Author: Jim Wallen
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/07
Page Numbers: 147

District IX — Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming

District Vice President

TAG Day — Arvada (report by Tom Neff, District IX Associate Vice President)

To have an interesting and fun Take-off And Grow (TAG) Day, you must begin with good instructors, good equipment, good weather, and plenty of pizza. With those elements in place, the young Civil Air Patrol cadets have everything they need to enjoy the day.

The cadets at the April 14 TAG Day were from the Broomfield Civil Air Patrol Squadron. All the flight instructors were accomplished, AMA‑certified pilots who have been flying for a long time.

A few other people showed up and were curious about what was going on, so we let them fly. One young lady named Amelia decided that flying model airplanes looked fun; we gave her a transmitter and she did well. Two junior candidates, Tyler Neff and Dylan Neff, also flew.

The Arvada Associated Modelers club allowed us to use its field for our scheduled TAG Day, since Airpark Elite no longer has a club field. The weather was great, and we were able to fly night Vapors and nitro‑powered airplanes on buddy boxes.

Cadets in attendance:

  • Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Donald Crowder
  • Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Christian
  • Cadet Airman Bryce Nelson
  • Cadet Staff Sgt. Adam Nelson
  • Cadet Airman Benjamin Maroney
  • Cadet James Arellano
  • Cadet Cathey
  • Cadet Avery Hutfles

We flew through six gallons of fuel, there were a few broken propellers, and one airplane was lost. The morning began with a safety briefing, followed by basic stick inputs. Each cadet held a transmitter and was instructed not to use a "gaming technique," but to make smooth movements when flying and moving the control sticks. Several hours of flying worked up big appetites; we polished off ten pizzas and soda.

Cadet Joshua Christian has been coming to our TAG Days for quite a few years. He has assumed the role of an instructor for other cadets in his squadron and continues to build, construct, and design aircraft of his own. Instructor Alan Thovson is ready to offer his help if needed. This is what TAG is all about.

We also had an accomplished volunteer pilot from Arvada Associated Modelers, Gary McGee, donate his time and assistance. Thank you, Gary.

The day was a success — plenty of smiles and flying time, and no injuries. TAG Day is an important part of being a modeler; it's why we love to dedicate our time and efforts to teaching future RC pilots.

Thanks go to:

  • Brian Neff
  • Brian Garcia
  • Duane Gall
  • Norm Names
  • Alan Thovson
  • Gary McGee (Arvada Associated Modelers)

"Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can feed him for a lifetime."

Salina, Kansas — Smoky Hill Model Club Education Day (report by Marshall Stanton)

On March 31, 2012, the Smoky Hill Model Club conducted an education day for a Boy Scout troop from Salina's First Presbyterian Church. To teach the boys about the theory of flight and to give them actual flight experiences, five information stations were set up:

  • Flight concepts
  • Display of model airplanes, helicopters, and equipment
  • CL (control line) instruction and flying, including participation
  • Flight simulation
  • RC flight with an instructor

The group was split so only a few Scouts would move through each station of instruction and participation at a time, with the exception of the first two stations, which were entirely instructional. Four hours were devoted to accomplish the tasks.

The Smoky Hill Model Club has an excellent irrigated flying field, two open buildings for shade, a long runway for RC, and a CL circle.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.