District V - 2008/09

September 2008 161
WITH SUMMER in full swing, that means
it is Nats time! I hope to see several of you
at the Nats this year.
We have an Executive Council meeting
on the weekend of July 26-27 and I will get in
early to take in some of the Nats. If you have
never attended, it is really something to see!
Soaring into Summer: The theme for the
City of Apopka’s Summer Camp this year is
Soaring into Summer. I received an E-mail
from Mark at the camp and he asked if we
could come out to Edwards Park in Apopka,
Florida, and do a demonstration for the
children. One of the most important aspects
of our hobby, giving back to the community,
should be our legacy at the Remote Control
Association of Central Florida (RCACF).
Dean Cardoza, a new member of the
RCACF, Don Lowe, David Dilling, a
member of the awesome helicopter club The
Orlando Radio Control Helicopter Society
(TORCHS) and I showed up early for the
demo. We met our contact, Kristi Fixl, and
we set up for the show.
The first children began arriving and
soon we had a crowd. They were all very
interested in the models and I sent Dean into
the air with a Seagull Models Harrier. Dean
put on a show for the kids and they were all
amazed with most of them cheering him on.
David did the most unbelievable,
masterful, and just plain wild routine I have
ever witnessed with a helicopter! The camp
leaders were as amazed as the rest of us, but
to the children it was pure magic! Just look
at the faces of these children and you will
see why it is so important to do these
community service events!
Don Lowe was next in the line-up and he
flew an Extreme Flight Vanquish. This
model, in the right hands (as in Don’s case),
is amazingly smooth and very entertaining
to watch!
Let me remind you that these folks are
flying in a small park not a quarter the size
of our field and they are doing it safely and
professionally. It is a real pleasure for me to
be associated with this kind of modeler, and
it really is not difficult to set up shows
knowing that the caliber of pilots who do
these events are top notch.
The camp director, Lorena Potter,
thanked us for coming out. She enjoyed the
flying as much as the children did.
After each group of children watched the
flight demos, the pilots took their machines
into the crowd so that the children could
hold and manipulate the controls on the
transmitters as they watched the fight
surfaces move.
It was an amazing thing to observe. As
their minds wandered into the wild blue sky,
I know there will be some pilots in the
future who were influenced by what they
saw today.
I remember my first experience with a
model airplane. I wasn’t even in school yet,
but I knew what I wanted to do; I wanted to
fly! These children today reminded me of
what it was to look up at the sky imagining
and wondering. A great pleasure was had by
all those there—most of all by me!
—Jose Soto
Thanks to Associate Vice President Jose
Soto for this report and thanks to Kristi Fixl
for providing the pictures.
District V
Tony Stillman, District V Vice President; [email protected]
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Tony Stillman
Vice President
139 Altama Connector,
Box 322, Brunswick GA
31525; (912) 242-2407
www.amadistrict-v.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Alabama:
Jhon P. Russell,
Mount Olive AL; (205) 213-5240
[email protected]
Florida:
Tony Fandino, Miami FL
[email protected]
Douglas Jones, Venice FL; (941)
496-8943; shellback76@
bellsouth.net
Georgia:
Bob Dixon, Macon GA;
[email protected]
Fred L. McClellan, Marietta GA;
(770) 402-6570; the-plumber@
mindspring.com
Mississippi:
Paul Verger, Vancleave MS;
(228) 826-4892;
[email protected]
Puerto Rico:
Richard Prann, San Juan PR; (787)
777-2143; [email protected]
South Carolina:
Richard Whitely, Summerville
SC; (843) 408-3509;
[email protected]
Tennessee:
Dick Tonan, La Vergne TN;
[email protected]
Safety Coordinator: Red
Scholefield, Newberry FL; (352)
331-8410; redscho@
bellsouth.net
Frequency Coordinator: Jose
Soto, Apopka FL;
[email protected]; (407) 814-9641
Webmaster: Bill Davison
[email protected]
For additional district officers and
volunteers, please see a previous
issue of MA or visit the District V
Web site.
D i s t r i c t V Volunteers