District IX Report
Coverage
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Wyoming
Vice President
Russ Miller 980 N. 3rd St. Carrington, ND 58421 Tel.: (701) 652-2321 Fax: (701) 652-2994 E-mail: [email protected]
Associate Vice Presidents
- Max Hansen, 1909 Wisconsin SW, Huron, SD 57350
- H. Michael Harrington, 6112 Ashton Ct., Ft. Collins, CO 80525
- Fred Hildebrand, 4015 Somerset Circle, Casper, WY 82609-3161
- Nathan Lancaster, 3597 S. Kendall Street, Denver, CO 80235
- Troy Lapp, 1619 Wichita Dr., Bismarck, ND 58504
- Travis McGinnis, 8027 W. 81st Circle, Arvada, CO 80005
- Don Moden, 410 Hart St., Salina, KS 67401
- Jim Ricketts, 4921 Fernwood Drive, Sioux Falls, SD 57103-5573
- Jack L. Siebert, 3611 Kimberly Circle, Lincoln, NE 68506-4524
- Mark T. Smith, 14632 W. 50th Street, Shawnee, KS 66216
Frequency Coordinator
Steve Mangles, c/o Radio Service Center, 918 S. Sheridan, Denver, CO 80226
News from North Dakota
The Red River Show Team is made up of RC pilots from around the region and performs for groups as small as a few dozen to audiences of several thousand or more. The main purpose of the show team is to expose as many people as possible to RC flying.
There are several benefits to doing this. The most obvious is helping the hobby grow by sparking interest in people to get involved. Other benefits are less direct and harder to measure. A public meeting concerning an RC flying field could be influenced if decision-makers have had an opportunity to witness a positive performance; they will know first hand that the models can be operated safely and are not unreasonably loud.
—From the Valley R/C Flyers Newsletter
News from Nebraska
This article about indoor flying was written by Mike Berger and came from the Omahawks' Hawk Talk.
"As I trudged my way through the frigid January air, a different shiver went through my body. 'I'm going flying!' I thought. Did the good Lord smile on me with a 50°, windless day in the middle of this bitter winter?
"No. I was on my way to try a completely new kind of flying; one with a whole new set of challenges to go with it. Walls! Ceilings and banners hanging down to entrap or destroy whatever may come by, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
"I was heading for the North High School gym. Galen Lillethorup, a long-standing Omahawks member, had arranged with the principal of North High School to open the school's gym twice a month to all who would like to fly RC model aircraft indoors. The facility is open to the public and one does not need to be a member of any particular club or clique to join in the fun.
"'Come and fly or just come and watch. I guarantee you will enjoy it.' My experience with indoor flying has been quite novel. I recently won a mini IFO, or 'indoor flying object,' and was eager to try it out. It was a real experience.
"The IFO is basically a kite with an electric motor and elevons. It is quite challenging at first. The real problem is those things called walls. You see, they just stand there. So when the time comes that you must turn, you better do it.
"There is no time to consider when or what direction. If you ponder to get your bearings, the airplane just flies into the wall. Then you get to walk across the gym to retrieve it and try again. It definitely isn't as forgiving as a trainer in the great outside world. Things like walls and ceiling banners tend to come up real fast.
"Did I say banners? Well, anyway, after Ron Williams helped me trim out my new IFO, I was getting the hang of flying around in an enclosed space and was feeling pretty good. Then I suddenly really did get the hang of it or (perhaps more accurately) hung up.
"I got my airplane into a corner and became disoriented. I then hemmed when I should have hawed and ran into one of the many championship banners hanging from the gym ceiling. Guess what? I didn't just run into a banner. I got my airplane stuck on it. When I went to retrieve it I found it to be about four feet out of my reach from the upper walkway of the gym.
"As I sat there pondering my fate, Ron hollered up at me, 'Throw something at it!' 'What?' I cried. The only thing I had in my hands was my camera and I wasn't about to risk that. 'Throw your wallet at it,' he said, 'I'll catch it!' Well, that didn't sound too bad, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I pulled out my wallet and gave it a toss. I hit the airplane just right and it floated softly down to Ron. Unfortunately, the airplane was the only thing that came down. My wallet had taken the place of the airplane and was stuck in the banner.
"So now I'm standing four feet away from my wallet with nothing to throw. Luckily, we are RC fliers, and as such can figure our way out of anything. With a little improvisation we rigged up a weight and a few throws later my wallet was safely retrieved from the ceiling and I, my airplane, and my wallet were all back on terra firma.
"I put it to you that in all the rich and storied history of both the Omahawks and North High School, I am the first person to ever get his wallet stuck on the ceiling!
"'Come and fly or come and watch. You'll be glad you did!'"
—From Omahawks' Hawk Talk
News from Colorado
From Larry Hansen comes the following about a fundraising event that benefited more than just the club.
"Monday, December 1, 2003, Arvada Associated Modelers (AAM) were involved in helping our local PBS television station, Rocky Mountain PBS, raise public funds so desperately needed by them to continue their broadcasts.
"It was a new experience for our club members who attended. Everyone had a wonderful time, lots of laughs, and plenty to eat. The time spent at Channel 6 was so much fun that everyone who attended thought we should try to make this a regular event for our club.
"As you all know, public services such as this for the benefit of our community are requirements to maintain our Gold Club standings. Events such as this and our Dreams of Flight are not only rewarding for the community at large, but are very satisfying for the club members who get involved.
"There are the kind of civic-awareness projects that keep our good name in the public's eye, and keep our standings in the area at an extremely high level. Not only does it show AAM as the civic-minded organization that we are, but it also lets many people know who we are and what we do.
"We get a number of potential RC fliers and possible new club members by keeping our name in the public view. It's the kind of thing we need to be involved in.
"I have visited with the 'powers that be' at Channel 6 and they were very pleased with the Arvada Associated Modelers. Not only was everyone very astute at the task given them, but the willingness to help and the courtesy shown by our members made the folks at Rocky Mountain PBS really pleased with our performance. They are more than willing to make us one of their regular organizations for their fundraising broadcasts.
"For those of you who did not get a chance to attend this fun event, we are currently planning to do more in the future. No dates have been set yet; however, when those dates are set the club will be given plenty of advance notice, and every one of you should try to get involved. You'll be glad you did and the community will know what a great organization we really have!"
—From Hi-Flyer, newsletter of the Arvada Associated Modelers
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
