Author: Dave Mathewson
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/07
Page Numbers: 148

District II Report - 2003/07

Contact

Note

  • For a listing of all district volunteer workers, please consult the previous issue of Model Aviation or the above Web address.

Next to its members, the lifeblood of almost any model airplane club has to be its flying site. I’ve witnessed the efforts many of our clubs make in trying to acquire sites adequate to enjoy our sport, and in many cases, I’ve seen the positive results of those efforts.

As important as the work that leads up to gaining the use of a facility is the effort made afterward to thank those who were willing to help. Showing our sincere appreciation goes a long way to cement a positive relationship into the future.

The Mountain RC Modelers is a club that has done just that. Last fall the club held a ceremony at its field in Old Forge, New York, to unveil a new sign designating the field as The A. Richard Cohen RC Aerodrome. Mr. Cohen’s daughter was on hand to witness the unveiling and was presented with an award of appreciation from the club. The Cohens generously grant use of their property, which was formerly a grass-strip airport, for modeling activities.

Several times in this column I’ve mentioned the name of Congressman Ben Gilman. Congressman Gilman has been a strong advocate for model aviation, most notably as a staunch supporter of our efforts to return Free Flight modeling to the former West Point training facility at Galeville. It was because of his efforts that AMA had the opportunity to present oral testimony to a congressional committee in Washington, D.C., studying recreational uses for federally owned lands. On September 21, 2002, a luncheon was held in New City, New York, to thank the congressman for his work on our behalf.

The highlight of the afternoon was a presentation of a scale model of a B-29 to Congressman Gilman. The model, built by Dick Eimert, featured a fully detailed interior and was complete with markings that made it an identical scale representation of the B-29 the congressman flew in World War II. The model was truly a work of art.

On September 28, 2002, years of hard work paid off as the Rockland County Radio Control Club (RCRC) opened its new flying site in Clarkstown, New York. Built on a closed landfill, the RCRC field is a perfect example of how modelers can work together with municipal officials to create an asset for the citizens of their communities out of an otherwise useless piece of property.

Local residents were invited to attend the opening-day events. Flying demonstrations took place throughout the day, and all those present were treated to lunch courtesy of the club. Several local political officials were present, including Town Supervisor Charles Holbrook and Town Councilman Ralph Mandia, who received awards of appreciation from the club.

RCRC members used this event not only to thank the town for several years of help to gain use of the site, but also to promote model aviation to their neighbors and friends. Efforts such as this will continue to pay dividends in the future, not only for RCRC, but also for all of us who enjoy our sport.

Supervisor Holbrook addressed the crowd and had nothing but praise for RCRC, its members, and its ongoing relationship with the town.

Last month I wrote about our new District II webmaster, Doug Crawford, and the great job he’s doing reworking our Web site. Since then Doug has added a discussion forum to the site. This will nicely complement the district newsletter and is one more way you can exchange ideas with other members of the district or many of our district officers. You can join both the forum and newsletter by visiting our Web site at www.amadistrictii.org.

See you next time.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.