District III — Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Corsair Model Aircraft Club 50th Anniversary
On August 11, 2012, my wife and I attended a special model aviation celebration in Kent, Ohio. The Corsair Model Aircraft Club (CMAC) celebrated its 50th anniversary with an open-house fly-in. The ceremonies began with a local Scout troop presenting the colors to get the activities started.
I couldn't help but notice what appeared to be a new, freshly paved runway; however, upon closer inspection I discovered it was a grass runway covered with a plastic mesh material that made it as smooth as pavement.
At approximately noon, the modelers were asked to bring their aircraft onto the runway and line them up for spectator judging of "best of show." This was a nice way to involve the spectators and was an impressive sight. After a few introductions and presentations, the field was open for flying between rain showers, and the celebration was in full swing.
I was curious about the club's name and how it came to be. The club began in 1962 as the Goodyear Model Airplane Club and was originally for employees of the Goodyear Tire Company. Because of growing interest in the hobby, it opened membership to anyone interested and changed its name to Corsair.
Why Corsair? I learned that during World War II, the legendary Corsair airplane was built at the Goodyear plant in Akron, Ohio — the genesis of the club's origins, hence the name change to Corsair Model Aircraft Club.
From what I saw at the 50th-anniversary celebration, I am sure that in 2062 the club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. For more photos and information, visit www.cmac.org.
Beach City Fly-In
The day after the Corsair celebration we went to a model fly-in located in Beach City, Ohio. We have no oceans in Ohio; I have lived much of my life here and thought I had flown everywhere, yet I had never heard of Beach City.
After passing through the quaint Amish town of Strasburg, I saw the sign for Beach City. As we entered town I saw a beautiful grass runway with houses and garages used as hangars for full-scale aircraft. What a beautiful place to fly and live, especially if you own your own airplane.
Dave Dessecker has served as contest director (CD) for the event for several years and indicated this was the most pilots they have ever had. After attending and flying at this event, I see why it continues to grow. Good work, Dave, and I'm looking forward to next year. Now if I could only figure out where the beach is...
In Memoriam: Steve Sturm
It is with sadness that I must report the passing of a great modeler from District III. Steve Sturm passed away on August 24, 2012, after an illness. If you met Steve once, you would never forget him. He was a one-of-a-kind person who never met a stranger and always had a joke to tell.
Steve was a leader in modeling in West Virginia. He was a founding member of the Vienna Sky Sharks and formed another club in Moundsville. Steve's aeromodeling enthusiasm was contagious. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve and his family.
I will close this month by saying goodbye with a phrase Steve would often say to modelers, "Fly high, ole buddy."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
