District II Report - 2003/09
Well, here it is—the beginning of June and it’s been another less-than-ideal spring for most of us here in District II. As I sit here bemoaning the weather, I’m reminded that last year started out the same way and the summer gave us some outstanding flying conditions. Hopefully, as this reaches you near the end of July, we’ll again be experiencing some of what we were treated to last year.
Club Field Safety Benches
Some of you may remember the article "Club Field Safety Benches," written by Joe Di Prima and Charlie Meyer that appeared in the August 2002 issue of Model Aviation.
Charlie and Joe are members of the Meroke Radio Control Club that flies at the Cedar Creek Aerodrome in Wantagh, Long Island, New York. Charlie designed and built the prototype bench with the intent of improving safety during engine-starting procedures. Both the bench and the article were an instant success, and I’ve seen similar benches at several of the flying sites I’ve visited in our district.
If your club is interested in building a few of these benches for your own field, building instructions and a material list were included in the article. You can also visit the Meroke website at www.meroke.com and download a set of plans along with all the information needed to build your own.
AMA receives several claims each year involving accidents that occur during engine starts. Anything we can do to help reduce these types of claims will benefit all of us. I have to believe it hurts to get whacked by a spinning propeller.
Awards and Recognition
At the annual AMA General Membership Meeting held during the Weak Signals Toledo show this past April, AMA president Dave Brown recognized two District II members for their years of service to model aviation:
- Dave Gierkie — Inducted into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame. Dave is a well-known pylon racer, engine expert, columnist, and author.
- Norm Rosenstock — Presented with the AMA Fellowship Award, AMA’s highest honor. Norm is a true modeling pioneer who was active during the early years of radio control. Now living in Florida, Norm continues to serve AMA as Historian and is chair of the Model Aviation Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
Congratulations to Norm and Dave, and thank you for your lifelong contributions to our sport.
Helicopter Fly-In — RAMS (Macedon, NY)
Members of District II will have a unique opportunity this August 21, 22, and 23. The Rochester Aero Modelers Society (RAMS) will be hosting a helicopter fly-in at its field in Macedon, New York, with special guest Curtis Youngblood, the current Helicopter World Champion. Curtis is also a 14-time U.S. National Champion and winner of the last 10 AMA National Helicopter Championships. Whether you fly RC helicopters or are just a modeling enthusiast, here’s your chance to see the best in the world.
For more information, visit the RAMS website at www.rcplane.com.
Second Annual AMA District II Fly-In — Floyd Bennett Field (Brooklyn, NY)
The second annual AMA District II Fly-In will be hosted by the Pennsylvania Avenue Radio Control Society at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. For those of you who have never been to Floyd Bennett, this is one of the premier flying facilities in the district, featuring an unobstructed 1,000 by 150-foot concrete runway.
- Dates: October 4 and 5
- Location: Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY
- Notes: For those in the northern part of the district, here’s your chance to get some late-season flying in down where the weather is still pretty nice in early October.
As the season progresses, more information will be available in this column and on our District website at www.amadistrictii.org. Flyers will also be sent to all chartered club contacts in the district. I hope to see you there.
See you next time.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
