May 2008 173
AS REPORTED in the February issue of
MA, District II’s own Bob Aberle put another
notch on his transmitter when he was
presented with the Zaic Award by none other
than John Worth, recognizing Bob for his
outstanding achievements in model aviation.
Bob is the holder of many prestigious awards,
including Model Aviation Hall of Fame.
Congratulations Bob!
I would also like to recognize Philip R.
Stone and Philip R. Stone Jr. of East
Syracuse, New York; and Robert Sikora of
East Patchogue, New York for becoming the
District’s latest AMA Life Members. This is
the ultimate show of support for the
Academy!
Meet Robert Kircher, District II’s contest
coordinator for more than two decades. Bob
was honored while
attending the
District II meeting
at the Westchester
Radio
AeroModelers
Show. He received
the AMA District
Service Award for
20 years of
volunteer work in
scheduling all
district sanctioned
events each year.
Bob, thank you for
your continuing
efforts for District
II!
District II has a
new celebrity in
12-year-old Kyle
Stacy. Kyle and
his dad Ray have
been named to the
AMA All Star
Team of Aerobatic
Fliers. Kyle placed
second at E-Fest in
Champaign,
Illinois, and has
become nationally
known for his
phenomenal
helicopter aerobatics. In addition, he is one
terrific young man. They come from the
Rochester, New York area.
Congratulations on this achievement!
District II’s Safety Coordinator Al Kanser
sent along this message:
“After five months as AMA District II
Safety Coordinator, I have focused on an
ongoing and lethal situation in the AMA
membership—old age. I am talking about a
common-sense approach to keeping the
members we have above the grass.
“To that end, the Oneonta R/C Flyers, a
Gold Leader Club of which I’m the safety
coordinator, has taken the following steps.
First we have gotten the 911 address of our
flying fields in order that emergency response
can react quickly.
“Second, we have six volunteer members
signed up for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) course plus refreshers. Third, we are in
the process of purchasing a defibrillator unit
to have on hand at the field and flying events.
“We hope these steps will ensure keeping
our older members flying. If any club has an
issue or question regarding safety procedures,
please feel free to contact me at akanser@
hughes.net.”
Terry Terrinoire has been named an
associate vice president (AVP) from the
Binghamton, New York, area. Terry’s
primary interest is Pattern competition, but he
also flies Vintage, Pylon, Sport, indoor
Electric, and now helicopters.
Terry has been club president and
secretary. Having been an AVP in the past he
knows many of the clubs in his region and he
will be a great addition to our team.
Chris Descano of the Binghamton Aeros sent
this report about giving back to the
community.
“On Monday, October 1, 2007, the
Binghamton Aeros hosted a show-and-tell for
Cub Scouts in Chenango Bridge. Nine Scouts
and their leaders came to the airport and
participated in an introduction to model
airplanes via a brief description of the radio
components and their operation.
“They were given an opportunity to use
the buddy box with two trainer aircraft, after
which they were shown how to use a flight
simulator. All of this was done with the help
from Neil Hunt, Warren Hill, Ken Lopresti,
Jim Trucker, and Ed Pettengell. Without their
help this could not have been a success.
“We offered to hold future sessions with
other troops if they desired. This opportunity
was very rewarding for those involved and it
goes to show that with a little effort we can
give something back to the community.”
By the time you read this, District II will be
in the initial stage of developing AMA
Chapters. Our goal is to give you a local,
direct line of communication. Each Chapter
will be a regional association of flying clubs
of all disciplines, Leader Members, and the
Academy of Model Aeronautics.
Club representatives will come together to
discuss their needs and interface directly with
AMA District II personnel. This will allow us
to provide timely information concerning
AMA programs that are designed to assist
clubs in many ways. It will also allow you a
forum for scheduling flying events, auctions,
flea markets, TAG days, etc. I’ll have more on
this program shortly.
December 14, 2007, the RC Pulsers of
Western New York and District II lost Bill
Klahn. Bill has been a member since 1979
and was the newsletter editor for the last
seven years, always filling it with noteworthy
events and a generous amount of amusing
anecdotes. Bill will be missed by everyone
who knew him.
Until next month, keep ’em Three in the
Green.
District II
Gary Fitch, District II Vice President; [email protected]
New Jersey, New York, Europe
Gary Fitch
1298 Slab City Rd.,
Franklinville NY 14737;
Tel.: (716) 341-2813
www.amadistrictii.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Tom Bickford, Tupper
Lake NY; (518) 359-2218;
[email protected]
Roy A. Brown, USAE AFCENT
CMR 460 BOX 585 APO AE
07903; [email protected]
Sal Calvagna, Holbrook NY;
(631) 737-6327; ncalvagn@
suffolk.lib.ny.us
Ray Juschkus, St. James NY; (631)
862-5589; [email protected]
Eric Henderson, Mount Laurel
NJ; (856) 439-6281;
[email protected]
Tom Murray, Basking Ridge NJ;
(908) 766-5656;
[email protected]
Ernie Nikodem, Lockport NY;
(716) 434-8350;
[email protected]
Peter Seiffert, Baldwinsville NY;
(315) 635-6370;
[email protected]
Alexander Szemere, Kendall
Park NJ; (732) 821-5641;
[email protected]
Terry Terreniore, Endicott, NY;
(412) 760-4593; amad2terry@
stny.rr.com
Eric Williams, Schenectady NY;
(518) 356-2057;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator:
Dan Williams, Liverpool NY;
(315) 652-7740;
[email protected]
Webmaster: Doug Crawford,
Oswego NY; webmaster@
amadistrictii.org
Safety Coordinator: Al Kanser,
New Lisbon NY; (607) 293-7974;
[email protected]
D i s t r i c t I I V o l u n t e e r s .
Bob Kirshner has been
the contest coordinator
in District II for more
than 20 years!
12-year-old Kyle Stacy.
05amanews.qxp 3/21/2008 2:18 PM Page 173
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/05
Page Numbers: 173