District II Report - 2003/11

THIS HAS truly been an exciting year to be
an aviation enthusiast. Events are taking
place throughout the country
commemorating the first 100 years of
manned flight. Our members and clubs are
participating in many of these events.
Charles Stager, president of the Pine
Barren Modelers, sent this about an event in
which his club participated.
“Helping to contribute to the ongoing
Centennial of Flight Celebration, the Pine
Barren Modelers club of Ocean County, New
Jersey, planned a presentation at the
Barnegat Branch of the Ocean County
Library on July 21, 2003. Presenting a
detailed history of early aviation, including
the trails and tribulations of the Wright
Brothers, was club secretary, Carl Miller and
member Bill Kramer.
“The slide show and demonstrations of
World War I and earlier models was well
received by local youngsters and adults who
had many questions about model aviation.”
Pine Barren members Carl Miller (seated)
and Bill Kramer.
July 18-20, 2003 the World Miniature
Warbird Association (WMWA) held its
annual Warbird Classic in Gilbertsville, New
York. The WMWA is the Academy of
Model Aeronautics’ newest Special Interest
Group, dedicated to the building and flying
of model aircraft of any size that are replicas
of full-size military aircraft from around the
world.
This year’s event took on a special
meaning, as it became a memorial for
WMWA founder Dino DiGiorgio who
passed away in April. Al Kanser and Don
Godfrey assumed the task of organizing the
fly-in with the help of the Oneonta Radio
Control Flyers.
Pilots from throughout the Northeast
turned out, bringing with them some
absolutely top-shelf Scale models. The
highlight of the event for many was the
Saturday afternoon flight by Dino’s son,
Dean DiGiorgio, who flew his Top Gun
Team Scale-winning P-51 in a beautifully
choreographed and moving tribute to his dad.
Dean DiGiorgio (L) flew this beautiful P-51,
built by Bill Stevik (R), in a moving tribute
to his dad.
Don Corbett brought this outstanding
Sopwith Pup to the WMWA Classic.
Rounding out the weekend was the
Saturday evening banquet that included as
guests several Tuskegee Airmen. There’s
talk of holding the Classic in Gilbertsville
again next year. If you enjoy Warbirds, keep
an eye out for it.
Not a Radio Control (RC) model, but this
half-scale Corsair (above) attracted a lot of
attention at the WMWA Classic. Syracuse
Thunderbirds president Fran Worth stands
next to this Lycoming-powered airplane to
give you an idea of its size. The owner was
performing taxi tests at the site.
On July 26, 2003, TufFlight Models again
sponsored Combat Over Cicero at the
Midstate Modelers field in Cicero, New
York. Pilots flew several rounds of Open
Class B and the newer Slow Survivable
Combat (SSC) class.
The SSC class of Combat is a great way
to give RC Combat a try without having to
invest a lot of money. Engines are limited to
stock .15 CID engines that sell for $60 or
less. All engines need to run a standard
brand, unmodified 8 x 3 propeller turning no
more then 17,500 rpm.
All of this has an added advantage of
being a little more docile than some of the
Open class models; giving the new Combat
pilot a chance to “get his feet wet” without
being overwhelmed by some of the quicker
setups.
Matt Kirsch returns from a heat intact.
I had an opportunity to judge a few
rounds during this event and I was struck by
how safety conscious all of the pilots were.
AMA guidelines were adhered to at all times
and it wasn’t unusual to hear one of the
pilots flying to call for everyone to “push
out” the combat zone when it appeared they
were beginning to crowd themselves.
RC Combat seems to be gaining
popularity in the district. If you think you
might like to take a shot at it, visit a Combat
event. I think you’ll find most Combat pilots
willing to take the time to help you get
started.
Joe Chovan with his Predator, one of
TufFlight’s line of competitive Combat
models.
Plans are coming along nicely for the
District II Fly-In to be held at Floyd Bennett
Field on October 4-5, 2003. Check the
District II Web site at www.amadistrictii.org
for the most current information. Hope to see
you there.
November 2003 149
District II Report
Dave
Mathewson
Vice President
7271 State Fair Blvd.,
Baldwinsville NY 13027
Tel.: (315) 727-4275
Fax: (315) 635-1039
E-mail:
[email protected]
District II Web page: www.amadistrictii.org
Note: For a listing of district AVPs and other
volunteers, please consult the previous issue
of Model Aviation or the above Web address.