District II-2011/08
I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 75th anniversary luncheon of the Brooklyn Skyscrapers, held at Sam’s of Gedney Way Restaurant in White Plains, New York. Club president Dave Acton arranged the event and also acted as the host. Dave was recognized as the key person responsible for organizing all of the club events, including its free-flight (FF) flying events, and he is the nucleus that binds the members together.
The guest speaker, and a founding member of the Brooklyn Skyscrapers Club, was Leon Shulman. Incidentally, Leon is also one of the founding members of AMA, which I find most interesting because both organizations are 75 this year. At age 91, he is still very active in our hobby, flying during the winter months near his home in Florida, and then coming north for the summer. Leon spoke about the history of the club and how it grew into the country’s premier FF organization, then as well as today.
I also had the privilege of meeting one of the club’s youngest members, Brian Pacelli. Brian was recognized as the Skyscrapers Modeler of the Year, and why not? Brian was a member of the 2010 Junior Free Flight Team, flying F1B. He placed second at last year’s World Championships in Romania. The Skyscrapers are living proof that the roots of model aviation are alive and well.
While attending the Mercer County Radio Control Society (MCRCS) Jumbo Fly-In event, I had the opportunity to speak with longtime board of director and charter member Jim Meighan. Jim talked about and provided me a copy of the club’s 50th anniversary booklet. This is a very interesting publication loaded with club history and facts that were published in honor of the club’s golden anniversary. The club was founded March 3, 1961, with an initiation fee of $1 and dues of 50¢ a month. The first club president was Forrest Miller. Today Keith Zimmerly is the president of this 160-member club. It sponsors both the Jumbo Fly-In event in May and a warbird event in September. The members raise thousands of dollars for their patron charity: The Sunshine Foundation Dreamlift at the Mercer County Airport. With this type of donation, you can tell that the events are well attended with some outstanding aircraft.
MCRCS is one of many outstanding clubs in our district. This 1/2-scale Nieuport 11-C1 with a 106cc twin was designed and built by Keith Zimmerly. This Halberstadt D.III with flying horizontal and vertical stabilizers was designed and built by Seth Hunter. This Gilmore Red Lion, powered by an O.S. BGX, is by John English.
Congratulations to both the Skyscrapers and MCRCS clubs in reaching these milestones. Until next month, help secure our future and take a youngster flying!
District II
Gary Fitch District II Vice President Email: [email protected]
Region: New Jersey, New York, Europe
Gary Fitch 1298 Slab City Rd. Franklinville, NY 14737 Tel.: (716) 341-2813 Website: www.amadistrictii.org
Associate Vice Presidents
- Frank Granelli, Rockaway, NJ; (973) 625-4995; [email protected]
- Tom Murray, Basking Ridge, NJ; (908) 766-5656; [email protected]
- Tony Rossi, Somerset, NJ; (917) 320-2665; [email protected]
- Peter Seiffert, Baldwinsville, NY; (315) 635-6370; [email protected]
- Terry Terreniore, Endicott, NY; (607) 748-8240; [email protected]
- Eric Williams, Schenectady, NY; (518) 356-2057; [email protected]
Frequency Coordinator: Kevin Co.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
