Written by RS (2013); Reformatted by JS (09/2013); Updated by JS (02/2023)
Red Scholefield
C. L. “Red” Scholefield started modeling at the typical age for a depression kid (pre-girl). While the exact date cannot be established, family photos reveal him holding models of the Megow, Comet, and Guillow Vintage.
Driven by a love for airplanes, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force upon graduating from high school, only to learn that Privates were not issued their own P-40 airplane; but it did afford one a pretty fair training in electronics.
After saving Berlin from chocolate deprivation by serving on the Airlift (‘47 to ‘48), he joined General Electric as an apprentice draftsman. Upon graduation he went on to get his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Iowa State. Now with “credentials,” he rejoined General Electric Aerospace Divisions designing and testing all kinds of neat things, from Gatling Guns to space hardware. As aerospace endeavors fell out of public favor, he found refuge in General Electric’s Battery Business Department as Manager of the Design and Application Engineering Group.
Red languished there for 22 years, through hot wheels and sizzlers, electric spoons, power tools, toothbrushes, lap tops, and cellular phones, with all the batteries (called test residue) one could ever hope for, for his and his friends’ RC models.
As one of the authors to the Battery Bible (GE Ni-CD Application Engineering Handbook) he somehow miraculously made it through downsizing, rightsizing, acquisitions, and divestitures, working at essentially the same desk for GE, Gates Energy Products, and finally, Energizer Power Systems. Faced with an increasingly threatening pile of un-built models, he decided to retire at age 65 and two months. Rather than leave all the battery knowledge behind, he set up “The Battery Clinic” (www.hangtimes.com/redsbatterclinic.html) as an educational haven for modelers. He has also authored many articles about batteries that have appeared in hobby and trade magazines
While he did achieve minor national status by coming in seventh place in Rudder Only in the ‘58 Nats, his modeling is best described as “un-specialized,” what some would say is “unfocused,” and what he would say is “experimenter.” He spends nearly as much time setting up electric-powered models for others, testing batteries and charger systems, and writing his column in Model Aviation as he does building and flying electric-powered models.
Above: Images of Red Scholefield that appeared on the Model Aviation website with this writing. Red’s column appeared in the January, March, May, July, September, and November issues of Model Aviation.
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