The 12th annual District II Fly-In is coming to Long Island, New York, at a special place and date! The August 16-17, 2014, Fly-In celebrates National Model Aviation Day in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. Located at the historic and spacious Calverton Executive Airpark in Riverhead, New York, the enormous airpark was once the site of development, testing, and production of Grumman Corporation’s F-14 Tomcat and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.
At the District II Fly-In, modelers will be treated to a 7,000-foot runway divided into special areas for different Aeromodeling segments such as RC airplanes, helicopters, and CL. This year’s host is the Long Island Aeromodelers Association—an official AMA chapter with 15 member clubs.
With nearby hotels, restaurants, and other family attractions, the Calverton Airpark is a fantastic venue for the event. Be sure not to miss it! Read more about the event at http://rcpilot.wix.com/nmad.
The Tri-County RC Club of New Jersey is an educationally oriented and community-involved club, as you’ve read in my column. As I promised in my last column, here’s part two of the club’s activities.
On March 8, 2014, a group of Tri-County club members along with students and parents from the Edgar Middle School in Metuchen, New Jersey, met at the club’s East Brunswick, New Jersey, Heavenly Farms Flying site for a trip of a lifetime. The club chartered a bus and the group trekked to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s annex in Chantilly Virginia, formally known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
The Tri-County group had the pleasure of a retired naval aviator and a retired Air Force pilot serving as their docents for their tour. As a special treat, former Tri-County club member, now Chief Curator for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Dr. Peter Jacob, welcomed the group. Dr. Jacob talked with the students at length, describing the museum and the many career opportunities available in aviation.
While on their tour the group saw everything from the Enola Gay to the Discovery Space Shuttle. Several links to New Jersey’s rich aviation history were on display, including a Duesenberg Motors Corporation King-Bugatti aircraft engine manufactured in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1917!
There are more than 200 aviation museums in the US that offer unique educational, historical, and scientific learning opportunities. Talk with your club members about a having special outing or field trip such as the Tri-County club’s visit to the Udvar-Hazy Center. It’s a great experience for club members and combining it with students is good community involvement.
Remember, it’s about what we fly and the people and the friends we make.