February 2008 177
SEAN CLANCEY, the South Shore RC
Club secretary and newsletter editor, sent the
following inspirational report and pictures:
“You can be sure that roughly 100 Cub
Scouts currently have a new item at the top of
their Christmas and Chanukah lists! Thanks
to Chris D’Arpino, they’ll be asking for their
very own RC aircraft!
“In an age where video games, organized
sports, and other after-school activities take
up the majority of our children’s time and
attention, RC has a lot of competition. That’s
where we can either give up and see our
hobby fall into decline, or dig in and help it
grow!
“Lucky for us, we have a very determined
member fueled only by his desire to see
smiles on children’s faces. Chris D’Arpino
got the idea for an educational program from
another club that was doing something
similar. The club is called the Mercer County
Radio Control Society and is located in
Heightstown, New Jersey. The club
developed a detailed ground school complete
with PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and
lectures. The director of the program, David
Vale, was even kind enough to share the
materials with Chris to give him a starting
point.
“Chris adapted this program for his own
use and tried it out for the first time in San
Diego, California, in front of throngs of eager
Scouts at a Jamboree. His presentation and
flight demos were so successful that he
sought to “bring it home” to Massachusetts.
“On Friday, November 16, Cub Scouts
from several different local packs got the
opportunity to witness Chris’ presentation
firsthand. Have you ever seen a 7-12 year old
quietly listen to someone speak for 25
minutes? Before you all write letters
requesting Chris’ services, know that you too
can accomplish this daring feat. You need
only involve model aviation in the
discussion!
“You see,” said D’Arpino, “before when I
told you anyone can fly RC, I really meant
it.” On the screen behind him was a giant
picture of himself as giddy as a schoolboy on
the day he completed his first solo flight.
Giggles and applause followed.
“The children were released from their
meeting and proceeded to spend the next 40
minutes swarming our tables where we had
several airplanes on static display. As the
boys soaked up knowledge from our
volunteers, a door prize was drawn. Courtesy
of our president, Zahoor Bajwa, a lucky boy
and his dad took home a really nice ARF.
“Tiffany Ring brought along her Kadet
trainer and allowed the boys to move the
sticks on the transmitter to see how the
controls functioned. They looked inside and
saw the small servos working the pushrods
that moved the control surfaces. One Scout
asked Tiffany if she ever flew her airplane.
Tiffany proudly responded with a yes,
assuring them that even girls fly!
“Zahoor brought along a beautiful
Hawker Hurricane and a large helicopter that
had everyone drooling and asking questions.
However the best gadget he brought was his
laptop, complete with Realflight G3.5. There
was a line 100 yards long for the entire night.
‘You get to fly until you crash ... ooh that was
a big one … Next!’ Baj would say. At 9 p.m.
mothers and fathers had to peel their children
away from the computer screen.
“Alex Fedele also brought two
airplanes—a P-47 and a fun-fly aircraft—
which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.
“Thank you to everyone who participated!
This was certainly a smashing success. Chris
really put together a great presentation which
was well-thought-out, thorough, and geared
perfectly for this audience.”
Why not get your club involved in
introducing others to our sport. The winter
months are the best time for indoor
aeromodeling presentations or
demonstrations.
District I
Andy Argenio, District I Vice President; [email protected]
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Andy Argenio
3 Sheila Ln.,
Smithfield RI 02917;
Home: (401) 231-6901;
Work: (401) 231-5380
District 1 Web Site:
www.amadistrict1.com
Associate Vice
Presidents
Ed Faria, Somerset MA;
(508) 678-6404; [email protected]
James Gilliatt, Concord MA;
(978) 369-9796; [email protected]
Robert Kilmon, Nashua NH;
(603) 594-2725;
[email protected]
Ray LaBonte, Standish ME;
(207) 797-5196;
[email protected]
Patrick Libby, Ascutney VT;
(802) 674-2311;
[email protected]
Bob Wallace, Avon CT;
(860) 673-2000;
[email protected]
Contest Coordinator:
Barry Schubert
(401) 683-3933; 34 Potomac Rd.,
Portsmouth RI 02871;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator:
Joel Chappell, Milford NH;
(603) 673-6240;
[email protected]
District Safety Officer:
Les Watson, Riverside RI;
[email protected]
D i s t r i c t I V o l u n t e e r s .
On November 16, 2007, the South Shore Radio Control Club in Bridgewater, Massachusetts,
invited more than 100 Cub Scouts to an educational presentation on RC aircraft and flying.
All of the Scouts who attended had an
opportunity to test their skills on the RC
flight simulator.
This beautiful Hawker Hurricane was one of
the aircraft shown during the presentation.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/02
Page Numbers: 177