Jerry Deebach of the Tucson Radio
Control Club shares with us an
afternoon he spent at a recent aviation
seminar.
A bright, sunny Saturday morning in
southern Arizona was the stage for an
FAA Safety Team (FAAST) Seminar,
to be held at the Sierra Vista Municipal
Airport. This field is unique in that it is
also the home of Libby Army Airfield.
The U.S. Army, U.S. Customs and
Border, and during certain times of the
year, US Forest Service, occupy the
south side of the airport, with civilian
operations on the north side. The
U.S. Army also has a major training
center for unmanned aircraft at nearby
Fort Huachuca. The Unmanned Air
Systems (UAS) site trains soldiers and
U.S. Marines as well as Australian
military personnel.
The flight instructor, who is the
FAAST representative in our area,
works at the UAS training school as
an instructor, as do I. When she asked
if I could set up a display and provide
a speaker for this event, I told her the
AMA would be glad to interact with
our full-scale cousins.
AMA legislative liaison Rich Hanson
stepped up, along with Kevin Houser,
District X associate vice president.
Between the three of us, and the
president of the Tucson Radio Control
Club (TRCC), Bill Barnitz, the AMA
participation came to life fast. AMA
HQ staff shipped display goods and a
tradeshow backdrop.
On show day, a number of TRCC
members drove to Sierra Vista to join
a group of local RC fliers. The indoor
display was in the same hangar as the
seminar.
Outside on the ramp, the Army
brought two UAVs for display: the
Shadow 200 and the Grey Eagle. This
was the first time most in attendance
had seen either of these aircraft up
close.
During the breaks, the AMA
booth space and static displays were
swarmed with curious full-scale pilots.
The quality and size of these models
amazed everyone.
Bill Barnitz of the TRCC gave a
great presentation on RC flying and
spoke of the interaction between
AMA and the FAA. After a fine lunch
provided by the City of Sierra Vista,
there was a question and answer/photo
session. Fort Huachuca provided vans
for transportation to its museums,
which have a rich history in Old West
Arizona. The TRCC members were
treated to a tour of the air traffic
control tower, with its breathtaking
view.
What a great day for AMA to
interact with its FAA big brothers and
get a chance to see the UAVs that
are saving the lives of our military
personnel.
Thanks goes to FAAST
representative JC Shine for asking us
to help with this event, and to Rich
Hanson, Kevin Houser, Lt. Col. Tim
Timmons, and Joe Nelson for their
great photos.
The U.S. Army’s Grey Eagle is the backdrop
to a group of aviation enthusiasts and some
beautiful civilian UAVs.
(L-R) Featured speaker, air traffic control tower
chief, and modeler, Greg Harrell; AMA District
X Associate Vice President, Kevin Houser;
Tucson Radio Control Club president, Bill
Barnitz; FAAST representative, JC Shine; and
RC event coordinator, Jerry Deebach.
Tucson Radio Control Club member and RC
display coordinator Jerry Deebach also bought
his 104-inch Cub. This flag-flying display has
opened close to 100 events in the Southwest,
including the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Air Show.
Local flier Steve Pursell displayed this
beautiful Extra 260 with the Grey Eagle UAV as
a backdrop.
Please take a moment to check out the
District X website at www.ama10.org.
There you’ll find an expanded article
and more photos.
Until next month, may you have
nothing but happy landings.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/11
Page Numbers: 145