District IX - 2015/06
Although you are getting ready to enjoy your summer flying, here is coverage of winter's indoor flying.
Sterling, Colorado
Colorado Associate Vice President (AVP) Rick McCaskill attended an annual indoor event in Sterling, Colorado.
On March 14, the Sterling Miniature Aircraft Association (SMA) held its annual indoor Electric Fun Fly at the Sterling High School gym. Phil Pollock, SMA president, organized this year's event. The get-together brought approximately 25 pilots from seven clubs in northern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska together for flying and friendship. Everything from small quadcopters to foamies filled the spacious gym, which is the size of three basketball courts. The community was invited and there were many spectators. Several pilots offered flights for guests and children to try their piloting skills. This was not only a great community outreach event, but also lots of fun for the attending pilots.
Bismarck, North Dakota
North Dakota AVP Brandon Koch reported on the annual Bismarck indoor flying event.
Bismarck gets its fair share of cold, miserable winter weather and, unless you are an ice fisherman or snowmobiler, there isn't much outside activity for a good part of the year. That's why every February, Bismarck Parks and Recreation holds Flurry Fest to get people rousted out of their homes.
Flurry Fest includes:
- a winter golf tournament
- softball in the snow
- a citywide scavenger hunt
- an indoor Electric Fun-Fly hosted by the Missouri Slope Model Aero Club (MSMAC)
This was the seventh year that MSMAC hosted the event at the Bismarck Four Seasons Indoor Driving Range. For those who fly in small indoor gyms, this venue is like flying outdoors again. About 30 pilots signed up from as far as 100 miles away. Everyone had a great time flying everything from micros to large electrics. There were also a number of homemade foamies designed for battle and streamer cutting — great fun in the controlled mayhem of those events.
With close to 300 spectators showing up throughout the day, this year's event probably had the best attendance in its history. Not only does it get the public involved, it gives shop-bound pilots a day to get in some real flying and reminds everyone that spring, hopefully, is just around the corner.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
On March 29, 2015, I attended the Sioux Falls Sodbusters auction. This is the club's premier fundraiser that has been going on for many years. The club has mastered auction technique and, in the span of six hours, club members sold more than 300 items to roughly 100 registered buyers.
Sodbusters President Tim Mallatt, who was in charge of this year's auction, said the proceeds will go toward a major field project. The members are installing a 45-by-300-foot fabric runway this spring. The auction revenues were enhanced by approximately $750 in donations by members and guests to help offset the runway costs.
I unloaded a couple of white elephant gifts, but brought home just about as many priceless bargains. Thank you all for the hospitality — see you next year.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
