District IX Report - 2012/06

Mall shows are one of the best tools to
get our hobby in the public eye. David
Larsen, president of the Beresford Area
Radio Flyers (BARF), sends us this
update on the club’s 20th annual mall
show in South Dakota.
Congratulations to the six winners
of the 20th Annual Centre Mall Show.
The event, held on March 10, included
21 registered pilots who brought more
than 40 models to the display. This
year, three of the models were 1/3-scale
Giants. One of those Giants, a 1/3-scale
Sopwith Pup, earned the Best of Show
Award. It was built by Ron Houske of
Sioux City, using a Balsa USA kit.
Another large model earned Sheldon
Evjen of Sioux City the Best Build It
Yourself (BIY) Scale Award. Sheldon’s
1/3-scale Fairchild Argus 24 was built
from plans and was painted in the
familiar dark blue/orange markings of
the time.
Mark Hyronemus of Worthing, South
Dakota, won the award for Best BIY
Sport model. The Sig Astro Hog was
built from a kit with modification to a
fully sheeted and fiber-glassed wing and
fuse. A Saito 100 engine was mounted.
The Best ARF Scale Award went to
Jack Ward of Sioux City. He entered a
Great Planes Super Stearman. Darrell
Rupp earned the Best ARF Sport Award
for his rebuild and modification of a
crashed Sig 4 Star 60. Darrell is from
Sioux Falls. He does a lot of float flying
so the model may end up on floats
before summer.
Another Sioux Falls pilot, Bill Beck,
took home the plaque for Best Electric
with his ElectriFly Grumman Widgeon
twin engine amphibian. Bill is another
avid float flyer.
The show included two flight
simulator stations that were well
used. The club members gave out
roughly 50 Penny Foam gliders to the
younger generation. There were also
several impromptu indoor helicopter
flying sessions during the day. AMA
information was available to all who
passed by. Door prizes offered by the
mall and the club were part of the
package each registered pilot received.
It was a great day for BARF because
of modeler participation and the
welcome we always receive from
Centre Mall.
Jim Tiller, one of our District IX
associate vice presidents, submitted this
article:
The Wings Across America (WAA)
program was the brainchild of Frank
Geisler. The project has been passing
an electric airplane from pilot to pilot
across America for nearly four years.
This January, the little electric SQuiRT
airplane made it to South Dakota. Terry
Batterman, president of the Northern
Hills R/C Flyers, in Spearfish, South
Dakota, took command of the traveling
box from the Sage Hoppers Flying Club
in Gillette, Wyoming.
Our “typical” South Dakota weather
delayed the flight of the SQuiRT for
a couple of weeks, but on February 4,
the aircraft made its flight at Memorial
Field in Spearfish. Terry was pilot
number 323 in Wings Across America’s
long history.
From there, the airplane was passed
to Jon Lundgren of the R.C. Aces in
Rapid City. John and some members
of the Aces got the aircraft aloft on
February 12.
I received the airplane on February
16. My club, the Rapid City
Propbusters, had a fun-fly scheduled
for Sunday, February 19, so the WAA
airplane was included in the festivities.
We flew it several times. I was pilot
number 325 on the WAA list.
From here, I will pass the airplane to
Rodney Peters and Christofer Lidgett
of Pierre, South Dakota. After that,
it moves on to Chatsworth, Iowa.
Eventually, the aircraft will make its
way to pilot number 356 and back to its
home base in Virginia. There is talk that
the airplane, along with the log book
and all the memorabilia that has been
added, will be donated to the AMA’s
National Model Aviation Museum.
If you want more details on this
interesting project, go to the WAA-08
website at www.waa-08.org.
Associate Vice Presidents: Norm Berger, Parker CO; (732) 763-0301; [email protected]; Steve Culver, Omaha NE; [email protected]; Zac Heskin,
Garrison ND; [email protected]; Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY; fl [email protected]; Tom Neff, Aurora CO; (303) 829-5416; [email protected]; Brenda Schuette,
Auburn KS; [email protected]; Mike Tallman, Wichita KS; [email protected]; Jim Tiller, Rapid City SD; [email protected]. Webmaster: Norm Berger,
[email protected]. Contest Coordinator: Mac Strader, Overland Park KS; [email protected]
Jim Wallen
Vice President
Mall shows are one of the best tools to
get our hobby in the public eye. David
Larsen, president of the Beresford Area
Radio Flyers (BARF), sends us this
update on the club’s 20th annual mall
show in South Dakota.
Congratulations to the six winners
of the 20th Annual Centre Mall Show.
The event, held on March 10, included
21 registered pilots who brought more
than 40 models to the display. This
year, three of the models were 1/3-scale
Giants. One of those Giants, a 1/3-scale
Sopwith Pup, earned the Best of Show
Award. It was built by Ron Houske of
Sioux City, using a Balsa USA kit.
Another large model earned Sheldon
Evjen of Sioux City the Best Build It
Yourself (BIY) Scale Award. Sheldon’s
1/3-scale Fairchild Argus 24 was built
from plans and was painted in the
familiar dark blue/orange markings of
the time.
Mark Hyronemus of Worthing, South
Dakota, won the award for Best BIY
Sport model. The Sig Astro Hog was
built from a kit with modification to a
fully sheeted and fiber-glassed wing and
fuse. A Saito 100 engine was mounted.
The Best ARF Scale Award went to
Jack Ward of Sioux City. He entered a
Great Planes Super Stearman. Darrell
Rupp earned the Best ARF Sport Award
for his rebuild and modification of a
crashed Sig 4 Star 60. Darrell is from
Sioux Falls. He does a lot of float flying
so the model may end up on floats
before summer.
Another Sioux Falls pilot, Bill Beck,
took home the plaque for Best Electric
with his ElectriFly Grumman Widgeon
twin engine amphibian. Bill is another
avid float flyer.
The show included two flight
simulator stations that were well
used. The club members gave out
roughly 50 Penny Foam gliders to the
younger generation. There were also
several impromptu indoor helicopter
flying sessions during the day. AMA
information was available to all who
passed by. Door prizes offered by the
mall and the club were part of the
package each registered pilot received.
It was a great day for BARF because
of modeler participation and the
welcome we always receive from
Centre Mall.
Jim Tiller, one of our District IX
associate vice presidents, submitted this
article:
The Wings Across America (WAA)
program was the brainchild of Frank
Geisler. The project has been passing
an electric airplane from pilot to pilot
across America for nearly four years.
This January, the little electric SQuiRT
airplane made it to South Dakota. Terry
Batterman, president of the Northern
Hills R/C Flyers, in Spearfish, South
Dakota, took command of the traveling
box from the Sage Hoppers Flying Club
in Gillette, Wyoming.
Our “typical” South Dakota weather
delayed the flight of the SQuiRT for
a couple of weeks, but on February 4,
the aircraft made its flight at Memorial
Field in Spearfish. Terry was pilot
number 323 in Wings Across America’s
long history.
From there, the airplane was passed
to Jon Lundgren of the R.C. Aces in
Rapid City. John and some members
of the Aces got the aircraft aloft on
February 12.
I received the airplane on February
16. My club, the Rapid City
Propbusters, had a fun-fly scheduled
for Sunday, February 19, so the WAA
airplane was included in the festivities.
We flew it several times. I was pilot
number 325 on the WAA list.
From here, I will pass the airplane to
Rodney Peters and Christofer Lidgett
of Pierre, South Dakota. After that,
it moves on to Chatsworth, Iowa.
Eventually, the aircraft will make its
way to pilot number 356 and back to its
home base in Virginia. There is talk that
the airplane, along with the log book
and all the memorabilia that has been
added, will be donated to the AMA’s
National Model Aviation Museum.
If you want more details on this
interesting project, go to the WAA-08
website at www.waa-08.org.
Associate Vice Presidents: Norm Berger, Parker CO; (732) 763-0301; [email protected]; Steve Culver, Omaha NE; [email protected]; Zac Heskin,
Garrison ND; [email protected]; Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY; fl [email protected]; Tom Neff, Aurora CO; (303) 829-5416; [email protected]; Brenda Schuette,
Auburn KS; [email protected]; Mike Tallman, Wichita KS; [email protected]; Jim Tiller, Rapid City SD; [email protected]. Webmaster: Norm Berger,
[email protected]. Contest Coordinator: Mac Strader, Overland Park KS; [email protected]
Jim Wallen
Vice President
District IX—Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming