January 2004 169
LAST MONTH’S Model Aviation was all
about the Nationals. This issue covers six
Clubs of the Month, clubs in Georgia,
Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and
Florida.
For additional color photos of these six
clubs, visit the District V Web site at
www.modelair.org. There are 135 photos
posted of these various club members!
I like to stay in touch, and it’s fun! People
are more interesting than models. I’d rather do
this myself than assign someone else.
I attended the Apopka, Florida, Summer
Tangerine Pattern event. Orlando Frets was
the CD and the Remote Control Association
of Central Florida (RCACF) was the event
sponsor.
Many RCACF club members showed up to
help run the Pattern contest. (L-R) Orlando
Fretz, Greg Foushi, Mac Bondoc, Tom
Pender, Mont Cartwright, Pete Mullen,
Glenn Sunseri, Robert Grebs, Rick Etzel,
Brian Casey, Jeff Eden, and Joe Soto, the
principal promoter. Live wire Jose was
everywhere at the same time. He found
himself promoted to an associate vice
president in District V.
This is a closer picture of the officials. (L-R)
Luis Ruiz, Jose’s second-in-command;
Steve Homenda, club treasurer; Jose; Eric
Turck, club secretary.
I attended the Emerald Coast Model Aviators
13th Annual Labor Day Fly-In at
Wewahitchka, Florida. If you’ve never been
to Wewahitchka, you’ve missed plenty. I gave
them a Club of the Month flag and they were
proud of it.
(L-R) Front row: Carl Severn; Robert
Arnold; Doug Sampson, CD; Ronald Frost,
president; Rusty Roark. Back row: Joe
Ross; Robert Heintz; Hub Norris.
I attended the Black Sheep RC’s second
annual Helicopter event. John Garst was the
CD and Joe Fusco is the Black Sheep’s
president.
Some of the Black Sheep club members
who helped run the event: (L-R) Everette
Smith; Darrel Long; Joe Fusco; Robin
Ellison and husband Wayne Ellison; Mike
Snyder; Mark England; John Garst.
Here’s a better photo of the officials: (L-R)
Everette Smith; John Garst (John was also
CD last year when I was here); Joe Fuscc
holding the Club of the Month flag I gave
them; Wayne Ellison, who helped officiate.
Joe is a big family man. Look on the Web
site and see how big Joe’s family is.
I attended the Tennessee Valley Aviators’
(TVA) September Fly-In held at Epps Field in
northern Alabama. George Epps owns a
private airstrip he shares with three prominent
model airplane clubs. When a full-scale
airplane is landing, the modelers are signaled
to stop. The system works perfectly.
This photo is of five prominent members of
the TVA conducting the succesful fly-in. (LR)
Club president Wayne Gladden and
Duane Black holding the Club of the Month
flag I awarded them; Robert Tackett, CD;
Gene Hunter; Bob Wall.
I covered the Georgia Aircraft Modelers
Association (GAMA) Fun-Fly at Ft. Valley,
Georgia. Norm Deputy was the contest
director (CD) and Keith Lindsay was the
event coordinator. They did a good job.
This picture shows some of the GAMA
members who sponsored the big fun-fly.
First row, bottom (L-R) Andrew Burnette,
Keith Lindsey, Jim Boone, Dave Duarte, Ed
Stefen, Bill Davenport, Scott Peterman,
Norman Deputy; back row (in random
order) Mac Hodges, Howard Steinhart, Tom
Smith, Dog Rusin, Greg Hope, Rick
Hudson, Glenn Parker, Bill Leonard, Frank
Maroney, Wayne Stevenson, Ray Davis, and
Mike Stevens.
Here’s a better picture of the officials. (L-R)
Keith Lindsey; Allan Stowe, club president;
Bob Donne, field engineer; Norman Deputy;
Dan Duart, vice president and safety officer.
I attended the Tennessee Eagles RC Club
Fly-In. This club has a new field at Harriman,
Tennessee, furnished by the city. The club
hosted hundreds of fliers and spectators.
A picture of Tennessee Eagles club
members who helped run the affair.
Standing in front of the 18 members was
Steve Madison and club president Bob
Freels holding the Club of the Month flag.
Also included (random) are Lynn Lawson,
Tommy Lewis, Jerel Zaretsky, Bud Smith,
Mike Foley, Larry McCrum Jr., Larry
McCrum, T.J. Albert, Ken Levin, David
Smith, secretary-treasurer Bob Moritz,
David Smith, Scott Watson, Derrick
Hedrick, David Farmer, and Bill Selby.
Club president Bob Freels (R) presenting
city mayor Jerry Davis with a framed plaque
from AMA in appreciation for the Mayor’s
help in providing the club with a beautiful
place to fly. A similar plaque was awarded
to six city council members, three of whom
are shown here: Garbin Morris, Chris
Mason, and Diana Knoblock. If you need an
award for city, county, or state officials, let
me know. That’s what AMA’s for.
District V Report
Alabama / Florida / Georgia /
Mississippi / Puerto Rico /
South Carolina / Tennessee
Jim McNeill
Vice President
617 South 20 Avenue,
Birmingham AL 35205
Tel.: (205) 322-2127
Fax: (205) 252-2654
E-mail: [email protected]
District V Web page: www.modelair.org/
04jan.qxd 10/23/03 12:08 pm Page 169
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 169