District IX - 2006/08
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!
Hutch Bunch — community events (Hutchinson, Kansas)
The following is another shining example of a Gold Level Leader Club, the Hutch Bunch from Hutchinson, Kansas, doing its part for the community.
"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."
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, having fun!
Arvada Associated Modelers — mall show (Arvada, Colorado)
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!"
Rocky Mountain Electric Flyers — Cobe Field closure (Denver, Colorado)
The following is a happy ending to an all-too-often problem we see with rogue fliers, as reported by good friend Ron Evans of the Rocky Mountain Electric Flyers (RMEF) in the Denver area.
"As I guess you've heard, we lost our all-electric 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."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
