District V — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Andy Bowen — Association Vice President (AVP)
The wind was blowing, the sky was threatening, and lift was hard to find, but 12 of Florida's best were soaring in the second round of the 2012 FSS held March 31 at the Orlando Buzzards' flying field (not so easy to find).
Pilots struggled to find good lift as they launched into a gusty crosswind. Among the spectators was Bill Graves, who was cheering for his grandson Dillon, who has been selected for the F3 Junior Soaring team. Dillon, his mother Kim, and coach Gordon Buckland will be going to South Africa for the World Championships this summer.
Top scorers:
- Gordon Buckland — Expert Class (Saturday)
- Jamie Mercado — Expert Class (Sunday)
- Mike Naylor — First in Sportsman Class (both days)
---
Paul Verger — AVP for Mississippi
On April 4, 2012, I was in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at the Pinebelt RC Club fly-in. Event Director Jeff Williams did a great job of planning and organizing the event. Everyone had a great time! This is an open fly-in, so there was a large variety of aircraft—from small electrics to 35% models.
What would a Pinebelt Fly-In be without blowing something up? This year, roughly a dozen foam electric warbirds flew a tribute to World War II, then they attacked a large model of a German V-2 rocket. Yes, it was blown up—big time! What a bang!
Other than blowing stuff up, the Pinebelt event is also known for its great buffet lunch. The table was full of almost anything you might want: pork, chicken, pizza, and much more. This is really something special, and is more than is offered at the typical fly-in!
There is a rumor that Mac Hodges, of Hodges Hobbies, will be there in the fall to fly his giant bomber. That would be something. I can't wait! To view pictures of the event, visit www.pinebeltrc.com.
Congratulations to the Azalea City Model Aeronautics Club of Mobile, Alabama, which won the Club Attendance Award. See you in the fall during the first weekend in November.
---
Keith Hall — Triple Creek RC Club
I thought I would send you a few pictures from our past event. We had an electric fixed-wing fly-in in April. I know, it's late getting to you.
The fly-in was April 2 (Easter weekend) and we still had a good turnout. We had 20 pilots who each brought several airplanes. Hobby Town of Brandon, Florida, sponsored the event and donated nearly $600 in raffle giveaways.
The weather was wonderful, but it was windy. That didn't stop these pilots—they were fearless! Merlyn Graves from Charlotte Sport Modelers Society flew his huge Tiger Moth and Luis Espinosa from the SPARKS RC Club even flew his little Mini Stryker. We had a great lunch and a good time!
I'd also like to invite you to one of our club meetings. They are the first Saturday of each month. We meet at our club field and would love to have you.
Ladies and gentlemen, sharpen your pencils and keep your eyes on this column for the flyer!
We are going to have a huge AMA District V–sponsored event on October 26, 27, and 28 at the Ogeechee Aeromaster Club in Statesboro, Georgia! This site is ideal for an event this big and it will not be one to miss!
I will post all of the information for this event in next month's column, and we will gear up for it. It is open to all AMA members and I promise you a good time! Keep reading your District V column!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
