District II — New Jersey, New York, Europe
District II experienced plenty of modeling activity this past winter.
STARS Auction — Syracuse Thunderbird Aero Radio Society
Friday, January 17, 2014, the Syracuse Thunderbird Aero Radio Society (STARS) held its annual STARS Auction. Numerous modelers brought airplanes, helicopters, boats, accessories, and nearly everything necessary to build and fly model aircraft. A predicted snowstorm held off and the STARS had strong attendance.
Levittown Flea Market — Nassau Flyers
Long Island’s Nassau Flyers celebrated its 29th annual Levittown Flea Market on January 26, 2014. The sold-out wintertime event was packed with modelers, aircraft, and vendors. Archie Defendini, Nassau Flyers’ president, and the crew did a wonderful job, as usual, preparing and setting up at the long-standing Levittown Hall venue.
18th Annual Model Aircraft Forum — Syracuse
On Saturday, February 1, 2014, the Aero Radio Club of Syracuse, the Central New York Indoor Flying Society, and the Syracuse Thunderbirds presented the 18th annual Model Aircraft Forum. The event was held at the Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School.
Another growing event, the forum features:
- Indoor flying
- Static displays
- Symposiums
- A no-commission swap shop
Tri-County RC Club — Indoor Program and IEEE Day
The Tri-County RC Club of New Jersey continued its indoor building and flying program this past winter at Edgar Middle School in Metuchen, New Jersey. The 19-week program is well structured and well received.
Club member and District II associate vice president Dr. Alex Szemere sent in this report of how the club actively promotes its program:
Last fall, Tri-County RC was invited to speak at IEEE Day, organized by the New Jersey Coast IEEE at Monmouth University. The theme was “Leveraging Technology for a Better Tomorrow,” demonstrating activities that would motivate students and individuals.
The Tri-County RC Club was asked to present its indoor flying program for students 10 years old and older. The program, which started in January 2013 at Metuchen’s Edgar Middle School, instructs students in indoor RC flight using:
- Computer simulators
- Buddy-box training
- Weekly evening sessions devoted to building individual indoor RC trainers
At IEEE Day, Gerry Roedel and Emery Mersich presented their experiences with a PowerPoint presentation and discussed how schools can start their own programs with AMA’s help. They also demonstrated outdoor buddy-box training with some of the program participants. The evening was a hit, with a question-and-answer session following and many educators asking for assistance to start similar programs.
Our hats are off to the Tri-County RC Club for not only conducting a great building and flying program, but for promoting the value of these programs to the scientific and engineering communities. Look forward to reading more about the Tri-County RC Club in the future.
Remember, it's not about what we fly, it's about people and the friends we make.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
