Written by AMA staff (01/2004); Transcribed by JS (03/2008), Reformatted by JS (02/2010)
Jeff Smith, son of Bernie and Charlene Smith of Lincoln, Nebraska, was awarded a $5,000 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship. A graduate of Lincoln High School, Jeff was 14th in his class of 720. Jeff plans to major in aircraft systems management, a professional pilot major, at the University of Nebraska.
Jeff earned his private pilot’s license last March and since then has enjoyed giving rides to family and friends. He has logged most of his time in a Cessna 152, but has some time in a Cessna 172.
Jeff first became involved in Radio Control when his parents bought him a used Hobbico Superstar 40 trainer for his 13th birthday. He and his father joined AMA and the Lincoln Sky Knights RC, where club members taught him to fly. The Superstar 40 crashed shortly after Jeff soloed, but since then he and his gather have flown several other aircraft including a Sig Hog biplane.
Active in the Lincoln Sky Knights’ activities, Jeff helped raise funds for the club by helping fly a blimp at a Lincoln Stars hockey game.
Jeff and his father have begun participating in Radio Control Combat. “We engineered our own original scale design – a Japanese Jill torpedo bomber – with the help of other Combat fliers.” A member of the Radio Control Combat Association (RCCA), Jeff has flown competitively against nationally ranked fliers. He has done well in the National Point Standings but feels his greatest accomplishment was a second-place finish in Scale at the Waverly, Nebraska Midwest Nationals. Jeff was asked to be the RCCA representative from Nebraska.
Jeff ran junior varsity and varsity track in high school, competing in the 800-meter, one-mile, and two-mile events. He ran junior varsity cross-country and helped raise money to support both teams by working in the concession stands during other school sports events. Jeff was nominated by his teachers to be one of the first students to serve on the March of Dimes Chain Reaction Leadership Council, a group formed to promote the March of Dimes and provide an opportunity for youth leadership.
Last year, Jeff’s Differentiated Physics/Pre-Calculus class took advantage of a grant to go to Worlds of Fun amusement park. There, the class used its knowledge to scientifically investigate rides and collect data.
Math and science are Jeff’s favorite subjects. He has been on the honor roll since his freshman year of high school and has earned academic letters.
A member of the National Honor Society, Jeff is active in the First Plymouth Church youth group. The youth group donates time in a local soup kitchen as well as going on annual mission trips that include helping at community job sites. Jeff volunteered at Camp Friendship, a camp for disabled people of all ages. “It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life,” he wrote.
Jeff was involved in the Civil Air Patrol where he practiced drill and ceremony, learned about aerospace science, learned leadership skills, and was trained to work in search-and-rescue and disaster-relief missions.
Hobbytown USA in Lincoln is where Jeff works part time as a sales associate, primarily in the Radio Control department, helping customers and answering questions about Radio Control aircraft, boats, and cars. Calling upon his own experience, Jeff was able to advise customers new to the hobbies about everything from fuel to propellers to radios.
The money he earned from the part-time job paid for Jeff’s full-scale flying lessons and his employee discount was appreciated when it came time to buy his own hobby essentials! Now attending the University of Nebraska, Jeff joined the Platte River RC Model Club and is thrilled to have a place to fly while away from home.
We wish you well at the University of Nebraska, Jeff!
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