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I ATTENDED THE annual District II Fly-
In held at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn,
New York. Although the weather on
Saturday was a bit nasty (there’s a surprise
for this year!), Sunday was a little cool but
otherwise a nice, sunny fall day.
I’ll write more about the fly-in in a future
column, but I will take a moment now to
thank this year’s host club, the Pennsylvania
Avenue Radio Control Society, all its
members who volunteered to work the event,
and contest director (CD) Jon Gerber. It was
a great weekend.
As the outdoor flying season begins to wind
down here in District II, many of us will turn
to Indoor Radio Control (RC) to get our
modeling fix. Indoor modeling has really
begun to take off in the northeast, spurred by
advancements in Lithium Polymer batteries.
I went to the Northeast Aircraft
Technology (NEAT) Fair and it was clear
that this technology is going to advance
electric flight to new levels. If Lithium
Polymer power is in your future, please
remember these cells are sensitive about the
way that they’re handled. Follow the
instructions that come with these batteries
closely and they’ll provide a great source of
power for your Electric models.
On August 2, 3003, the Clarence Sailplane
Society held its annual F1.5B contest. The
contest really is a low-key, fun-oriented F3B
event with an emphasis on relaxed
competition. Three separate tasks were
flown: thermal duration, distance, and speed.
Marty Timm about to launch during the
speed portion of the contest.
To entice newcomers to enter the contest,
the club waives the entry fee for first-time
contestants. When the dust settled Jim
Sonnenmeier ended up in first place
followed by Bill Wegman and Jim Roller.
Contest Director and District II Soaring
Contest Board Member Roman Paryz.
I have several reports from club events that I
have attended during this past season.
They’ll all be presented in this column
during the next several months, but I just
received the following from associate vice
president (AVP) Gary Fitch and, as we move
into the winter months, I think it’s a perfect
piece for this issue.
“As the Flying Fields close and the 2003
Outdoor flying season winds down, club
members begin to think about participating in
mall shows. Most of us have participated in
or at least attended a mall show where RC,
Control Line, or Free Flight model aircraft
are displayed. A mall show is much more
than an opportunity to show off our latest
winter projects. It is an opportunity to educate
and sell our hobby to our communities.
John Cake’s Ziroli P-40 displayed at the
Ithaca RC Society Mall Show.
“Selling is exactly what is required today
for we now compete with many different
things for the attention of potential new
members. For many clubs, a mall show is the
single largest public event it sponsors each
year and this is a marketing opportunity that
should be capitalized on.
“Most clubs provide contact, meeting,
field location information, club membership
applications, AMA applications, and related
promotional material. This is important but
more important is showing potential members
that belonging to your club equates to fun and
creative time well spent!
Ernie Heyworth displays his unusual
Songbird Electric model.
“The best mall shows demonstrate how
the club helps new members learn to build as
well as fly. Provide a listing of all of your
club’s annual events and show your club’s
building projects and events in photos.
“Some clubs show kids how to build an
egg-carton glider during the show. Many
clubs also provide the means of flying RC
aircraft by using a flight simulator, which, if
properly setup, will give a sense of what it is
like to fly an RC trainer.
“Having a varied assortment of aircraft on
display, including aircraft under construction,
is the mainstay of the show. However you do
it, take advantage of the opportunity to
engage passersby. Greet the community with
a smile and offer your help to explain what a
terrific hobby it is that we enjoy.”
That wraps it up for another month. This
issue of Model Aviation should reach you
approximately Thanksgiving. I extend my
best wishes to everyone for a safe, happy,
and healthy holiday season.
See you next time.
District II Report
Associate Vice Presidents
Roy A. Brown, USAE AFCENT CMR 460 BOX
585 APO AE 07903 E-mail: [email protected]
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Avenue, Holbrook
NY 11741, (631) 737-6327 E-mail:
[email protected]
Gary Fitch, 1219 Slab City Rd., Franklinville NY
14737 (716) 676-2498 E-mail:
[email protected]
Ray Juschkus, 59 Livingston Street, St. James NY
11780 (631) 862-5589 E-mail:
[email protected]
Eric Henderson, 303 Shady Lane, Marlton NJ
08053; (856) 988-9184; E-mail:
[email protected]
Jim Lewis, P.O. 61, Ogdenburg NY 13669
(315) 393-2580 E-mail: [email protected]
Tom Murray, 31 Voorhees Drive, Basking Ridge
NJ 07920 (908) 766-5656 E-mail:
[email protected]
Ernie Nikodem, 407 Willow Street, Lockport NY
14094 (716) 434-8350 E-mail:
[email protected]
Bill Poythress, 2 Hemlock Court, Saugerties NY
12477 (914) 246-8850
Adam Sattler, 41 Perry Avenue, Latham NY 12110
(518) 783-8929 E-mail: [email protected]
Peter Seiffert, 8636 Grey Birch Dr., Baldwinsville
NY, 13027 (315) 635-6370 E-mail:
[email protected]
Alexander Szemere, One Talia Rd., Kendall Park
NJ 08824-1705 (732) 821-5641 E-mail:
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator
Dan Williams, 27 Treeline Dr., Liverpool NY 13090
(315) 652-7740 E-mail: [email protected]
Webmaster
Doug Crawford, 441 Co. Rt. 1A, Oswego NY 13126;
E-mail: [email protected]
New Jersey/ New York/
Europe
Dave
Mathewson
Vice President
7271 State Fair Blvd.,
Baldwinsville NY 13027
Tel.: (315) 727-4275
Fax: (315) 635-1039
E-mail: [email protected]
District II Web page: www.amadistrictii.org
04jan.qxd 10/23/03 12:07 pm Page 166
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 166