District IX - 2006/01

168 MODEL AVIATION
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Because of my
limited space, I’m going to hold off on telling
you about our 2006 marketing plans until
next month. Thus, to quote that great orator
from the South, “Let’s get ’er done!”
I want to share with you my trip to south of
Kansas City, Kansas. Out of curiosity and an
interest in gliders, I attended my first
Aerotow event sponsored by the Kansas R/C
Soaring and Electric club. Those tow planes
and huge Scale gliders are awesome!
I want to recognize the warm hospitality I
encountered and plan to meet up with these
gentlemen again in the near future. I had a
ball! Thanks!
Lee Estingoy is the club president and
Bernard Wolfard was the CD.
What a great bunch of glider guiders!
The Arvada Associated Modelers (AAM)
sponsored a You-Too-Can-Fly airshow and
open house. As reported by good friend,
Larry Hansen, vice president of the Arvada,
Colorado club, AAM is the largest club in
the United States. The club members
revealed some of the secrets to their success,
including an open house for the public and a
“can do” attitude.
Bert Sutton is flying his USA-1.
The airplane and pilot match perfectly!
“This event keeps the club in the public
eye as a source of pride for the city. It helps
stimulate new membership—always needed
to keep a club healthy—and it keeps our
status with the city fathers intact. Inviting
the mayor and city councilmen out to the
event to shake hands with 3,000 constituents
doesn’t hurt either.
“Holding civic-minded events such as
this are essential to maintaining the kind of
stature required to make this club a source of
pride throughout our town. It’s why this club
has the growing membership it boasts, and
how it managed such a good arrangement
with the City of Arvada.
“The key words at AAM are ‘Let’s be as
inclusive as we can and never try to be
exclusive!’ These are the watchwords that
keep the club going. Mixing RC internalcombustion
airplanes, helicopters, gliders,
and electrics seems like a tricky thing to do
but if you want to make it work, you can!
“This event has grown steadily since its
inception. Brian Copfer and Bert Sutton,
names that should be familiar to those of
you who follow competitive RC flying, were
the headliners in Aerobatic Precision Flying.
“Gary Jones wowed the crowd with his
turbine-powered F-15 and helicopters
abounded. Local electric fliers impressed the
audience with airplanes flying aerobatic
maneuvers and some electric-powered craft
that exceeded 100 miles per hour. More than
100 spectators also got a chance to fly on a
buddy box and enjoy the thrill of flight.”
If you are not already doing something
such as this, I would urge you to do so and
I’m sure Larry would be happy to discuss
details with you. You can find more
information on our District IX Web site.
In Casselton, North Dakota, the Dakota
Skymasters held its annual fun-fly as
reported by Al Foell. Held on August 13,
2005, the annual event was a big success.
“We have a lot of fun here,” said Al Foell,
club president. “We get together with other
folks who love to fly. It’s a real passion for
all of us.”
The club’s home base is a four-year-old
building at the west end of the Cassleton
Airport. “That was a real labor of love for a
lot of folks. A short taxi from the building is
a lush green runway. It really is a great
facility,” said Jim Edinger. “The runway
area is huge for our takoffs and landings.”
The Dakota Skymasters of Casselton, North
Dakota have a great facility.
That’s it for this month. Until next month,
have fun and keep in touch!
Associate Vice Presidents
Max Hansen, Huron SD;
[email protected]
H. Michael Harrington, Ft.
Collins CO; wdal@
lamar.colostate.edu
Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY;
[email protected]
Troy Lapp, Mandan ND;
[email protected]
Travis McGinnis, Arvada CO;
[email protected]
Brenda Schuette, Auburn KS;
[email protected]
Jerry Tuttle, Olathe KS;
[email protected]
John Van Brocklin, Hastings
NE; [email protected]
Webmaster: Jim Shaw,
[email protected]
Contest Coordinators:
Mike Tallman, Wichita KS;
[email protected]
Judy Gerken, Denver CO;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator:
Steve Mangles, Denver CO;
[email protected] D
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Volunteers
District IX
Mark Smith, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming