AMA News Flying Site Assistance - 2010/02

DAVE KOPEC, Paragon Federal
Coordinator, cites his passion in the
following essay:
“November, 2009, saw Paragon Federal
expand its Aero Club with two new
schools as participants: Pascack Hills High
School of Montvale, New Jersey, on
November 2, and Pascack Valley High
School of Hillsdale, New Jersey, on
November 4. Past issues of MA (May
2008, April 2009) have highlighted
Paragon’s introducing model airplane
building and flying to local schools.
“Paragon President and CEO Richard
Rays, a former pilot with a continued
passion for aeronautics (and philanthropy),
has seen Paragon donate Hobby Zone
Super Cub RC planes to several of the
educational districts it serves in Bergen
County, New Jersey.
“Paragon Aero Club took a step
forward in providing talent to its regime by
adding AMA modelers and builders (and
Paragon employees) Tom Kazinci and
Mike Fasouletos. Their combined
experience in RC flying adds up to more
than two decades.
“In concert with Joe Beshar’s ‘Fly the
RC Adventure,’ another major addition to
the Aero Club this fall season was the idea
of training the teachers to become
proficient RC pilots. This way they would
have great freedom and ability to bring
students together for flying whenever time
and weather conditions would permit.
“Using the Real Flight Simulator Basic
1 program, science teachers Bill Giraud
and Jim Kennedy were invited to the
Paragon Federal facility to demo the
program. They were so excited about the
simulation that they couldn’t wait to do the
real thing!
“Much credit goes to Aarti Mallya
(Pascack Valley Region district science
and technology supervisor) for enlisting
personnel and coordinating these two
events for both high schools. She worked
closely with Paragon Federal to handle the
logistics of separate venues and literally
hundreds of students and attendees.
“November 2 saw the demo fly-in at
Pascack Hills H.S. in Montvale. It was a
nice, clear day for flying and dozens of
students were in attendance. Science
teacher Bill Giraud introduced Paragon’s
Dave Kopec and Joe Beshar. Mr. Beshar, a
former World War II aviator, always does
a great job in tying together the connection
between RC modeling and its wide array
of educational aspects.
“One always exciting aspect of a fly-in
is the dedication of a brand new plane to
the school. A Hobby Zone Super Cub
(RTF) was given to
Pascack Hills High
School by Paragon
Federal to
officially kick off
the festivities.
“As previously
mentioned,
Paragon took steps
to bolster its team
with RC flying
aces Tom Kazinci
and Mike
Fasouletos, and
their impact was
immediately felt as
the planes took to
the sky. They were
both great, working
with the students
along with AMA
pros Bruce
Giamurra and Dan
Dispensa. It cannot
be overstated how
important the
interaction between
RC mentor and
student is at the
fly-ins.
“In the eyes of
the novice, keeping
planes aflight can
seem quite
daunting. However,
with all of the great
volunteer pros on
hand, that
apprehension
quickly turns to
exhilaration as the
Flying Site Assistance Joe Beshar | [email protected]
Joe Beshar
Coordinator
Eastern Region
AMA Districts I - VII
AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY,
MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC,
NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN,
VA, VT, WI, WV
198 Merritt Dr.
Oradell NJ 07649
Tel.: (201) 261-1281; E-mail:
[email protected]
Wes De Cou
Coordinator
Western Region
AMA Districts VIII - XI
AK, AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, KS, LA,
MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX,
UT, WA, WY
202 W. Desert Flower Ln.
Phoenix AZ 85045
Voice: (480) 460-9466;
Cell: (480) 296-9515
Fax: (480) 460-9434
E-mail: [email protected]
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining
150 MODEL AVIATION
Fly the RC Adventure
Encourage AMA Membership and Flying Sites
(L-R) Joe Beshar, Dave Kopec, Mike Fasouletos, Bill Geraud, Dr. Ben
Tantillo (Pascack Valley region superintendent), Aarti Mallya, Jim
Kennedy, and Tom Kazinci.
Mike Fasouletos with a Pascack Hills High School student.
They were so excited
about the simulation that
they couldn’t wait to do
the real thing!
02amanews_11amanews.qxd 12/17/2009 10:43 AM Page 150
newcomers put these RTFs through their paces. Bill Giraud
was a quick study on the simulator and on the real thing as he
had the Super Cub soaring, as well.
“It is worth noting that Mr. Giraud also teaches engineering
and robotics at the Region and is looking to have his students
design and fabricate their own planes!
“A second demo followed at the Pascack Valley fly-in at
Hillsdale, New Jersey, on November 4. It saw a great number
of volunteers and planes in the air. It was also captured for
posterity by Mr. Kennedy’s video class. Mr. Kennedy also
leads a class in video production and there were multiple
cameras at the fly-in to capture the action.
“The planes seemed to hit the skies first thing in the
morning on what was a perfect day for flying. Student after
student lined up to fly the newly dedicated Super Cub RTF and
they were not disappointed. Once again our AMA pros put smiles
on the faces of everyone who gave the RC Adventure a try. It was
the kind of day you wished would never end.
“Paragon’s impact in the local community and its surrounding
schools is felt strongly by anyone who experiences these great
events.
“The fact that people are brought together for a stimulating and
highly educational assembly is a wonderful thing. The highlight is
always to see first-time fliers feel the magic of controlling a plane
that is soaring hundreds of feet in the air.
“Many thanks have to be given to the RC pros who so
generously donate their time to share their passion for this great
hobby/sport.
“Everyone at the Pascack Valley Region deserves kudos as
well, for bringing aeromodeling into the classroom. It’s what can
be called a win-win situation for all of those involved.
“John O’Malley provided the photos.”