Author: Bill Oberdieck


Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/08
Page Numbers: 165

August 2010 165
I WANT TO thank all of the District VII
members who responded to my request for a
replacement for Associate Vice President
(AVP) Charley Spencer. Charley was the
Iowa AVP and did a splendid job, but as so
often happens in our lives, Charley had to
decide whether or not to move. He decided
to move to Oklahoma.
I know we all wish Charley well in his
new surroundings. In the meantime District
VII members came forth to answer my call
for district volunteers. I will say that making
a decision was not easy.
We will be taking a new direction by
having two AVPs in the state of Iowa.
Please welcome Kent Woods of Ames,
Iowa, who will cover the central and western
part of the state, and Lloyd Swanson of
Cedar Rapids, who will cover east-central
and eastern Iowa and the west edge of
Wisconsin. Contact information for Kent
and Lloyd is located in the column header.
In past columns I’ve often mentioned that
clubs should be getting involved in
introducing newcomers to our hobby/sport.
It appears that I receive reports coming from
the same few clubs such as The Skymasters
RC Club of Michigan, the Radio Control
Club of Detroit (Michigan), and the Pontiac
Miniature Aircraft Club (PMAC) in
Michigan, to mention a few.
For our hobby/sport to continue and
grow, we must find ways to accomplish this
task. And one way is to introduce youngsters
to our hobby. Dale Matheson, event director
from PMAC, sent in the following report.
This is one way to get involved.
On May 22, Dale Matheson, Steve
Dempster, and 40 other PMAC members
hosted 85 Boy Scouts, helping them acquire
their Aviation Merit Badges. This was the
second time the club had hosted the Boy
Scouts. PMAC has also held a similar event
for the local Girl Scout troop.
Boy Scout policies require a Scout to
perform certain duties to qualify for the
badge. PMAC had several stations set up for
ground school, an RC simulator, RC buddybox
flights, and FPG-9 (foam-plate gliders)
make-and-take.
Vocational speakers included an airline
pilot, a professional aircraft sales person
who is a retired F-4 and Top Gun pilot, and
a hobby shop owner to round out the group.
A job well done by the PMAC club.
A flight simulator was set up in the barn.
The FPG-9 airplane build-and-fly area.
Boys at the flight stand on buddy boxes.
Steve Demster discusses requirements for
flying.
Till next time, fly safely, have fun, and get
involved. Our legacy for the future is in our
youngsters of today. C.A.V.U.
District VII
Bill Oberdieck, District VII Vice President; sgaeroinc@comcast.net
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Bill Oberdieck
Vice President
Box 1076
Southgate MI 48195
Tel.: (734) 283-4813
Fax: (734) 283-0650
www.amadistrictvii.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Ed Bucki, S. Rockwood
MI; (734) 379-4054; thebuckster@
sbcglobal.net
Lee D. Frederickson, Ada MI;
L1520@comcast.net
Bud Gorman, Knife River MN;
bgorman@frontiernet.net
Don Held, Elmira MI;
(231) 584-2662; held@avci.net
Tom Pierce, St. Clair MI; (810)
367-6450; tom_pierce_48079@
yahoo.com
Mark E. Robotti, Lindstrom MN;
76214.1624@compuserve.com
Tom Ryan, Greenfield WI;
(414) 881-0070; tomcat@
execpc.com
Lloyd Swanson; Cedar Rapids IA;
(319) 373-0947; iflyrc@mchsi.com
Kent Woods, Ames IA ; (515)
232-8180; woods229@msn.com
Frequency Coordinators
West: Al Schwartz, Roseville
MN; (651) 633-2286
East: Pete Waters, Northville MI;
(248) 486-4800
Contest Coordinators:
Wayne Yeager, RC (Michigan
only), (517) 260-0132; yogi1931@
comcast.net
Michael Haller, RC (except
Michigan), (920) 923-2460;
mrhaller2460@att.net
Flying Site Coordinator
Tony Stillman, Tony
tony@radiosouthrc.com
Webmaster
Ed Kincer, erkincer@aol.com
District VII Volunteers Group picture of the boys with a
Take off And Grow (
TAG) banner in front.
08amanews_11amanews.qxd 6/23/2010 10:23 AM Page 165