Transcribed & Edited by SS (12/2002), Reformatted by JS (09/2009)
Career
- Late 1920s: Started competing in the late 1930s
- Placed well in every contest he has entered – many time being the overall high point competitor at local and regional meets
- Competed in many regional events including the Southwest Regionals, Taft Memorial Day, Lost Hill and Max Men
- Designer of many Free Flight models including the Top Banana and Pilfered Pearl, which have reached national prominence and been featured in the National Free Flight Society Digest
- 1982-1993: Directed the WFFA’s annual contest 1995: The Pilfered Pearl placed twice in the Nats
- Helped establish the Utah State Aeromodelers Association (USAA) and the Wasatch Free Flight Association (WFFA); served as president of both
- Sponsors and directs one of eight monthly contests sponsored by the WFFA each year\ The following information on Jay N. Jackson is taken from a Hall of Fame application submitted for him by Sidney R. Watts in January 1996.
Competitor
Jay has been a Free Flight contest competitor for over 50 years. He had his first contest in the late 1930s and has competed in local and regional contests almost every year since then. To my knowledge he has placed first, second or third in every contest he has entered. Many times he has been overall high point competitor at regional and local meets. Jay has competed against the best competitors in regional contests where he would place a combination of firsts, seconds and thirds. The regional contests he has entered and own include the Southwest Regionals in Arizona for almost every year since 1965. Other regional contests he entered and won events in are Taft Memorial Day (many times), Lost Hill (several times), Max Men at Denver, Colorado (several times), and in the Las Vegas area several times.
Designer
Jay is the designer of many Free Flight model aircraft, mostly AMA gas with a few designs in rubber and glider. Two of his designs have reached national prominence; they are the Top Banana and the Pilfered Pearl. The Top Banana and Pilfered Pearl have placed in local, regional and national contests every year since the mid-1970s. The Pilfered Pearl placed twice in the 1995 AMA Nationals (Nats). These two airplanes have been published in the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) Digest and are offered by the digest in various sizes for sale.
Leader
Jay helped establish two local model clubs in Utah – the Utah State Aeromodelers Association (USAA) in 1963 and the Wasatch Free Flight Association (WFFA) in 1982. He was president of USAA in 1968 and WFFA in 1985. He has served in many other positions and has been the club treasurer for WFFA for the past four years (1993 to 1996). Jay’s leadership is evidenced in other ways; he provides invaluable service to the local club members with plans, technical advice, engine modifications (no charge), free modeling supplies and club support. Jay keeps up in the state-of-the-art of model technology and is usually first to show club members what is developing, how it works, how to apply it and what the various benefits are.
Contest Director
Jay has sponsored and been a contest director for one of the eight monthly contests held each year by WFFA. In addition from the years 1982 to 1993 he was the sanctioned contest director for the WFFA club annual contest that was held every August.
Summation
Jay’s name is well known to the old time Free Flighters of the western United States; his contributions have been many, his achievements have been outstanding. His selection to the Hall of Fame is only right and just. (signed) Sidney R. Watts January 22, 1996
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