District II Report - 2007/11

156 MODEL AVIATION
IT’S HARD to believe the 2007 outdoor
flying season is beginning to wind down
already in District II. By the time you read
this the Rhinebeck Jamboree, the NEAT
(Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology)
Fair, and the annual AMA District II Fly-In
will all be in the record books.
These events tend to signal the beginning
of the indoor season for many of us. A
number of our clubs have worked to secure
indoor facilities for the winter months,
which means that for us fair-weather
modelers, opportunities to fly are now
extended year round.
In June my wife and I had the opportunity
to visit the Fly Over Niagara RC Airshow
(FONRA) hosted by Wing and Rotor of
Western New York. Club president Rich
Anderson told me that this was the 12th
annual edition of this show that’s held at
Reservoir State Park, roughly five miles
from Niagara Falls, New York.
On Saturday the weather decided not to
cooperate which left only the bravest pilots
flying in exceptionally high winds in front
of a limited audience. Fortunately, Sunday
was the opposite and it turned out to be a
beautiful day.
Pilots arrive early to prepare for the FONRA
RC Airshow.
A new feature of this year’s show was
the addition of 80 mph and F2D CL Combat
flying. The flying site was laid out so that
spectators could easily move from one
venue to the other, which allowed for the
greatest visibility of all of the flying that
was taking place.
Charlie Incorvaia chaired this year’s air
show and did a first-rate job organizing the
event and managing the weekend’s flying
activities. Dan Warner, the designated
training pilot, spent more than three hours in
the air on Sunday with prospective pilots on
the buddy box.
Efforts such as this help a club grow and
help promote model aviation. This benefits
all of us as model aviation enthusiasts.
The CL Combat modelers spent the day
flying and describing their event to the
spectators.
The third annual Capitol Jets Rally was
held July 13-15, 2007, at the South Albany
Airport in Selkirk, New York. Again this
year, Frank Alverez was the CD and was
assisted by Art Arro, the JPO (Jet Pilot’s
Organization) District 2 Director.
JPO and 14 hobby vendors sponsored the
rally. More than 75 RC jets—the vast
majority turbine powered—entered this year
flown by 51 pilots from nine US states and
two Canadian provinces.
Adil Nasim (center) taxis his incredible
turbine-powered F-4J Phantom to the
runway for takeoff.
Many of the pilots attended one of the
highlights of the weekend: the Saturday
evening dinner held at a local restaurant. On
Sunday afternoon several awards were
presented. Winners included JPO Top Gun
Bob Levine with his twin turbine A-10 Wart
Hog; Best Scale Jet winner Dominic
Cognata with his F/A-18 Hornet; Best Sport
Jet with Lenny Smart with a BobCat; and
Pilot’s Choice award went to Bob Levine
again with his A-10 Wart Hog.
The Flying Knights Model Airplane
Club of Troy, New York, and the
Thundervolts RC Club handled the site
preparation and teardown as well as parking,
admissions, and spectator control. The
management of the South Albany Airport
provided outstanding cooperation in
providing their facility and serving as hosts
for the rally.
Plans are underway to host Capitol Jets
IV in July 2008 at this same venue.
At many turbine events flying stops and
spectators are encouraged to come out to
the flightline to get a better view of the
models.
Earlier this year I had the distinct honor of
presenting my friend Bob Noll his plaque
recognizing his induction into the Model
Aviation Hall of Fame (HOF). I first met Bob
when he was the CD for the first Precision
Aerobatics contest in which I flew. His help
and support that weekend encouraged me to
continue flying this discipline for a large part
of my modeling career.
In addition to being a Nationals-class
Pattern pilot, Bob has also been successful in
both RC Scale and Pylon. During his career
he was NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon
Racing Association) Formula II Season
Champion, a member of the 1974 US RC
Pylon World Team, and a high-place finisher
in Designer Scale at the US Nationals.
Bob has designed a number of models
including the Yankee Pattern airplane and
the Scale Steen Skybolt. Bob is the current
president of the Vintage Radio Control
Society, an AMA Special Interest Group,
and has held this position since 2002.
Bob’s résumé would fill this page and
more. For more of Bob’s accomplishments
and impact on model aviation, visit the
History Program section of the AMA Web
site at www.modelaircraft.org.
Congratulations Bob!
From the left: AMA District II Vice President
Dave Mathewson, Model Aviation HOF
member Bob Noll, and Bob’s sponsor Terry
Terrenoire.
See you next time.
District II
Dave Mathewson, District II Vice President; [email protected]
New Jersey, New York, Europe
Dave Mathewson
7271 State Fair
Blvd., Baldwinsville
NY 13027; Tel.:
(315) 727-4275;
Fax: (315)
635-1039
For a complete listing of
district officers, please see
the District I1 Web site at
www.amadistrictii.org/.
D i s t r i c t I I