District V - 2006/04
Spring flying season
As you read this, the spring flying season should be in full swing, at least in Florida. Many events are held this time of year in central and south Florida. The weather is usually mild and sunny, and there are many great swap meets. I hope everyone is gearing up for a fun year of flying.
Travel and meetings
My travel schedule is very busy as well. I hope to meet many of you again this year at the Southeastern Modeler's Show in Perry, Georgia. We are scheduling a get-together with all the District V AMA members on Saturday during the show. Roughly 10 of our district's associate vice presidents (AVPs) are planning to attend. I hope you will drop by and visit.
New AVP
I want to welcome my newest AVP, Lamar Blair. Lamar will be covering the northern part of Alabama. If you are in that area, look for Lamar at one of your club events or meetings.
Puerto Rico exhibition (January 19–20)
Pilotos RC del Noroeste in Puerto Rico held an exhibition at the Plaza del Norte Mall in Arecibo. Highlights:
- More than 1,400 raffle tickets were sold for a Thunder Tiger .60 trainer with an O.S. .60 two-stroke engine and a four-channel Hitec radio.
- Armin Velazquez and Andres, another club member, flew electric indoor helicopters that were safe and impressive to the lay public.
- La Sorpresa Hobby Shop owner Armin Velazquez donated the model. Mr. Velazquez's daughter sold most of the tickets at the mall.
- The winner will be selected at the next Sunday's fly-in at the club's facility.
- Eighteen models were exhibited from the mall's second floor. The exhibition was located in a strategic spot in the mall in front of the food court and bathrooms.
Luis Cordero, the club's president (seen in the middle of the group photo), did an excellent job with the exhibition. This type of activity helps promote our hobby; maybe more clubs should try this.
West Alabama Kick-Off Fun-Fly
John Russell, AVP in Alabama, sent in the following report:
"Another club in central Alabama also started the New Year off right! West Alabama Aeromodelers (WAAM) held its 2006 Kick-Off Fun-Fly with more than 50 pilots from around the area attending. Fun, food, and fellowship were the highlights of the day's activities!
"There were several spectators on hand who even got a chance to fly the club's trainer with an instructor. Everyone who attended really had a great time, despite the weather. No one let the rain showers keep them out of the sky. Once the showers went by, pilots who wanted to fly launched their airplanes and really put on a show!
"Helicopters, airplanes of all sizes, and even a couple of E-machines took to the air. With all of this activity going on in my coverage area, 2006 is shaping up to be a busy year for RC pilots in central Alabama."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
