AMA News District III - 2010/04

April 2010 137
THE 268 SKY KINGS of Kittanning,
Pennsylvania, recently held its fourth annual
Big Sky Fly-In and it really lived up to its
name. Ninety-nine registered pilots and more
than 1,200 spectators were present for this
year’s event.
Although the weather was not the best,
everyone had a great time. The aircraft
ranged from a little 10-inch micro flyer to a
45% biplane and several turbine-powered
models. There were roughly 30 helicopter
pilots and several rocket enthusiasts.
Among the special events of the two days
were a candy drop by Bill Hodgson for all the
kids, a banner pick-up by PJ Pizzonia that
said “Eat at Kings” (the company that catered
the event), and a Funtana and Raptor
synchronized dance by Charlie Zera and Jim
Bumbaugh. There were several large rocket
launches coordinated by Joe Dantonio and
night flying with everything from a GWS
Slow stick to a Radian glider to a 40% Extra.
They wound down with a big bonfire and
fireworks by Bob Ruetzel.
The event seems to grow every year, so
who knows what next year will be?
Above: A C-130 takes
off at the Big Sky Flyin.
Right: Prepare for
blast off!
Forty-five pilots representing clubs from
West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
participated in the Flying Wing Nutz 2009
Fall Fun-Fly. This spectacular event had
more than 200 pilots and spectators.
Special guests including Frank Noll,
manager of Team Futaba, flying his giant
Extra and a beautiful scale jet, and Bob
Brown, District III AMA vice president, on
hand to answer any questions or issues
concerning the AMA.
CD Mark Radcliff, a member of the Wing
Nutz, was ecstatic about the turnout which
was more than double that of previous years.
A special treat was watching Kelsey Flinn
from nearby Ripley, West Virginia, flying
solo for the first time. That’s something that
you don’t see at a fly-in.
Kelsey Flinn’s solo award.
The Wing Nutz’ president, Jim Andrews,
expressed his satisfaction with the event.
“This just keeps growing every year. You
know it’s a success when people really don’t
want to leave.”
Bryan Poling, vice president, also was
pleased with the event. “Everything went
great; the weather couldn’t have been better.
The flying was fantastic.”
Club secretary, Jason Hall had only one
word: “Wow!” A special thanks to Hobbico
for donating some great raffle prizes. In all, it
was a great day for RC in West Virginia.
Happy Wing Nutz members.
The Cincinnati Silent Flyers (CSF) presented
the Tri-State chapter of Honor Flight with a
$700 donation on October 27 at Colerain
Hobbies. Proceeds from CSF’s annual
Camp’n’Fly raffle, as well as other cash
donations resulted in the donation. Colerain
Hobbies, in Colerain Township, and Hobby
Express in Loveland, Ohio, donated
merchandise for the raffle.
Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization
that escorts veterans of World War II to visit
the World War II Memorial in Washington,
D.C. In 2009, the Tri-State Chapter of Honor
Flight escorted more than 300 local veterans
to see the memorial dedicated to their bravery
and self-sacrifice.
We are losing these heroes at the rate of
more than 1,500 per day. Honor Flight will
continue do whatever it takes to fulfill the
dreams of our veterans. Our senior heroes
travel absolutely free. Tax deductible
donations and more information about Honor
Flight can be found on the organization’s
Web site at www.honorflighttristate.org.
Colerain Hobbies and Hobby Express are
dedicated to supporting radio-control
hobbyists and organizations throughout the
Greater Cincinnati area. Both provide a broad
assortment of materials, and knowledge to
help RC enthusiasts succeed.
The CSF is an Academy of Model
Aeronautics’ charter club dedicated to clean,
quiet, electric-powered flight. It is the only
all-electric RC flying club in Hamilton
County, offering free RC flight training, as
well as support to beginning RC enthusiasts.
Additional information about the club can
be found at www.silentflyers.com.
CSF treasurer Otto Koelewijn (L) and
Colerain Hobbies owner Nick Pardo (R)
present a check for $700 to Jonathan
Hardwick, Tri-State Honor Flight director.
Bob Brown
Vice President
35 Sanford St.
Bradford PA 16701
Tel.: (814) 368-7655
www.amadistrictiii.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Randy Adams, Fairfield
OH; (513) 858-3154;
[email protected]
Mike Barbee, Delaware OH;
(740) 362-5545;
[email protected]
Jeff Black, New Oxford PA; (717)
965-5634; [email protected]
Dave Brown, Hamilton OH;
(513) 738-1576; dbrown@
dbproducts.com
David H. Ellis, Cross Lanes WV;
(304) 776-1408;
[email protected]
Nelson Gould, Macungie PA;
(610) 395-9159; [email protected]
Ken Karpinski, Philadelphia PA;
(267) 474-3575;
[email protected]
Dan Luchaco, Sayre PA;
(570) 888-1856;
[email protected]
Jim Martin, Franklin OH;
(937) 260-0143;
[email protected]
Mark Radcliff, Saint Marys WV;
(304) 684-2133;
[email protected]
Leo Rodriguez, New Stanton PA;
(724) 925-0159;
[email protected]
Matthew Turowski, Nescopeck
PA; (570) 379-2014;
[email protected]
Joseph S. Vislay, Monclova OH
(419) 878-8843;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator:
Ron Morgan, Scotland PA;
(717) 264-7425;
[email protected]
District III
Bob Brown, District III Vice President; [email protected]
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
District III Volunteers
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