District III
Bob Brown, District III Vice President; [email protected]
States covered:
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
Introducing Jim Martin — Associate Vice President (Dayton, OH)
I want to introduce Jim Martin as the new associate vice president (AVP) for the area around Dayton, Ohio. Jim has written the following brief résumé so that you might have some idea of his experience in aeromodeling.
“My father was active in model aviation when I was born, so I have been involved in model aviation since birth. I flew my first control-line (CL) airplane when I was four years old. When I was 13, I built a Heathkit five-channel radio system.
“After I graduated from high school, I went to work for a Beechcraft dealership in its avionics department. During this time I designed my own models of the aircraft that I either flew in or worked on. I received my pilot’s certificate when I was 19.
“That same year, 1974, I entered my first contest flying a scale model which I designed of the aircraft I received my flight training in. I also started designing twin-engine models of the aircraft that I worked on. Many of these models were what we now call Giant Scale. I had to manufacture my own hinges, control horns, etc., because the modeling industry did not have anything available at that time for that size of model.
“I have been president, vice president, secretary, and a board member of several clubs in the Dayton, Ohio area. I am a member and past team manager of the Buckeye Aero Squadron, AMA Show Team #106. I am one of the original members of the Dayton Ohio Giant Scalers that hosts one of the country’s largest Giant Scale fly-ins each year at the Air Force Museum.
“I studied Electrical Engineering Technology at Sinclair Community College and Electrical Engineering at Wright State University. As part of my duties with the Federal Aviation Administration, I have attended classes on aircraft certification, system safety, and accident investigation. I am a certificated aircraft mechanic.”
JR Indoor Festival (Columbus, OH)
The JR Indoor Festival in Columbus, Ohio, is an event to put on everyone’s schedule. If you are interested in indoor electric flying, this event provides a mecca for the enthusiast. This year, Terry Nitsch was awarded the AMA Fellow award. Those of you who know Terry can confirm his positive efforts within the modeling world. Congratulations, Terry!
Kids Kamp — Jackson County Aeromodelers & Flying Hillbillies (Camp Dawson, Kingwood, WV)
Chuck Westfall provided the following information:
“The mountains of West Virginia were buzzing with model aircraft trainers on Father’s Day weekend. The Jackson County Aeromodelers and the Flying Hillbillies clubs were at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia.
“Camp Dawson is an Army National Guard training center and every year it comes alive with military kids, mostly from West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C. area, who attend this camp referred to as Kids Kamp.
“The camp director is retired SMG Gary Conley. He approached me and asked if we could do something new at Kids Kamp. I advised him that we could buddy-box the kids. Buddy-box the kids?
“I said, ‘Yes, and we can utilize RC aircraft with a buddy-box so the kids can learn to fly RC aircraft without crashing.’ He indicated this would be great, so the rest is history and our second year for both clubs was extremely successful.
“This year we were able to buddy-box 246 kids and some adults in one day. Perhaps this is a record. Our clubs are not concerned with the numbers. Introducing these kids and adults to AMA and aeromodeling was our goal.
“Talk about inquisitive kids! They had all kinds of questions. They wanted to know, ‘How high do they fly?’ ‘How fast can they fly?’ ‘Can I do a loop?’
“With their eager eyes they watched their airplanes fly through the sky. The instructors showed them how to do a loop, rolls, and other maneuvers. In their words, ‘This is cool, really cool!’
“Our clubs agree; it is cool. As the day came to an end we put on a small air show. The aircraft that made smoke and other models with speed kept the kids on edge for the complete show.
“Our clubs believe the successful Kids Kamp day for aviation was the result of team effort. As president, I am proud to be a part of the Aeromodelers Team and AMA. We’re already planning another great event for the kids next year.”
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
