HELLO DISTRICT III!
As you probably know, much has changed in terms of AMA officers for the new year. The biggest change is our own Bob Brown is now AMA president. In addition to being elected our new president, he was also reelected as vice president in District III. Holding two offices at the same time isn't allowed, so someone must attempt to fill Bob's large shoes. That's where I come in.
My name is Mark Radcliff, and I was appointed by Bob to be the interim District III vice president. I will be assuming the duties of the office for 2012 until the fall when an election will be held. Please allow me to briefly introduce myself.
I have been involved in this hobby for more than 50 years. I was introduced to the hobby by my father as a young child; he taught me to build and fly U-control (CL) and RC. I became interested in RC aerobatics at a young age and flew my first pattern contest in 1969, winning my class.
During the next few years, I flew more contests and eventually competed on four U.S. Aerobatic Teams (F3A) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I also flew in the Tournament of Champions seven times (1974–1982).
I was influenced by many great District III modelers and events. After the 1982 season, I retired from competition to devote more time to my family and profession. For the next 18 years, I was inactive in model aviation.
In 2000, AMA held a flying event called Homecoming, so I made the trip to Muncie, Indiana, to see the AMA headquarters and museum. After that weekend, I was hooked. All the advancements over the years in airplanes and equipment amazed me, and the AMA facility and museum were big inspirations.
It made me think, "What can I do for the betterment of model aviation since it has been so good to me?" I contacted then–District III VP Bob Brown, and he immediately made me an associate vice president for the district. Since then, I have been actively involved in our district doing what I love: flying model airplanes and meeting others with the same interests.
Moving forward, I assure you I will do my best to serve the modelers of District III as vice president, and I look forward to meeting you in the future. Thanks to all the modelers of District III for making model aviation a great hobby.
Friends of RC Fly-In
On September 3, 2011, the Clarksburg Model Aviation Club (CMAC) of West Virginia hosted its inaugural Friends of RC Fly-In. The event, spearheaded by club member Garry Spar, invited all area clubs to come and enjoy a nice day of flying. The event also honored longtime member and model aviation advocate Randy Childers, who passed away earlier in the year.
The weather was nearly perfect, with no wind or rain in sight, which allowed for plenty of flying the entire day. There were more than 25 fliers from across the state of West Virginia. The club arranged with a local television station to film some flying and conduct interviews, which aired later that evening.
Overall, the Friends of RC Fly-In was a big success. A big thank-you goes out to Garry and his club, and hopefully there will be a Friends of RC event next year.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
