District II
Gary Fitch, District II Vice President; [email protected] New Jersey, New York, Europe
Awards and Honors
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 John Worth, recognizing Bob for his outstanding achievements in model aviation. Bob is the holder of many prestigious awards, including induction into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Bob!
New Life Members
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!
District Service Award
Meet Robert Kirshner, 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!
Rising Star
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!
Safety
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:
- We have obtained the 911 address of our flying fields so emergency response can react quickly.
- We have six volunteer members signed up for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course plus refreshers.
- We are in the process of purchasing a defibrillator unit to have on hand at the field and at flying events.
“We hope these steps will help keep our older members flying. If any club has an issue or question regarding safety procedures, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].”
New Associate Vice President
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 will be a great addition to our team.
Community Outreach
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
- Ed Pettengell
“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.”
AMA Chapters
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 provide a forum for scheduling flying events, auctions, flea markets, TAG days, etc. I’ll have more on this program shortly.
In Memoriam
On December 14, 2007, the RC Pulsers of Western New York and District II lost Bill Klahn. Bill had 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.
Closing
Until next month, keep ’em Three in the Green.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
