I am writing this on August 1 and
enjoying (?) the heat! What a warm
summer for everyone.
I was in Muncie, Indiana, in June and
July and the flying site was extremely
dry. I hope everyone took precautions
from the heat and sun so they can
continue to enjoy the hobby for years
to come.
Bill Holland, associate vice president
for Oklahoma, sent me some pictures
of an air show held in Moore,
Oklahoma, for a vacation Bible school.
It looks as though they had a great day.
There was a good turnout and fine
aircraft were present for the event.
What an ideal way to introduce a lot
of folks to the hobby!
Some of the crowd gathered for the event.
The crowd is watching the air show intently.
One of the more prolific electric power
designers and flying members in the
district is Gary Jones. He builds nearly
anything from foam and makes it look
like a Scale masterpiece. I have had the
pleasure of flying his 6-foot wingspan
Piper Tri Pacer, but I particularly like
this giant C-47 that he flies at indoor
venues such as the Texas Indoor
New Year’s fly-in (TINY) held in San
Angelo, Texas.
My first commercial airline flight was on a DC-
3, so I have a special kinship with DC-3s and
C-47s. I wish I had one like this!
My wife, Linda, and I made a special
effort to get our son, Gary, to the
Executive Council meeting and part of
the Nats in July. It was his first visit to
Muncie and his first time at the Nats
since we flew in Lubbock, Texas, in
1994.
Gary has been flying since he was 2
and he truly enjoyed the tour of the
National Model Aviation Museum
with Michael Smith, the museum
director, and the special ceremony
commemorating the 75th anniversary
of the first Control Line flight with an
aircraft named Miss Shirley.
This is a replica of the Miss Shirley that was
unveiled at the ceremony. It is now on display
in the museum.
He was awed by the magnitude
of the AMA facility and the
professionalism of the staff. Now
nearly 40, he has been an AMA
member most of his life and he became
a CD and club vice president at age 18.
Everyone should try to make at least
one trip to AMA Headquarters and
take in the flying site, museum, and
friendly, enthusiastic staff.
I picked up this information from
Butch Spradling’s “President’s Corner”
in the Flaps Out newsletter of Central
Texas Modelers:
“Our partnership with Patriot Kids
Ministries has provided our club
with an excellent means of becoming
involved with our soldiers and their
families. We conducted an RC Flight
Camp for military kids and it was such
a huge success that now, we as CenTex
Modelers, will be supporting a MASC
(Model Aviation School Club).”
The members taught 20 kids about
aircraft and helped them build several
models, then treated them to an air
show at the club’s field.
Students and instructors for RC Flight Camp.
Busy learning about models.
Have fun and fly safely. See you on the
flightline.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/10
Page Numbers: 150
