In The Air - 2006/08
Alabama Club Reaches out to Community With Air Show
April 22, 2006 — I attended one of our area club’s community activities that demonstrated community involvement and public education, which are AMA missions. The Alabaster Radio Control Association (ARCA) in Alabama has always been known as a community-minded club, and this event took its reputation up a notch.
The ARCA held its first R/C Model Air Show for surrounding communities to introduce and educate the public about modeling and to benefit area school programs. Modeling activities can create opportunities for young people; the key is to get them involved at an early age and help them focus. This air show was one way to bring information and hands-on experience to them.
By the time I arrived at the club field at roughly noon, there were more than 70 people in the stands. By the end of the event, more than 1,000 people had come to watch the show.
Some of the modeling community’s best pilots demonstrated their skills during this two-day event:
- Team Futaba pilot Frank Noll — Yak-54.
- Team Futaba pilot Matt Botos — Miniature Aircraft 3-D helicopter routine.
- Jerry Smith (nine-time National Fun Fly champ) — his own-design flying delta wing.
- Raiko Potter — Partner RC aerobatics model.
- Tyler Churchill — demonstrated that those with disabilities can enjoy this hobby; he uses his feet to fly his models.
- Bob Dixon (AMA District V Associate Vice President, Georgia) — CL Precision Aerobatics with his own-design Crystal and CL Combat with a different aircraft.
- J.C. Zalke — scale replica that flies true to scale.
- Jeb Jacobson (ARCA Vice President) — Raptor 22, demonstrating jet engines in models.
- Donny Click — MD-500 helicopter (giant scale pilot and RC enthusiast).
Activities director and coordinator — and ARCA president — Don Wade Jr. made sure the event ran smoothly and that local media were alerted. Fellow club members put many hours into executing a plan to give as many young people as possible a chance to fly a model airplane for five minutes.
Once the demonstration flights were completed, the flight line became busy as young and old lined up to take a turn on a buddy box with a flight instructor. A team of club members directed the flow of participants to each pilot station. The smiles on the kids’ faces spoke volumes. Safety was the primary concern, and it was evidenced by an accident-free event.
The ARCA’s air show was a success. All proceeds from gate fees, donations, and concessions were given to the local public school system to help fund the "Kids First" program and after-school educational activities. The donated total exceeded $2,000.
Donated raffle prizes from Hobbico/Futaba included five RTF trainers that were given to kids who participated in the buddy-box program.
Club programs such as this go a long way toward promoting AMA’s creed and letting the public know the rewards of modeling. The demonstration flights across various modeling disciplines showed the many options available to a beginner; newcomers have a lot from which to choose.
It is up to us — the AMA members — to help educate the public about our hobby. The public getting to know us and the benefits of the hobby will go a long way toward helping us keep our club flying fields.
Please visit the ARCA website at www.alabasterrc.com for further information. Feel free to contact club members if your club is interested in setting up and running an air show; they would be happy to assist you in putting on a successful event.
MA — John Russell AMA District V Associate Vice President for Central Alabama
Note
No continuation of the primary article "In The Air - 2006/08" appears on the scanned page. The page also contains a "Frequently Asked Questions About AMA’s Custom Products Department" box and no additional text that continues the ARCA air-show article.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
