AMA News: District IX-2011/12

EACH SEPTEMBER the Arvada
Associated Modelers put on an airshow for
the general public that has become a longstanding
tradition in the community. It has
benefited the club directly by cementing
relationships with the local Arvada city
government, as well as demonstrating a
new and creative way to have good, safe
fun.
The day begins with a parade which is
one of the longest in the state of Colorado.
Every year the float from the club is loaded
with RC aircraft of all types and generally
wins some sort of award from the parade
officials. During the parade, club members
and families hand out flyers advertising the
afternoon airshow demonstration.
There is an abundance of airshow pilots.
This event mostly attracts those who have
had little to no exposure to the world of
RC. What a great opportunity to show off
our hobby to others! Food and prizes are
everywhere. Simulators are available, and
all who are interested can participate in the
“You, Too Can Fly” program with buddyboxes
and qualified instructors. You just
have not lived until you have seen the faces
of young pilots experiencing the thrill of
RC flying for the first time!
Photos of the event can be viewed at
http://imageevent.com/sipphoto/aircraft/aa
mairshow2011.
A low-flying screamer at the airshow! Lee
Fingersh photo.
What a flightline of all types of aircraft to
show the public! Fingersh photo.
The thrill of using a buddy box for the first
time is quite an event! Fingersh photo.
Jim Tiller, an AVP from South Dakota,
reported on his International Miniature
Aerobatic Club (IMAC) event.
“After last year’s successful IMAC
event, the Propbusters hosted the 2011
version on Saturday, July 17. The forecast
was for hot and windy, but fortunately all
we had was the heat—100° heat. Despite
the un- South-Dakota-like hot and sticky
conditions, we soldiered through three full
IMAC rounds with 10 registered pilots.
“The fliers who took part in this year’s
Basic category competition were: Doc
McGuigan, Bob Olson, Mike Rossman,
Chad Olson, Jim Tiller, Clint Outka, and
Wade Outka. Moving up to Sportsman this
year were Gene Jobjen, Clancy Kingsbury,
and Zac Roller.
“We, once again, did pilot judging. This
year the Sportsman pilots judged the Basic
competitors and the Basic competitors
judged the Sportsman. The first round of
competition started around 8:30 a.m., with
each pilot flying two sequences per flight.
All went smoothly with the exception of a
takeoff crash sidelining Jim Flora before he
had a chance to score any maneuvers. After
the first round, Zac Roller led the
Sportsman and Wade Outka led the Basic.
“The second round began just after 11
a.m. This round went a little faster with the
increased familiarity in scoring and
logistics. Another casualty occurred in this
round when Mike Rossman lost rudder
control on his Cap and did some serious
damage on a hard landing. After the second
round, the leaders were unchanged. But
some significant shuffling occurred in the
near-top spots.
“About 2 p.m., with everyone hot and
tired, we decided that after a short break we
would do round three. We shuffled the
flying order once again and the final round
went smoothly. The scores really tightened
up, stimulated by some really good flying
after all the practice in the first two rounds.
“When the smoke cleared, and with a
short delay getting all the scores into the
computer, the event CD, Jim Tiller,
presented the trophies. Zac Roller took the
top spot in Sportsman, and Chad Olson
edged out Wade Outka for the Basic
trophy.
“This event went very well. We
received nothing but good feedback from
those involved and from spectators. Having
last year’s event under our belts definitely
made this one easier. We did a better job of
scoring, logistics, and flying.
“The score entry into the computer was
done in large part by Jim Kammert’s son,
Alan. A big thank you to him for several
hot hours of data entry.
“The food was provided by the Central
High School baseball team. They took in
some good money from the hungry fliers.
The ‘sloppy dogs’ were a favorite again
this year.
“The consensus is that we will do it all
again next year. After all, we now have
some fliers listed on the northwest IMAC
site scoreboard.
“Many thanks to all those who
participated to make our second annual
event a success.”
It seems that CL activities are making
resurgence in our hobby/sport. I now see
members who did CL as a kid dust off
some old equipment they had in the
basement and give it a rebirth.
Our District IX CL associate vice
president (AVP) guru in Kansas, Brenda
Schuette, is the editor of Top Class News, a
CL newsletter. If you feel the “CL itch,”
contact Brenda via email at
[email protected]. She can be a great
asset in answering any questions you may
have about the world of CL