District IX - 2006/08

August 2006 161
AS I MENTIONED last month, my opinion
is that how you go about supporting your local
community will directly impact the stability of
your flying field—not to mention the fact that
this is the right thing to do!
The following is another shining example
of a Gold Level Leader Club, the Hutch
Bunch from Hutchinson, Kansas, doing its
part for the community. Way to go, people!
“The Hutch Bunch RC Club was invited to
participate in two community events May 12-
13, 2006. The first was the annual Reno
County Celebrate History event, where about
500 area students saw several exhibits related
to history. Hutch Bunch members brought
models of several historical aircraft and talked
about the part they played in history.
“The other event was the McPherson All
Schools Day celebration, coordinated by club
president Carl Roynon. Students see different
exhibits throughout town including the
McPherson airport, where Hutch Bunch
members gave flying demonstrations.
“Much planning and coordination was
required to ensure the safety of observers and
full-scale aircraft operations. The event was
successful and the club received a certificate
of appreciation from the McPherson Airport
Authority thanking us for our coordination
efforts, attention to safety, and high level of
flying proficiency.”
Lawrence Fetter discussing his Liberty Sport.
One of the students tries his hand at the
controls.
Vergil Spangler talks about his Piper Cub.
I think we will all agree that an active club
yields growth. I am amazed at how creative
you people are at keeping the hobby in the
public eye and at the same time, you have fun!
I have been in the hobby for 30-plus years
and enjoy building just as much as flying.
Yes, we’ve all heard the debate about ARFs
versus BYO (build your own). Larry Hansen,
vice president of the Arvada Associated
Modelers (AAM) sent me the following:
“Arvada Associated Modelers holds its
annual mall show during the last weekend of
January every year. This year the club is doing
something slightly different. All the club
members who actually built an airplane—
either from a kit or scratch-built (sorry
ARFers, you’ll just have to watch this time)—
brought those flying wonders to the January
club meeting and were judged for building
skill and craftsmanship as well as overall
good looks from six feet away.
“The response to this competition was
outstanding. More than 35 airplanes were in
the competition. The only rule was that if you
had won a prize in previous club
competitions, you could not compete for
prizes. Vice president Larry Hansen felt that it
was a great rule because all of his models
were able to compete.
“The winners will be announced at the
mall show with their appropriate trophies on
display. The public loves this mall show and it
brings new members to the club. And of
course, all the guys really enjoy showing off
those examples of modeling excellence!”
These are some of the beautiful airplanes at
the AAM mall show.
The following is a happy ending to an all-toooften
problem we see with rogue fliers as
reported by good friend, Ron Evans of the
Rocky Mountain Electric Flyers (RMEF) in
the Denver, Colorado, area.
“As I guess you’ve heard, we lost our allelectric
site: Cobe Field. The last day we can
fly there is January 31. It seems that some
non-affiliated fliers were using it during the
week and one crashed on the roof of Cobe
Labs (a cardio medical lab). Security got the
airplane and that caused much concern with
the Cobe Labs staff.
“Within a week another rogue flier—again
during the week—crashed into the parking lot
of Cobe. Security saw that, too. Last month
somebody flew a glow-powered airplane
there, neighbors complained, we got the boot!
“None of this was done by RMEF and
Cobe officials understood that, but their point
was that we were the ones who established it
as a flying site. They feel if they close the
field, all the problems will stop. We’ll see.
“Anyway, Jorge (RMEF president) and I
had been working out a deal with the Arvada
Associated Modelers—mainly Jim Wallen
and Larry Hansen, president and vice
president—and now it’s final. RMEF will be
partners with AAM.
“We will keep our club charter, Web site,
and all-electric identity. We will also join
AAM (dual club members) and fly at the
grass field. That field is also used (not much)
for helicopters and gliders. So electric RC
flying is alive and well in the Rockies!”
That’s it for this month. Until next month,
have fun and keep in touch!
District IX
Mark Smith, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Mark Smith
Vice President
14632 W. 50th St.,
Shawnee KS 66216
Tel.: (913) 568-4347
www.amadistrict-ix.org
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, Bismarck 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; miketallman@
webtv.net
Judy Gerken, Denver CO;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator: Steve
Mangles, Denver CO;
[email protected]
District IX Volunteers