Flying Site Assistance
Wes DeCou | wesdecou@cox.net
E-MAILS, telephone calls, public meetings, and battering rams—they all get the job done! I have two success stories this month. One recounts an effort to preserve long-standing flying privileges at a flying site, while the other describes one club’s journey from a closed field to a new field, and local ordinances revised to accommodate model aviation.
On July 5 of this year, I received the following E-mail from Bob Walter, Secretary of the Olympic RC Modelers in Port Angeles, Washington.
“I am secretary of AMA club 2071 in Port Angeles, Washington. We were surprised by a local newspaper article this week that hints that we may no longer be able to fly at our field. Our field is a commercial area adjacent to Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles. We have leased the land since 1988. Jets and other aircraft overwhelm our noise.
“We researched the source of the sheriff’s article and obtained a copy of the proposed ordinance. It seems to be completely subjective, with wording such as ‘noise or sound or signal which unreasonably disturbs the content peace or repose of another person.’ It further states ‘Evidence of a sound-level meter reading shall not be necessary to establish the commission of the offense.’
“I have sent out a memo to all our members and adjacent clubs as well as the local hobby shops asking everyone to attend a hearing on July 15. It has been approved by the local commissioners and is expected to pass. We hope to get an exemption.
“Do you have any suggestions or ideas that can help us?”
AMA provided help via teleconferences and printed material, but the club had already started the ball rolling before we got involved. Someone saw the newspaper article, related it to model aviation, and reacted to it immediately. That went a long way toward blunting the effort to pass an onerous noise ordinance.
Getting a great turnout for the public hearing was a coup for the club. In addition, E-mails and letters were sent to all of the County Commissioners decrying the vague, unworkable proposed ordinance and describing the AMA, its responsible standards, and the positive impact of model aviation on its host communities.
Before the public meeting was held, the primary author of the ordinance stated that he would specifically exempt model aviation from the new rules. Because of the comments, letters, and E-mails from the modeling community and local hobby shop owners, the entire ordinance was scrapped and was to be rewritten for later submission.
In a note thanking AMA for its involvement, the club’s vice president, Al Gross, stated, “We will still ‘bird-dog’ the ultimate legislation to ensure we are treated as promised ...”
Congratulations on a job well done! Make sure the County Commissioners remain aware of your club and the good you do for the community.
Oh, yes... now the part about the battering ram. This is different from the battering ram I use to make sure everything fits neatly in the engine compartment ...
“Getting a Flying Site in a City Park” or “Good Things Come to Folks Who Pester City Officials Incessantly for 18 Months...” That’s the title of a missive I received from modeler Bob Schumann, the indefatigable force behind the successful effort to get a new flying site for his long-established club. Here, with some paraphrasing, is his story.
In December of 2006, Bob’s longtime flying club had to vacate a flying site it had for more than 20 years. The club knew the site was going to be lost, and the flying site committee had been talking with private, city, and county agencies for several years in an effort to obtain an alternate site. Here in Arizona, the fires of land development have been burning brightly and no one wanted to give the RC fliers a home.
A chance conversation with a city council member opened what was thought of as a door to using city property for a flying site. This quickly closed when it was discovered that flying model aircraft in that city’s parks was against the law and carried a $2,500 fine for doing so!
This was the start of an 18-month-long quest to change the law to allow the flying of model aircraft in the city parks, thus solving the club’s flying site problem.
The emergence of electric-powered model aircraft as viable, fun, recreation vehicles was the focus of the sales pitch to the City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in an attempt to get them to recommend a change in the law.
When you, as a group, want to change a law, the governing body takes a hard look at your motives. The fight seemed uphill. The group thought they had the Advisory Board’s attention when the attempt was summarily dismissed for political reasons.
Six months later a council member asked for ideas on additional uses for a 213-acre parcel planned as a high-dollar, bond-issue, and property-tax-required park project. The club had not been involved in the master plan for this park, and, in terms of the bureaucracy, this left them without a voice. The request for new public input was a second chance.
The club members suggested allowing the flying of silent, electric-powered model aircraft in the city park, particularly the portion covered by the bond issue. They convinced two members of the city council to champion their cause.
A disappointing moment was changed into a positive one when the desired 213-acre park site was again denied to them, but a 40-acre wilderness park was put on the table for discussion. We thought that was so that we would decline, but we found a 45 x 100-foot paved parking lot in that park and arranged a flight demonstration for the city people.
The club rose to the occasion and put on a terrific 1½-hour demonstration and three-on-one talking session that swung the city over.
Flying Site Assistance continued on page 166
AMA News
The Parks Board requested the City Council to change the code and the item was placed on the agenda.
They got the law changed and they did get to fly in the 213-acre park! In all, things were so much better for a club without a field. Additionally they learned a bit about city government.
The Parks Board and staff were supportive of the club members' quest after they had explained and demonstrated our hobby to them. The Parks Board presented the club's case beautifully to the City Council and defended their wishes. They couldn't have asked for more positive support.
Our AMA organization provided backup information from other park flying sites throughout the country to the Parks Board.
What they learned while dealing with the city was that the officials did not understand the hobby. Articles in the parks and city administrative magazines extolling model aviation's virtues in recreation, public appeal, and youth education would have aided the quest. The architect for the park project master plan did not know about model aircraft flying!
The club members felt they were remiss in not lobbying all of the City Council members prior to the vote. They invited all seven of the city council members, but only one came to the flying demonstration. "We should have put the hustle on all of the Council members rather than just our champions on the Council!" wrote Bob.
There are great points to remember in this story. Don't assume city government people know what you are talking about when you mention electric-powered or glow-powered model airplanes. Don't recoil meekly from a "no!" Try different approaches and different people as you make your case for a flying site. Do a demonstration!
A "well done!" to Bob and his fellow club members.
AMA News
BY NOW members of this district have received ballots to vote for Executive Vice President and those in Districts II, III, VII, and XI will have the opportunity to vote for their respective vice presidents.
Please take the time to read the candidate statements in MA or on the AMA Web site, and visit the candidates' own Web sites. Learn about the candidates and by all means vote!
If you have any questions please contact me at imaasanction@aol.com.
This month I will introduce one of the AMA clubs in Vermont. Bob Kilmon, AMA associate vice president (AVP) for New Hampshire, supplied the following report.
"The Guildhall Fun Flyers R/C Club has one of the largest AMA memberships in northern New England and is located in scenic Guildhall, Vermont. The flying site is on a beautiful 86-acre farm with a breathtaking view of Mt. Washington and surrounding forest.
"There are two runways, the larger of which is 410 x 90 feet. With no obstructions, it can accommodate all sizes of model aircraft—both fixed and rotary wing.
"The club was established in 1988 and because of the its leadership, excellent pilot flight-training program, and the support of the local police department that assists with supplying trainer planes and equipment, membership continues to grow and the club has achieved Silver Leader Club status.
"The club has five AMA-certified intro-pilot instructors who train new members for solo status. It has several flying events each year and static exhibits, club picnics, and conducts float-fly events in the White Mountain National Forest's South Pond Park beach in Stark, New Hampshire.
"On August 16, I was invited to attend the Guildhall Fun Flyers R/C Club's second annual warbird event. Pilots attended from Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire. The photos show some of the superb World War I and World War II aircraft that were on display and flown.
"The weather was sunny and warm and, except for a brief period of rain during lunch, the flightline was busy all day. The club offered food and refreshments during the event.
"No matter what types of planes you fly, most of us will agree that watching authentically reproduced scale model warbirds flying realistic maneuvers is just about the best the aeromodeling sport gets to be. Having a specialty event that caters to a specific category of aircraft provides the opportunity for like-minded modelers to share their building and flying skills and knowledge.
"I met the club president, Joe Hoey; vice president, Ken Fraser; and event director, Rusty Scott. I also had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Harry Irving, one of the club's two surviving original members. Harry and I talked about the club and also about his building and flying interests.
"On a sad note, Harry passed away a few weeks after the event. This was part of what was written in the club's newsletter: 'Harry was a GFF member and friend of all for many years and we will miss that sparkle in his eye when he talked about building and flying his Cubs especially those on floats.'"
Thanks, Bob, for this report. The Guildhall Fun Flyers had a great event and as always, modelers meet new people and make new friends with the promise of returning again to participate in the fun. I highly recommend that any warbird enthusiasts consider attending this event next year. The club's Web site is www.guildhallfunflyers.com.
I HAVE sad news to report from western and central New York. In my May column, Bob Dart, owner of Dart Airport in Mayville, New York, was pictured receiving the District Service Award. Bob passed away in early August from complications following surgery and his loss is being felt in the region.
A longtime member of the RC Pulsers of western New York, Charlie Bender, passed away. Charlie was in his 90s.
These gentlemen were pillars in their clubs and influenced the direction of model aviation in their region. Our thoughts go out to their families and club members.
Joe Valvo was the CD for the Paradise RC Fun-Fly held in early June, near Vernon, New York. More than 20 pilots attended the event. There was a wide range of flying aircraft in less than ideal conditions. The highlight of the afternoon was when Joe flew his 1/3-scale Yak with a ZDZ 80 Super with smoke on, and when Ken DeZotell won the big door prize: a handmade aircraft quilt.
District II Associate Vice President Ernie Nickodem was the CD for the Niagara County RC MAC Fun-Fly at the club field in Lockport, New York. A gathering of pilots flew aircraft from small electrics to .60-size models in tough winds.
One of the attendees was Clarence Ragland, of the famed "Ragland method of RC training." Clarence has taught many people to fly without the use of a buddy box and was even helpful in the first four flights of my flying career roughly 30 years ago.
Three of the 10 inductees into the Model Aircraft Hall of Fame (HOF) in 2008 are or were from District II. The late Donald McGovern, whose daughter Donna McGrann is from Smithtown, New York, will be formally inducted when his award is presented at the 2009 Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) Show.
I presented Larry Scarinzi of the Garden State Circle Burners in Palisades Park, New Jersey, with his Hall of Fame plaque. Larry will be formerly inducted at Brodak's CL event next year.
Jim Messer, formerly of Allegany, New York, and now of Sebring, Florida, was the surprise inductee while he attended the Southern Tier Aero Radio Society's (STARS) Scale Rally near Olean, New York. Jim was asked to fly his 40% J-3 Cub during the noontime show. When he landed and turned around, what a surprise he received! All of his family and a hundred pilots and friends were there waiting.
I had the honor of presenting Jim with his award. He later put a blog on RC Universe about "How to make a grown man cry." It was a touching presentation.
Congratulations to our new HOF members and their families for this once-in-a-lifetime honor.
Till next month, Keep 'em Three in the Green.
ON SATURDAY, August 2, 2008, the Columbiana County Centaur R/C Club held a fun-fly. The event was held at the club's 14-acre field in Lisbon, Ohio, which features a nice 800 x 200-foot grass runway. A nice feature is the recently installed, beautiful safety fence made of PVC pipe. It was built solidly for safety, but it is attractive.
The 78-member club also boasts an up-and-coming flier by the name of Adam Wirth. Adam is 15 years old and is flying in International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) competitions and winning. Look out guys, this kid's coming!
CD Rod Bon indicated that the club hosted the District III mini-fest this year along with two fun-flys, and a picnic. Also planned are an upcoming warbird event, a float fly at Gilford Lake, an Oktoberfest event, and more in the immediate future.
This club has activities going on almost every weekend during the flying season. For more information about the Centaur R/C Club and its events, go to www.centaur-rc.org.
The Firelands Float Flyers of New London, Ohio, recently held its sixth annual Float Fly, a two-day event, at the New London Reservoir Park and campgrounds. The reservoir is a 250-acre lake that is closed to fishing and wind sailing for the weekend to allow full access to the fliers.
Approximately 25 pilots attended this year's event and club president Bob James said he was happy with that number considering the reported decline in attendance at other events.
"We have a great time each year, and it's nice to see the event grow each year. We have had some pilots from as far away as New York," James said. "Also a large group from Michigan has attended the event every year," James said. "They come in Friday night and stay the weekend, and have a great time. We sure enjoy them."
The club is already starting plans for next year's event, always held the second weekend in August, looking for ways to make the event more enjoyable for everyone.
On the weekend of July 25-27, 2008, the Buc-Le Aerosportsmen of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, held its annual event: Warbirds Over Pennsylvania. Pilots from up and down the East Coast and from the Midwest attended to showcase their airplanes and strut their stuff.
Warbirds from World War I to the present day filled the sky (with a couple hitting the tall grass and one landing in a nearby pond). There were vendors selling T-shirts and electric airplanes while the food concession was handled by the local Cub Scout troop.
The half-time show on all three days featured a display of wacky flying with a 1/3-scale Cub and some very high-speed, low-level flying by a 1/5-scale Mustang, which was powered by a three-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke gasoline engine. What a sound!
Best of all, Mother Nature cooperated by providing calm breezes and nice, not-too-hot days for flying. Ken Karpinski supplied pictures to illustrate the event.
AMA News
CONGRATULATIONS to John Tyler Cook who received a scholarship from the AMA/Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship Program.
John graduated with an advanced diploma from Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke, Virginia. Throughout middle school and high school, he competed in science fairs in the physics category, winning several local and regional awards. John’s model ornithopter propulsion project was selected as a national semifinalist in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist competition in 2005.
He has been an AMA member since he was 10 years old. John has been accepted in the School of Engineering at the University of Virginia and plans to complete the engineering program with a concentration in computer science.
On July 19, 2008, the Statesville Model Flyers hosted the members of the Iredell Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). John Robinson, Jack Sears, and Allen Stroud provided trainers on buddy boxes to fly the Cadets.
Club president, Allen Stroud, gave the CAP members an orientation lecture covering the basics of model flight including control and safety. Also covered was how the buddy-box system works and what to expect when the model is in the air.
Three teams of two—a pilot and an instructor—were responsible for the safety of the model, keeping it in the proper overfly area, and helping the novice pilot.
The members who provided their trainers may have thought that their models could be in some jeopardy. Nothing could have been further from the truth! A good percentage of the Cadets were experienced fliers. This became known early when one Cadet asked his instructor if he could roll the model. He proceeded to perform as good an axial roll as the trainer would do.
After the Cadets, some of the senior CAP members then some of the younger children in attendance got their chance. Everyone went home with a smile on his or her face and the trainers were no worse for the wear.
The Fredericksburg Aeromasters is a 16-year Gold Leader Club in Stafford County, Virginia. For the past four years, we have hosted students from the Fredericksburg Region, Virginia Governor’s School Program Fundamentals of Flight course for a day at the field.
The Virginia Governor’s School Program began in 1973 when Governor Linwood Holton established the first summer residential programs for 400 gifted students from across the commonwealth. From three summer schools in 1973, the program has expanded to more than 40 sites throughout the commonwealth.
The flight course provides students career awareness and learning opportunities in the areas of science and technology not available during the regular school year. This year 13 eighth-grade graduates from the gifted-and-talented classes at schools from Fredericksburg City, Caroline, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and King George counties attended.
The Aeromasters provided students with an overview of model aircraft design and flight, assisted them with flying a model aircraft, performed flight demonstrations, provided static displays of our model aircraft, and answered many questions.
This year we also invited members of the WindWalkers RC club to assist with the event. It was big success; the students had a great time and a valuable learning experience. A special thanks to all who participated.
We’re looking forward to next year’s class of 2009. See you at the field.
Submitted by Dan Hayworth, club president. Photos by Rick Oasen.
AMA News
THE FLYING TIGERS RC Club in Lake City, South Carolina, played host to 14 young, eager pilots on Saturday June 8. The kids arrived by bus at 9 a.m. and Mike Scicchitano started with a brief overview of the day's planned activities.
Joel Jones went over preflight safety and continued with proper control of the airplanes on the ground and in the air.
All of the kids were given simulator training from two stations set up beforehand. Many of them said they had some flying experience from other video games but after flying the simulator, it was quickly apparent that the other games were not the same as a real simulator designed specifically for flying model aircraft. Flying Tiger president Eddie Nealey assisted in the simulator training.
Each participant was put on the buddy box, taking two pilots at a time. Christopher Jones, Jacob Howard, and Mark Howard, all Flying Tiger Intro Pilot Instructors, were on hand to take each one up for real-time flying with two new Sky Raider trainers and two new Futaba 2.4 radios purchased with grant money from AMA's Take off And Grow (TAG) Program.
The kids were treated to lunch and were encouraged to view some of the full-scale airplanes on-site from the Cockfield Flying Characters, a local ultralight club that shares the runway with the Flying Tigers.
Several AMA magazines were given away to participants as they were leaving. The Flying Tiger club secretary, Melinda Howard, mailed each a letter of thanks for attending and encouraged them to continue their training with us.
The club was pleased with the turnout and everyone's enthusiasm. The site held more than 125 spectators during the day's event, which included RC and general aviation pilots as well as the general public.
Although no new members have signed up from the TAG event, we thoroughly enjoyed having them spend some time with us and hope they enjoyed it as well.
Visit our Web site for all the pictures and videos at www.flyingtigersrc.com.
McLEANSBORO, ILLINOIS: Club #4752, the Hamilton County Fearless Flyers, held its first fly-in. The name of the event was the Jim LeRoy Memorial Fly-in.
Flying started in the early morning with many large scale models.
Jim Lanzendorf's 46% Ultimate done in LeRoy's Bulldog colors took Best of Show award.
Boy Scout Troop 30 during the playing of Star Spangled Banner to open the noontime air show.
Jim Lanzendorf with his Bulldog during the noon show.
The full-scale air show world lost a great performer by the name of Jim LeRoy while performing at the Dayton Air Show. Jim LeRoy, being the great full-scale pilot that he was, also flew model airplanes and helicopters.
The idea came up shortly after Jim's accident to have an event in his honor. The Fearless Flyers fly-in plans were already in place, so it was decided to pay tribute to Jim. Information and pictures were sent in by Jason Pearson.
Jason Pearson flying his 30% Christian Eagle.
Scott Olsen doing a low knife edge.
(L to R) Jim Lanzendorf, Mike Hicks, Steve Dodson, and Jason Pearson, with a tribute to Jim LeRoy.
AMA News
THIS COLUMN is about giving back and a commitment to do so. We vice presidents on the Executive Council continue to try to develop programs to encourage youngsters and others to look into the wonderful hobby we all enjoy now.
The Take off And Grow (TAG) Program and Park Pilot Program are two of our latest releases. The AMA Education Department efforts that interface with educators and schools is another, but these programs only scratch the surface. And that, my friends, bring me to the point of this column.
In order to get these programs out to potential members it is necessary to have folks promote them. That's where AMA members come in.
I would like to paraphrase a statement from former President John F. Kennedy: Ask not what the AMA can do for you, but what you can do for the AMA. Get involved and make the commitment.
The following reports are examples of what can be done. Every year the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) holds a gigantic air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Literally thousands of people flow through the gates everyday, and every year an AMA club is there to introduce aeromodeling to the masses.
Bill Lund of the Northern Aces reported on KidVenture at this year's EAA air show. The Northern Aces set up three areas where kids and parents alike could learn about our great hobby from building a jet glider—2,500 were built—to flying a flight simulator.
This column is just a teaser. For a more complete story look at the "In the Air" section of this issue of MA on page 10.
The second report was received from the Skymasters RC Club of Michigan president, Joe Haas.
This is about a youngster, Danny Craig, 13 years of age, who saw another youngster, Chris Haas, flying RC foamies at an indoor soccer site. Danny went home and spoke to his parents about the hobby.
With the support of his family and under the watchful eyes of the Skymasters club members, Danny became a very successful RC pilot. In slightly more than a year, with the use of a simulator and much encouragement, Danny entered the 2008 Nats in Muncie, Indiana.
A midair with his P-51 almost ended his competition before it started, but a fellow competitor loaned him a Pitts S-2. Danny won the Novice Fun Scale and Best Junior awards. (See Jay Smith's Nats report in this issue.)
These reports are examples of what can be accomplished by clubs that put forth a little effort. Thanks Northern Aces and Skymasters!
Till next time, fly safely and take a kid to your field. C.A.V.U.
BUSY MONTH so I will get right to it. Tim Davie of the Tulsa Glue Dobbers reported on the event.
"Pilots started showing up on Wednesday for The Heatwave in the Heartland, which made this a five-day event. Eighty-six Big Bird pilots registered with everything from Dr. Is to 50% CAPs.
"The Heatwave has a good reputation for allowing every Big Bird a chance to fly."
I attended the club meeting and field warming for Alamo Radio Control Society (ARCS) new field in San Antonio, Texas. It's a great new facility, good fellowship, and nice weather!
I included a picture of Buck Murray accepting the District Service Award for his efforts with the Air Force ROTC and the acquiring and development of the new field.
Another great event by Tim and the Glue Dobbers!
We had the scales out for everyone wanting to weigh their airplanes. Bob Sawyer lightened this Yak to 36 pounds.
Jack Matlock, my dog Shorty, and I made the trip to Shreveport, Louisiana, for a Big Bird event and then on to the Dallas Model Aircraft Association for the Charles Ash Memorial SW Control Line Championships.
We got into and out of Shreveport before hurricane Gustav arrived. Hotels were overflowing and attendance was down but the 33 modelers who did show up had a great time on a great flying facility. Chuck Sanders did a super job as the CD and the field was immaculate.
Flying was slow in the morning because of the sun but as the day heated up, so did the flying. Sam Williams was the youngest pilot registered. At 11 years old, he has been flying for slightly more than a year and did an impressive job.
We arrived at the field in Dallas to a nice crowd of fliers and spectators. I think 27 contestants were flying Stunt and five were flying Carrier. Dale Gleason was the CD and he was hopping from activity to activity.
I presented a well-deserved and overdue AMA Superior Service Award to Bill Lee for his many years of volunteering and helping with AMA/District activities.
Dale Gleason and others educated me about Carrier and I watched several flights. It is more complicated than it appears. Two Stunt circles stayed busy and the competition was tight. I got to meet an old hero, Bob Giesecke, and visit for awhile. I believe there were between 40 and 50 contestants in the Racing, Stunt, and Carrier events. Control Line is definitely alive and well in District VIII.
Have fun and fly safely! See you on the flightline. Jim
District IX
Mark Smith, District IX Vice President; marktsmith@everestkc.net
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Mark Smith Vice President 14632 W. 50th St., Shawnee KS 66216 Tel.: (913) 248-9191 www.amadistrict-ix.org
Associate Vice Presidents
- Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY; flyowyo@msn.com
- Troy Lapp, Bismarck ND; troylapp@hotmail.com
- Ward Neesen, Omaha NE; wneesen@tconl.com
- Brenda Schuette, Auburn KS; blschuette@cox.net
- Mike Tallman, Wichita KS; miketallman790@yahoo.com
- Jim Tiller, Rapid City SD; jtiller@hotmail.com
- Jim Wallen, Arvada CO; sjwallen@tde.com
Webmaster: Jim Shaw, jimshaw35@msn.com
Contest Coordinator: Mac Strader, Overland Park KS; rcmac@everestkc.net
Frequency Coordinator: Steve Mangles, Denver CO; stevenm1555@qwest.net
HI FOLKS! As I've stated many times in the past, this hobby is all about camaraderie. One of my very close friends, Walt DeFrees, whom I have known for more than a decade, has been housebound with his wife who is recuperating from a bad fall. Poor Walt was trapped into watching soap operas and "Judge Judy" all day long!
I found out that Walt was able to leave his bride of umpteen years for an hour one morning, thus two flying buds — Jerry Tuttle and Bill Stuckwish — joined me to take Walt out to breakfast.
The Hutch Bunch hosted its first International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) contest. Jim Harris reported on the event.
"Our IMAC contest was successful. There were only 10 registered pilots; the weather forecast kept several preregistered pilots from coming, although the weather turned out well after all.
"Things were not too bad for our first contest at this field. We learned a lot, and got good comments from the pilots. Don's Hobby Shop in Salina donated a lot of good stuff for prizes, and BME engines provided the Saturday evening feast."
As you can see by the picture, we all had a great time and I would urge you to do likewise if one of your friends is in need. Friendships last forever and should be cherished!
The Active Jayhawks: The Jayhawks are located in Lawrence, Kansas, and extremely active. One of our truly talented photographers and writers is Don Thun who reported on the club's fun-fly. Thanks, Don!
"The Jayhawk Model Masters held its all-size fun-fly May 3-4, 2008. The weather was less than cooperative with winds on Saturday around 20 mph and cool, jacket-weather temperatures. Late in the day winds calmed down and temps got up to a balmy 60 F.
"Sunday was a big improvement with comfortable temperatures and more reasonable winds. In spite of the windy weather there was quite a bit of flying and no major problems on Saturday except for a couple of wheel problems. One got hung up on a rut and pitched a biplane up on a wingtip and the other lost a wheel and made a one-wheel landing without damage.
"A Saturday night dinner and door prizes helped to make the winds a distant memory."
Newsletter editor Gary Rauckman reported on the Jayhawk Model Masters' float fly.
"It is now behind us, but my, what a lot of fun. And my, what a lot of work. It is worth it, however. We had 24 registered pilots and one came all the way from Wichita.
"One of my favorite aircraft was the Top Flite Cessna 182 flown by Doug Crumley from Wichita. Unfortunately, it suffered an engine-out stall right over the island — perhaps the worst place to lose an engine.
"Doug kept a good attitude about it and says he will have it back together in the near future. This was a very scale-looking and scale-flying aircraft. I believe it was equipped with an O.S. 1.60 twin.
"The Arrow 2 Ducted Fan Delta Wing I built was aptly named the fastest "boat" on the lake. Boat, meaning it didn't fly, even though it made several attempts to take off. Speaking of boats, Larry Davidson was seen sailing his RC schooner.
"One of the spectators of the day was Alex O'Brien, the handicapped son of Pat O'Brien. They had recently purchased an RC trainer aircraft and are planning to join the Jayhawk Model Masters club this month. George Jones kind of took him under his wing so to speak and decided to give Alex his first flying lesson on George's float plane trainer.
"George hooked him up to a buddy box and the first lesson was underway. Pat Smith got to watch Alex fly an airplane for the first time.
"We were pleased to have Mark Smith, the District IX AMA vice president, attend again this year. Mark was flying a Balsa USA NorthStar and a Great Planes Seawind.
"There were several crashes, none of which were aircraft-totaling; however, Patrick Deuser sent his newly built Neptune straight in, breaking the wings off as I remember, but it is fixable.
"To soften the blow, Patrick won the raffle prize of the day when his ticket was pulled. He became the proud owner of an 81-inch Great Planes fabric-covered J-3 Cub with fiberglass floats — a $300 value."
That's it for this month. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year and again, please remember those close to you and your many blessings.
Take care, keep in touch, and have fun! Mark
I RECENTLY ATTENDED a very good AMA sanctioned Float Fly in Red Bluff, California. While I was there I asked CD Mike Brown if he would send me a report about the event for the District X column. Thanks, Mike!
"The Northern California Regional Float Fly, held in June is in the books, as they say, and 73 pilots had a great time. Their 150-plus airplanes flew hundreds of flights during the four days of the event.
"As I thought, electrics were all around and in many styles and sizes, but gas and glow are still king on the water — for now anyway! We had everything from a tiny, eight-inch electric Super Cub to a 1/3-scale, clipped-wing Cub with a DA-100.
"The Northern California Regional Float Fly welcomes all types of flying. As you can see in the accompanying picture, CT Neely spent some time on a buddy box with his father Bill. In another photo is a very nice flying O.S. .25-powered Sea Cruiser owned by Bruce Taylor of Shasta Lake City.
"We were also treated to a beautiful 100-inch scratch-built Spruce Goose by Mike MacFarland. The airplane is truly impressive — it flew well and looked great!
"I would like to thank the many volunteers (such as Ed and Rand Martin in the boat in the picture). Ed and Rand spent almost the entire event in that boat — roughly 30-35 hours! (For those who are not familiar with our event, we have other boats also, but these guys are just simply number one in airplane retrieval and dedication.)
"The float fly has great volunteers in all its departments and that is what makes it so special to all who attend. Volunteers are the ones who make events what they are; without them, events and CDs are nothing. I thank you all.
"As the CD of the event I was worried about the turnout. Gas prices have really shot up and some events have suffered low pilot numbers, possibly from the fuel situation.
"We are lucky in that we have a great place to fly and the pilots and their families can camp right at the flying site, but most important we have a friendly relaxed atmosphere and food is available most all the time. We also have a huge raffle with well over 100 items each year and a banquet dinner on Saturday.
"I believe this is one of the great things about an AMA-sanctioned event. A club that sanctions its event wants out-of-town participation and because the AMA has good, safe guidelines for clubs to follow, a pilot can be fairly sure he will have a quality experience when he attends one of these sanctioned events.
"Come see us next June 11-14, 2009."
Remember, what goes up, must come down. Keep it safe! Mark
AMA News
MIKE MOSBROOKER, associate vice president from Oak Harbor, Washington, sent in the following report:
“I recently attended the warbird portion of a two-event weekend in Bellingham, Washington. The Bell Air R/C Flyers of Bellingham hosted its third annual Warbirds over Whatcom, Saturday August 2, 2008, and an All Bird Fun Fly Sunday August 3, 2008.
“The AMA sanctioned warbird event was attended by 27 pilots displaying and flying more than 52 warbirds.
“All sizes of warbirds were present from 1/8-scale to 1/3-scale. The event was blessed with moderate wind and great weather. Due to the great support from the Bellingham newspaper and radio
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
