AMA News District IX - 2009/04
District IX comprises six states that have the chilliest of winters. Nonetheless, many clubs find a way to get out and celebrate the New Year with a fun-fly. Here are a couple of reports from some brave souls who were a part of that celebration.
Arvada Associated Modelers — Frozen Finger Fun-Fly
CD Pete Weller reports that the Arvada Associated Modelers (AAM), club #399, held its ninth annual Frozen Finger Fun-Fly on January 1. The weather cooperated by holding the wind off until the events were finished.
At a balmy 50 degrees, 14 fliers registered for the event and there were about 40 spectators. With three classes of fliers, the winners were:
- Novice: Daniel Adamson
- Sportsman: Frank Dilatush
- Advanced: Cody Wilson
Cody Wilson also took home the Frozen Finger Traveling Trophy for the second time. Chris Sturm received the Most Spectacular (damaged) Award.
This was the first time the club was able to balance the electric pilots’ and glow-powered pilots’ times to make it competitive. Electric pilots’ batteries were hidden so they had to find a "charged" battery for the ground event.
As always, thanks to those who make flying these wonderful creations such a blessing on both the local and national level.
Jefco Aeromod'lers — IC-CARB Day
Bruce Ream reported on the Jefco Aeromod'lers of Denver’s annual January 1 IC-CARB day. This year the weatherman brought temperatures beginning in the 30s and climbing into the 40s by the afternoon. Winds were 5–15 mph all day, and more than 30 pilots and several visitors attended the club’s 2009 kick-off event.
The competition is to see who can be first in the air in the new year. This year’s winner was Stacy Rodriquez, who was off at 7:01 in the morning. By 9:30 the sky was full of airplanes, and by noon some of the jet pilots had their airplanes giving the visitors a wonderful show.
Not a part of the competition is the first crash of the year. We had a winner: Dave Cross, who, after some help from Roger Kruse, found his airplane. On a sadder note, Egil Weigert’s huge Mosquito crashed. This airplane had an 11-foot wingspan and had just been repaired with more than 1,500 hours of labor; this time it’s beyond repair after losing one engine.
Pilots were greeted with coffee and donuts thanks to Roger Kruse and other club members. Tom Hooser, the club president, and his wife Patty brought chili with all the things that go with great chili. This helped warm everybody up during the day. No snow this year, but Jefco is off to a great start.
Arvada Associated Modelers — Harvest Festival Parade and Airshow
Stewart Garrett of the Arvada Associated Modelers submits this report on one of the club’s annual highlights.
Arvada Associated Modelers participated in the city’s Harvest Festival Parade and hosted an airshow that same afternoon. With the assistance of a number of volunteers, the club’s float showcased a variety of models, drew a lot of attention, and invited the public to the airshow.
As the parade continued, the pre-airshow started with the AMA TAG (Take Off And Grow) program. Ground school and simulator training were followed by buddy-box demo flights performed in front of the spectators and later at a second runway. Many acts followed throughout the afternoon and were repeated for a second show.
The flight schedule was developed to showcase a variety of different types of flying machines for the public’s pleasure: planes (sail, electric, glow, and gas), helicopters, rockets, and even a few RC cars at half time.
Everyone agrees that the airshow was a hit. Chris Bart and Eric Gropp deserve a pat on the back and a big thank-you. The many volunteers who gave their time also made it a success. Thanks to all of you.
Club Corner
It’s amazing how many varied interests you find in any random club in the district. There are builders, fliers, socializers, and nearly every other category you can imagine. Interests include electric, glow, gas, free flight (FF), CO2 power, control line (CL), competition, and sport flying. We are truly an all-inclusive hobby.
As club officers, it is important to keep in mind the wide range of interests when conducting business with members. Encourage fun-flys for different interest groups. Cater to all at your club meetings. A sense of equality as we interface with club members makes us a healthier organization. After all, our mission is to create an environment in which we can all have good, safe fun. — JW
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
