Grand Wing Servo-Tech Co., Ltd. or GWS is a Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

ese manufacturer of foam radio controlled aircraft and accessories, including their own line of electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s, servo

Servomechanism

thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...

s, radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 systems and gyro

Gyro

- Science and technology :* An abbreviation for gyroscope, an orientation-stabilizing device* An abbreviation for autogyro, a type of rotary-wing aircraft* The casually used brand name of a detangler mechanism, part of a stunt-adapted BMX bicycle...

s. In the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the company is known as Grand Wing System with headquarters in City of Industry, California.

GWS was founded in 1993 and has quickly risen to become one of the leading manufacturers of RC products with sales in 2004 of more than US$12,000,000.

The company designs and manufactures all of its own products in their own factories in both Taiwan and China, while mainly in China by now. This allows GWS to be an original equipment manufacturer

Original Equipment Manufacturer

An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, manufactures products or components that are purchased by a company and retailed under that purchasing company's brand name. OEM refers to the company that originally manufactured the product. When referring to automotive parts, OEM designates a...

 as well, with custom tooling and development available.

GWS USA, LLC

Limited liability company

A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...

was established in January 2004 to improve distribution of GWS products in North America. The division handles sales, warranty

Warranty

In business and legal transactions, a warranty is an assurance by one party to the other party that specific facts or conditions are true or will happen; the other party is permitted to rely on that assurance and seek some type of remedy if it is not true or followed.In real estate transactions, a...

, claims and partial repairs for the entire North American market as well. GWS headquarters in Taiwan and subsidiary GWS China take care of claims for the rest of the world.

"Tiger Moth World Tour"

A GWS Tiger Moth

Tiger moth

Tiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...

 park flyer

Park flyer

thumb|250px|This [[Grand Wing Servo-Tech]] [[GWS Slow Stick|Slow Stick]] is an example of an indoor/outdoor park flyerThe term park flyer denotes a class of small, primarily electric powered radio controlled aircraft, so named because their size enables some of them to be operated within the...

 made aero-modeling history beginning January 25, 2004 when a discussion thread at hobby website RCGroups.com proposed the Tiger Moth World Tour which involved flying the model in every state in the United States. Modelers Gene Carr and Luis Hoyos of Thonotosassa, Florida

Thonotosassa, Florida

Thonotosassa is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,091 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 assembled the model and monitored the sign-up list. Trip coordinator Keith Wilson, also of Thonotosassa, was to monitor the model's journey from pilot to pilot, each of whom signed the model. All shipping costs were incurred by the individual pilots, each of whom was responsible for getting the model shipped to its next destination.

The Tiger Moth's first flight was in Thonotosassa on March 7, 2004 with the eighty-sixth and final flight taking place on July 13, 2007 in Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

. The model flew not only in the United States but in parts of Canada as well. The model was feared lost in Kahoka, Missouri

Kahoka, Missouri

Kahoka is a city in Clark County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,241 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clark County. The city was founded in 1857 and is named for the Cahokia tribe of the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy....

 but was later found and turned over to the local police.

On June 24, 2008, the Academy of Model Aeronautics

Academy of Model Aeronautics

The Academy of Model Aeronautics, based in Muncie, Indiana, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of model aviation as a recognized sport as well as a recreational activity. It is the largest organization of its kind with a current membership of more than 170,000...

 accepted the Tiger Moth, logbooks including a repair log which listed 42 separate repairs and all support gear for permanent display starting March 27, 2009 at their National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana

Muncie, Indiana

Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...

. The news of the model's final destination was covered in the September 2009 edition of the AMA magazine, Model Aviation

Model Aviation

This article is about a periodical. For information on the history of model aircraft, please see Model aircraft.Model Aviation is the monthly full-color publication written, prepared and distributed by the Academy of Model Aeronautics beginning in 1936 and established as an independent publication...

by assistant editor Jay Smith.

External links and references

• GWS website
• GWS product line
• Smith, Jay. "World Tour Tiger Moth on Display." Model Aviation
  Model Aviation
  This article is about a periodical. For information on the history of model aircraft, please see Model aircraft.Model Aviation is the monthly full-color publication written, prepared and distributed by the Academy of Model Aeronautics beginning in 1936 and established as an independent publication...
  
  , September 2009.