District IV Report - 2009/08
Program idea: Invite a World War II veteran
Are you looking for a great program to present at your club meeting? Darrell Watts, reporting from the Shawnee Mission R/C Club (Shawnee Mission, Kansas), suggests inviting a World War II veteran to tell about his experiences.
On Thursday evening, April 9, the Shawnee Mission R/C Club had a nice turnout for the final meeting of the winter season. Approximately 60 people were present to hear an interesting and entertaining presentation by Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Porter, who was a B-24 pilot in the Pacific during World War II. Guests from seven other clubs around Kansas City attended.
Colonel Porter spoke about how he was selected to be a pilot, his training, and his combat experiences. His account of a near crash during training was hair-raising, as were several stories about specific bombing missions. He also shared a couple of mission experiences that turned out to be very funny. One is related here.
On one mission, his aircraft was under heavy Japanese fighter attack. The top-turret gunner was tracking and firing at a fighter when two bullets pierced the top-turret bubble, passing on each side of his head. At the same time the gunner had quickly shifted the gun position, and the recoil of the gun struck him between the eyes.
The gunner started yelling, "I'm hit, I'm hit. Blood is running down my face and down my legs." As soon as they cleared the attack, Captain Porter instructed his navigator to check on the gunner. Soon he heard loud laughter.
It turned out the gun recoil had cut a minor gash in the gunner's forehead, which was bleeding rather profusely, but what was running down his legs wasn't blood.
After the presentation
Before adjourning, attendees visited personally with Colonel Porter, checked out the beautiful P-47 model that Craig Williams had brought, and enjoyed refreshments.
Joe Nall Fly-In
The Joe Nall Fly-In, held annually at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina, is the premier RC flying event in the U.S. Originally called The Giant Scale Meet, it was renamed by Pat Hartness to honor Joe Nall, who died in a tragic airplane accident in 1989. The event is held in May each year and is a great opportunity to see exhibition flying, admire spectacular models, and meet friends at the AMA hospitality tent. If you have never attended, put it on your calendar for next year!
Reminder
Keep the sunscreen on and keep the cancer off!
Club Corner
Have you noticed that your club membership rolls have been declining? People drop out of clubs for many reasons. Some move away, health issues arise, or members simply lose interest. The more dynamic clubs in AMA are aggressively addressing this issue. You will always lose some members, but you need to be proactive in finding new ones.
Common reasons members leave:
- Moving away
- Health problems
- Loss of interest
Ways to attract new members:
- Become visible to the public by participating in community events.
- Ask club members to bring a friend to meetings or the flying field.
- Put up flyers at local hobby stores.
- Visit schools and present a simple flying exhibition or air show.
- Put on a mall show to demonstrate what the club is about.
Take the time to decide what approach is best for your club, then make it work.
'Till then ... Jim Wallen
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
