District II — New Jersey, New York, Europe
Eric Williams
Vice President [email protected] 4242 Amanda Ln., Schenectady, NY 12303 Tel.: (518) 356-2057 www.amadistrict-ii.org
The hugely successful 12th annual District II Fly-In was held August 16–17, 2014, at the former Grumman F-14 assembly plant in Riverhead, New York, on Long Island. Located on the site’s runway, modelers had space for every type of flying as part of the National Model Aviation Day event to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.
Types of flying included:
- Scale
- 3-D
- Foamies
- Electrics
- Turbines
- Helicopters
- Multicopters
- Control-line (CL)
- Soaring
- Free flight (FF)
The 2014 District II Fly-In was a first for Long Island. The event was a huge success because of the hard work and volunteerism from the Long Island Aero Modelers Association (LIAMA), AMA members, individuals and sponsors, and the Town of Riverhead. The combined flightline was a quarter mile long. Members of the New York National Guard and Grumman retirees attended.
Town officials read a proclamation recognizing National Model Aviation Day. They apparently liked it because they came back the second day to have their families fly on buddy boxes and asked for the event’s return in 2015. Thanks to LIAMA, CD Chuck Davis, and his hard-working wife, Adrienne.
In Memoriam — Joe Beshar
Former AMA District II Vice President Joe Beshar passed away on August 26, 2014. On Saturday, August 30, I attended Joe’s funeral in Haworth, New Jersey, along with AMA President Bob Brown and other AMA representatives. The remembrances at Joe’s services were of a man with a passion for model aviation and a drive to get things accomplished.
Among Joe’s accomplishments:
- Creator of the District II emblem (result of a design contest led by Joe and won by Henry Heuler of the Hackensack RC Flyers at the 1994 Westchester Radio Aero Modelers (WRAM) Show).
- AMA’s first flying site assistance coordinator.
- Fostered the AMA/EPA memorandum of understanding and the partnership between the two organizations, which helped create many flying sites across the U.S. (documented in EPA-produced videos).
- Published author.
- Member of the Society of Antique Modelers.
- Inductee, AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame.
- Inductee, Vintage RC Society Hall of Fame.
I’ve mentioned the AMA/EPA partnership when speaking with public officials about flying sites. The EPA’s good-news story of environmental awareness and modelers as “stewards of the land” has served clubs and members well.
It was said at Joe’s funeral that during his service as a World War II pilot, he flew on a mission with 54 B-17s and only four aircraft returned. Of all Joe’s achievements, perhaps that mission is the one we should be the most grateful for.
Happy flying, Joe. Remember, it’s not about what we fly, it’s about the people and the friends we make!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
