District I
Andy Argenio — District I Vice President
Coverage
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
Winter is the best time to build new aircraft or get the fleet ready for spring. For most of us, flying is limited to locations with indoor facilities. Clubs such as mine close their flying sites during the winter because there are no plowed access roads. If the weather permits, we do fly off the ice or snow. This is also a great time to attend auctions, swap shops, flea markets, and hobby trade shows.
On Sunday, February 8, my building-and-flying buddy George Andoscia and I decided we needed a day out of the hobby shop and drove 60 miles to attend New England's largest RC auction: the 28th Northern Connecticut Radio Control Club (NCRCC) Auction & Swap Shop.
The auction took place at Vernon Center Middle School in Vernon, Connecticut. Sellers were able to preregister on Saturday between 1 and 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 7:45 a.m. until noon. The auction started at 9 a.m. and lasted until 5 p.m.
We arrived at 8 a.m. and found nearly every available parking spot taken. Having attended this event numerous times, we were not surprised by the quantity and variety of RC items piled on the two-level tables throughout the school's auditorium foyer.
I was pleased to see buyers often had a choice: either do an instant buy at the asking price or wait and bid on the item at auction. In this way, people who didn't want to wait all day could buy and leave early.
From the auctions we attended this year, there is little doubt that current economic conditions have had a dramatic effect on prices. Nearly all items that sold brought in less than half of what they would have sold for last year. It is definitely a buyer's market, and many sellers were willing to accept much lower prices than their stated minimum bids. Most of the higher-ticket items above $600 didn't sell.
With so many items being auctioned, we had plenty of time to walk up and down the aisles, check everything out, and stop frequently to talk with many District I members and friends. Several expressed their thanks to the AMA district officers for doing a great job representing the district nationally.
The auctioneer and all members of NCRCC were busy all day and did an excellent job running the auction—from setup and registration to presentation, item descriptions, and checkout. After 27 years, they have become professionals at putting on this event. We took time to enjoy some hot dogs and hamburgers before we left for home.
The NCRCC is a 47-year-old club with more than 120 members. The club conducts:
- Electric Fly-In
- World War II Fly-In
- Q-500 Two-Day Race
- World War I Dawn Patrol Fly-In
- Annual Auction
Their financial success allowed the club to purchase its current flying site in 2002. Please check the NCRCC Web site at www.ncrcc.org for event dates and consider attending their excellent events.
By the time you read this column, we will have been to the Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) show. I will be attending the Toledo Show in April and preparing to attend Joe Nall in May before the District I event season starts.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
