District III Report - 2003/04
Liberty Bell Jet Rally — Deck Airport, Lebanon, PA
If turbines fascinate you, August in the Lebanon, Pennsylvania area is the place to be. This year, the second annual Liberty Bell Jet Rally was August 2–3 at the Deck Airport. Mike Lesher, Contest Director for the Liberty Bell Jet Rally, provided the following information and pictures from last year.
- 53 registered pilots with 85 aircraft braved the extreme August heat.
- Approximately 2,000 spectators witnessed the activity.
- Best of Show: Glen Robinson.
- Best Scale: Dave Malchione, Jr.
- The fire-suppression team of Ron and Cody Johnson was not needed.
Thistledown Flyer's Event — Napoleon, OH
Associate Vice President Joe Vislay made the trek to the Thistledown Flyer's event and produced the following material.
The Thistledown Field is situated in beautiful farmland one mile north of Napoleon, Ohio. The two-day event drew approximately thirty entries. Guests were treated to a great cookout.
- Joe Stekachic put in the day's first flight.
- Corky Hietman and Ken Moore enjoyed the activities.
- An Old-Timer aircraft was on display, owned by Harold Lanzer.
- Registration was handled by Dick Nagel.
Northmoreland RC Club — Northmoreland Park, New Kensington, PA
Dan Szarmach, president of the Northmoreland RC Club, sent the following information pertaining to the club.
The Northmoreland RC Club is situated on a knoll in a very beautiful setting in Northmoreland Park, just east of New Kensington, Pennsylvania. It is one of several well-maintained county parks in Westmoreland County.
Although we're not a large club with a huge field, we have one of the greatest views around where we can still enjoy our hobby. The small size of the fly zone limits the size and speed capabilities of the aircraft we fly. Most aircraft use .40–.46 cu in engines, with a few .60s thrown in for excitement.
For the past six years we have been operating under strict sound-control rules. All aircraft must meet a standard of 90 dB or less at three meters. This program has allowed us to keep our field and gain the support of park managers. We get excellent support from the management and employees of the park in security, grass cutting, and overall maintenance of our field.
I've enclosed a photo taken at our picnic and fun-fly. The photo was an afterthought (most of the members had gone home). Our club president, Orville Shaulis — second from the right and without a shirt in the photo — certainly deserves some recognition: Orvie flew on 208 consecutive days. The only thing that broke his string was surgery, although he tried to get in a flight before going to the hospital. He was back in the air the day after the surgery.
Orvie is also our vice president, official greeter, park liaison, committed flight instructor, ace engine tuner, and the real cornerstone of our club, all without a hint of complaint or fanfare.
The Northmoreland RC Club.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
