District V — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Airfest Recap
The District V Airfest is in the books. Sixty pilots signed up and the weather was perfect.
Kids' Glider Awards
At the event, the kids received AMA gliders. Two RTF Cubs were awarded for the longest-distance glider flight (kids 12 and under, one boy and one girl). Associate Vice President (AVP) Paul Frankum and District Vice President Kris Dixon served as judges.
In a show of extreme sportsmanship, the girls' winner, Adie Wallin, gave her Cub to the third-place finisher. Why not give it to the second-place winner? That was her sister, and Adie said, "She's got enough stuff already." — Dave Wenzel
Club Spotlight — Indian River R/C and Al Pineau
All clubs have one. Our club, Indian River R/C in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, has Al Pineau. He is the glue of the club. The group has had to move its field twice in the last three years. With Al's leadership the club has held together during these major changes.
Al took charge of planning, coordination, and execution of all facets of the moves. He contributed his skills, finances, and time, demonstrating above-average effort. With a small club of 40 members—none of us are young any longer—getting the work done has been a testament to his leadership. His ability to take charge and move runways, buildings, tables, and all of the other items is a credit to his skills. To move from one site to another and only lose one day of flying is remarkable.
Whether helping new members learn to fly or helping members polish their skills, Al has never—and I mean never—said no to these requests. He formed a board to give the membership options when decisions needed to be made on various tasks. He has acted fairly with the membership at all times and expected nothing in return except to keep the club in the air. He is the glue.
Al has always exhibited a positive and enthusiastic attitude toward all club members. Whether helping new fliers or going to a school to talk to kids about model aviation, Al is the first one there. Need a club building? There's Al. Need the mower fixed? There's Al.
As a member of AMA for more than 55 years and a past winner of this award, I feel that the Carl and Beth Goldberg Vital People Award was made for people like Al. Two years ago I moved to Florida and was looking for an R/C club to join. Seeing Al's leadership skills made me decide to join the Indian River R/C club. Al and the other members of this club represent what the AMA is all about. Al is the glue that makes the club and AMA what they are. — Walt Throne
Certificate of Appreciation — Ronda Powell
On November 17, AVP Paul Frankum awarded an AMA Certificate of Appreciation to Ronda Powell, director of the county landfill. The Koast Air Modeling Society of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, has a flying site located on the county landfill that she directs. She has done many beneficial things for Koast Air, including adding an additional 300 feet to the existing 350-foot runway.
The officers of Koast Air were there to present the award with me. Included were:
- Archie April
- Lou Parath
- Lee Carroll
The club looks forward to many good years of working with Ronda. — Paul Verger
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
