District V
Jose Soto, District V Vice President; [email protected]
Hello, everyone. As I write this column, former District V Vice President (VP) Tony Stillman has stepped into the Flying Site Assistance Coordinator’s position and I have assumed the VP spot. Thank you, Tony, for a job well done and for taking the challenge to help clubs and members obtain and keep their flying fields.
I had the opportunity to visit the Joe Nall and I have to say that the camaraderie shared by aeromodelers is special. I met up with many old friends and made some new ones. I talked to many people about our sport and in what direction they would like to see it head.
The overwhelming complaint is about flying fields—how to get them and how to keep them—and who would help with that. Well, Tony Stillman is your man!
Youth outreach and instruction
I have a program at my local club that is geared toward introducing young people to the arts of aeromodeling. We visit schools during the year and during summer camps and we introduce, by way of demonstration, the sport of model aviation.
The children are also allowed to operate the controls via buddy-box and we leave them with an appreciation of modeling. We then follow up with the school and offer them AMA membership and club membership free of charge.
We have trained instructors who are under the age of 19 for the purpose of teaching the kids. Don't ask me how, but children teach children at a faster rate and it's generally easier to get them involved when it's their peers who are at the helm.
Give it a try! You'll bring young people to your club and grow the hobby at the same time.
I will be getting organized here in the next few weeks and I would like to know if you liked the district jamborees that we had in the past. If I get good feedback, we will be organizing a jamboree in the near future.
Staff changes
Humberto Pomales, [email protected], has taken my position as associate vice president in central Florida. Humberto has been flying for more than 30 years and he is an ambassador for model aviation. Thank you, Humberto.
This year we have had a few modelers in the district "go west." Two notables are James M. "Andy" Anderson of Prattville, Alabama, and William Edward "Honest Ed" Smith of Gainesville, Florida. Our sincere condolences to their families.
In memoriam: Gail E. "Jake" Jacobson
Gail E. "Jake" Jacobson raced RC model aircraft at contests across the United States from the time pylon racing began in the early 1970s. He won the Nats twice and the National Miniature Pylon Racing Association (NMPRA) Championship twice.
He represented AMA District V on the RC Racing Contest Board for 25 years, served as a contest director for racing events at the Atlanta RC Club, and served as president of the Atlanta RC Club.
Jake was a highly decorated World War II flying ace. He was a P-51 fighter pilot who shot down five enemy planes and destroyed six other aircraft on the ground during the war, earning many ribbons and medals for his flying abilities.
After the war, Jake married and rejoined the Army Air Force, which was later renamed the U.S. Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel, making and flying model airplanes became Jake's passion. His hand-eye coordination and peripheral vision were excellent, observed longtime friend and racing partner John Landers. "He had tremendous vision," John said. "Even in his old age he had tremendous vision."
Although Jake quit racing several years ago because of health problems, his house remained filled with model aircraft ready to fly. Jake died as a result of a fall on June 1, 2010. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elaine; two daughters, Vicki and Christine; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Closing
Those of you who know how to build, teach someone to build. Those who know how to fly, teach someone how to fly. And all of the rest of you, enjoy model aviation!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
