of Fame and his model designs have been selected for the National Free Flight Society’s (NFFS) Scale Model of the Year award four times.
The models Don flies now include the 12-engine Dornier Do-X and the Dornier 335 rubberpowered model. He visits nearby flying sites on weekends and meets every Tuesday at Corkie’s Grille, a restaurant in his hometown of McLean, Virginia, to converse with and give advice to his fellow modelers.
Don’s Model Aviation Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place in September of 2005 at the Flying Circus Aerodrome in Bealeton, Virginia, during a three-day Giant Scale event. At the presentation, Bliss Teague and John Hunton spoke. John recollected the following incident.
‘Don asked one of the children present to help him with his rubber-powered model. He had the child hold the model while he wound it.
“Next flight the child wound it while Don held it. The next flight he let the child launch it. At the end of the session he gave the child the model.”
At the end of the presentation, Don flew a B.E.2 airplane, dropped a bomb on his second pass, and made a smooth landing.
Bliss Teague (L), District IV vice president, Donald Srull, and John Hunton at Don’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
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