THE 32ND ANNUAL Jefco RC auction in
Denver, Colorado, is scheduled for February
3-4, 2007. I will again be attending this
prestigious event and staffing the AMA booth
along with our new associate vice president
Jim Wallen and the newest member of the
AMA team—Executive Director Jim Cherry.
Please stop by and let us get to know you!
As reported by our District Frequency
Coordinator Steve Mangles, “Bring your
friends and join us for a fun weekend. Food
and drink on site. Plenty of free parking.”
This event boasts more than $80,000
worth of RC merchandise going across the
block during this two-day event making it one
of the largest auctions in the country.
Although primarily aircraft related, you
will see a large selection of helicopters, cars,
and boats. It features more than 1,000 new
and used items including engines, radios,
accessories, and tools.
From Giant Scale to park flyers to
turbines, RTFs, ARFs, and balsa kits—you
will never see a larger variety of hobby items
in one place at one time—until next year.
Food and lodging facilities are
conveniently located within one mile of the
auction site. Visa and MasterCard accepted as
well as cash and checks.
For more information or to receive a flyer
or preregistration information, contact Steve
Mangels at [email protected]; (303) 922-
8107 days; (303) 987-1944 evenings, or visit
www.JefcoAeromodlers.org.
Okay, so it’s really cold but it’s also a great
opportunity to start or continue that new
airplane project! Keep warm, have fun, and
keep in touch! Mark
A few of the treasures at the Jefco auction.
As I promised last month, I want to share the
details of a wonderful week of model
aviation this past summer. I call it “Odyssey
to the Northern Plains” and it took place
August 23-29, 2006.
Shortly after I took office in early 2005, I
received an invitation from the Minot
Aircraft Modelers in North Dakota to attend
The International Fun-Fly. I took a quick
look at my road atlas and figured that I would
need to pack
lunch to
make it up
there from
Kansas Cityplus.
I was not
even sure
what I was
supposed to
do when
visiting clubs
on behalf of
AMA. I
regretfully
declined the
offer and
promised to
try to attend
in 2006. As I
learned, The
International
has been
going on for
26 years now
and is well
attended by
our Canadian
friends who
are only 45
miles north of the flying field!
So now it’s the spring of 2006 and I’ve
been receiving newsletters and E-mails from
around the district and I’ve decided it’s time
to plan a week-long, 2,000-mile journey
through seven states to meet as many
modelers as possible.
Neither my wife nor I were crazy about
me driving all that distance by myself, so I
coerced one of my best flying buds, Don
Oppliger, to travel with me. My main goal
was to visit and fly with as many District IX
modelers as I could during the six-day trip.
After packing the minivan and arranging
seven airplanes and two helicopters, Don and
I left my home approximately noon on
Wednesday, August 23. As we were pulling
out of our addition, I told Don, “Well, I think
we have at least 90% of what we need.”
It then dawned on me that we didn’t pack
any fuel, so back home we went pledging that
we were not going to return until the 29th!
Next month, I’ll tell you what else Don
and I forgot and all the great things we did at
our first stop in Omaha.
One of my best flying buds, Don Oppliger, in
front of Mount Rushmore.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 168