Author: Eric Williams
Edition: Model Aviation - 2015/01
Page Numbers: 149

District II - 2015/01

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In Memoriam — Don Typond

All modelers lost a great friend in District II Leader Member Don Typond, who passed away this past fall. Don served as District II’s representative to AMA’s Scale Contest Board and was an accomplished professional in the publishing and model aircraft industries. The following biography from the February 1997 Electric Flyers Only (The Ampeer), Commerce Township, Michigan, newsletter best describes him:

“A modeler for over 50 years, Don was the former editor of Model Airplane News, Air Progress, and Private Pilot magazines. He’s been involved in Free Flight, Wakefield, Coupe, Towline, and HL Gliders as well as indoor and outdoor Rubber Scale, Control Line Stunt, Speed, Scale, and RC Sport Scale. He is a full-scale pilot with Landplane, Seaplane, and Glider ratings. Don has published articles and original designs in Model Airplane News, Model Builder, and Flying Models magazines, and he has written in Flying and Sports Car Illustrated magazines.”

Don will be missed.

Sky Rovers Swap Meet and Auction

The Sky Rovers of Phelps, New York, is an active District II club that hosts various events throughout the year. On October 25, 2014, the Sky Rovers’ annual Swap Meet and Auction was again a great success. Club President Dave Reid reports that the event was larger than last year and the club was happy with the results. The tables were full and most aircraft went home with new owners. Sky Rovers member and noted aviation artist and author Ted Williams donated one of his works to the auction. His work can be seen at www.tedwilliamsaviationart.com.

Unmanned Aircraft and Community Service

Advanced-technology unmanned aircraft are finding new applications that serve communities. On October 28, 2014, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the first-of-its-kind solar farm at the former Clarkstown, New York, landfill, home flying field of the Rockland County Radio Control Club (RCRCC). The club assisted with before- and after-construction aerial pictures taken from a multicopter. RCRCC member Ed Johnson volunteered and donated photographs to the town, saving taxpayers an estimated $5,000. The photos proved valuable in demonstrating the project to residents and publicizing it. An enlarged aerial photo on poster board was the centerpiece during the groundbreaking ceremonies. Elected officials and community leaders in attendance were impressed.

Club Community Involvement

On October 28, 2014, I attended a meeting of the Roxbury Area Model Aircraft Club (RAMAC) in Succasunna, New Jersey. Several clubs were represented. The topic was club community involvement and community relationships. All clubs should maintain a proactive program of involvement and communication with community leaders and the general public.

Field Visits

On Wednesday, October 29, I visited the RAMAC and Flying Hawks RC clubs’ flying fields, situated in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. One of the highlights throughout my years of modeling was flying RC Combat with RAMAC at Hialeah Park in 1995. That is a great group of people. 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.