District IX
By now I am sure most of you are aware that Dave Mathewson, our former AMA president, is now AMA’s new executive director. Everyone here in District IX wishes Dave and his wife, Ginger, the very best in their new adventure in Muncie, Indiana. Dave is a tireless worker and has demonstrated that the well-being of the Academy is at the top of his priority list.
Tom Neff submitted the following article from the Airpark Elite RC Club. Tom, the club president, has brought focus to pylon racing, youth programs, and training. The club members strongly promote the AMA Take Off and Grow (TAG) program every year, and they regularly put on pylon racing demonstrations for anyone in the area who is interested.
TAG Day — Airpark Elite RC Club & Broomfield Civil Air Patrol
The day started with favorable weather: light winds down the runway and temperatures in the mid-50s. Flight instructors and training aircraft were ready. The guest speaker was prepared, food arrangements (Kentucky Fried Chicken) had been made, and the flight simulator was up and running. These are key elements for a successful TAG day.
The Broomfield Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Squadron arrived with cadets eager to learn and parent leaders ready to assist. There were 14 cadets and six parent leaders.
The day began with a safety briefing given by Tom Neff, who emphasized two simple rules:
- Listen to your flight instructor.
- Keep your hands away from anywhere in the area of a propeller.
Safety perimeters were established to prevent problems during landing. A short ground school explained how to use proportional control to move the sticks; cadets were told that the controls on the transmitter are not like those on a Nintendo or Wii.
Each cadet received a donated transmitter. Instructors explained stick positions and the relationship to aircraft axes so cadets had a basic understanding of what would happen in the air. Aircraft were preflight inspected, fueled, range-checked, and the buddy-box functionality and flight directions were verified. Trims were checked and cross-checked on the buddy boxes. The cadets accumulated approximately three hours of airtime with their instructors.
A TAG event is only as good as its instructors and the pride they take in sharing their love for flying with future pilots. Ensuring all equipment is in perfect working order gives cadets a full day of flying — a day spent repairing airplanes is not what the cadets are there for. Prior preparation is the key to a successful TAG day.
At the end of the day, we went through 2.5 gallons of fuel, one airplane, and 90 pieces of chicken, plus coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, and gravy. The smiles were wide, the learning was substantial, and the cadets left with the experience of learning to fly RC from an instructor who hopes to see new members join the AMA someday.
A huge thanks goes out to all who helped support the future of model aviation.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
