AMA News: District II — 2012/11
The 2012 District II Fun-Fly was hosted this past August by the Lazy Eight R/C Club of Johnstown, New York. The event was a great gathering of friends from across the district. As an all-interest event, numerous categories were represented. My 30-year-old, 9-foot Nosen Giant Stick was right at home with a quadcopter. Everyone had a great time sharing the sky!
With the Lazy Eight’s Charity Air Show happening the week before the District Fun-Fly, some pilots camped out and flew the entire week. A Gold Leader Club, the Lazy Eight is highly involved in the community. The club’s Charity Air Show benefits the local humane society, and the annual Adirondack Heli Bash supports the local hospital’s cancer fund. In recognition of these and other community efforts, I was pleased to present the Lazy Eight club with AMA’s Award of Merit during the weekend’s activities. Many thanks to the Lazy Eight members, families, and volunteers!
Burlington County R/C Club Heli Smackdown (Pemberton, NJ)
Recent advances have made RC helicopters increasingly popular. District II associate vice president Tony Rossi sent this report from the Burlington County Radio Control Club (BCRCC) Heli Smackdown in Pemberton, New Jersey.
The weather was perfect for the first Heli Smackdown, and a smackdown it was. The three-day event, held in May, drew more than 40 pilots and more than 100 helis. There was constant flying each day and into Saturday evening. Some of the machines included:
- T-Rex 700E flown by Chad Graham
- Nitro Whiplash flown by Pete Campbell
- Logo 800 Xxtreme flown by Jan Matro
- Fury 55 flown by Mark Schneider
- T-Rex 550 flown by Bob Alberding
- Raptor 50 flown by Tony Rossi
Pete Campbell and others performed a tremendous demo. Tony wrote, “As a heli novice, I will never aspire to that level. Heck, I’m happy just to hover. I hope to fly around in circles, do a loop, and land successfully. Who knows? A Tic-Tock may be in my future.”
Thanks to the following people for making the event happen:
- Rich Afflerback, BCRCC president
- Beth and Bob Afflerback
- Micki and Bill Bowne
- Lou and Matt Benjamin
- Mary and Melissa Stieb
- Jim Burns
- Mike Picozzi
You can plan an event, but it takes people to make it happen. I hope everyone had a blast and returns for next year’s BCRCC Heli Smackdown!
Northeast Model Helicopter Jamboree (Rochester, NY)
Another great District II heli event was the 2012 Northeast Model Helicopter Jamboree, hosted by the Rochester AeroModeling Society (RAMS). The Jamboree is the work of Contest Directors Jacob Kirsch, Dave Playford, Ray Stacy, and numerous club volunteers.
The Jamboree featured world-class competitors, more than 110 pilots, amazing night flying, and a fantastic fireworks show. AMA President Bob Brown, Executive Vice President Gary Fitch, and I attended. In just 10 years this event has become one of the district’s largest events and one of the country’s top helicopter venues. It’s great to have the Heli Jamboree in District II.
Remember, it’s not about what we fly, it’s about the people and the friends we make.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
