District V Report - 2003/04

April 2003 165
I ATTENDED the Gateway Radio Control
Club Swap Meet and Fly-In. Chas Brooks was
the Contest Director. This fine organization is
our Club of the Month for December. It has
been in existence for 40 years.
The club has a new field with a 500- by
60-foot paved runway, a very large pavilion
with tables, a big enclosed building with
restrooms, hot water, a sewer, electricity, and
a kitchen. The City of Jacksonville, which
encompasses the entire county, mows the
grass at the field every six weeks.
Above is the pavilion with its benched
tables and a clear shot of their enclosed
building. An excellent flying field.
The outgoing president is Pete Rickard;
the new one is Buford Howard.
The club’s treasurer, Dave Keller,
explained to me that the club had more than
26 years at its old field, and now they have a
new one. Somebody said that a deputy sheriff
lives right next door.
This club entertains Boy Scouts annually
with Hobby Day. The members exhibit
airplanes hanging in mall shows and the like
and are involved in community affairs.
Now meet some of the club officials who
run the joint. This snap includes Bob
Kelley, Charles Brooks (that’s Chas,
second from left in the rear), Dave
Watzlawick, Robert Baer, Bud Henderson,
Lt. Col. Spanky Mackay (Ret.) on the right.
Spanky gets around pretty good; I’ve seen
him at several fun-flys in Florida.
This affair was heralded as a swap meet
and fly-in Model Aviation. It was cold for
Florida and very windy this day so almost no
flying.
This is Mike Amonette with his
unassembled Sopwith Pup, presumably to
be traded or sold.
A framed plaque honoring the Gateway
Radio Control Club is being mailed with my
signature and that of our AMA Executive
Vice President on it. Also, 100 cloth patches
are being mailed to Dave Keller for each
member.
Wait, one more club this month for the
December Club of the Month honor: the
Markham Park Pilots Association in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida. This large club flies off a
county park, formerly an airport, on more than
90 acres. It was started 10 years ago.
Broward County mows the grass and
keeps everything nice. It has provided an
enclosed building and a paved area for fliers
and spectators. The club allows jet-powered
models.
These fliers happily posed for this snap.
Meet Javier Castro, Maurido Carillo,
Roberto Roach, and Antonio Villafane. Their
model is a PT-40.
Jim Perdue is club president. John Kline is
the outgoing treasurer. The new treasurer is
Jerry Carley. This club has 150 members and
everyone swears that when they have a club
meeting 100 members show up.
Unbelievable! I spent part of Saturday and all
day Sunday visiting.
Pictured above are some of the Markham
Park Pilots Association officials and
members. This snap includes John Kline,
Jose Dieguec, Jim Perdue, his son
Jonathon Perdue, Jim Creech, and the
father-and-son team of Hector Romagosa
and Junior. Jim told me there were many
father and-son teams in the club.
Tom Anderson from Boca Raton showed
up with his RF Extra airplane that flew well.
Tom teaches the fourth grade at the
Cocoanut Creek Elementary school.
The Markham Pilots Association has an
annual Delta Dart program for Cub Scouts. It
goes to Pompano Park to the Air Force
Association and displays both static and flying
models.
Last year, the club hosted the AMA FAI
Team Trials for Pylon Racing. Jim said they
got a gold cup from the National Miniature
Pylon Racing Association (NMPRA).
I am mailing 150 cloth patches to the club
signifying its induction into our Club of the
Month for December.
Your Contest Coordinator for Florida, Judi
Dunlap, stays quite busy. She’s also the
official chairperson for advertisement and
promotion for her Ocala Flying Model Club.
Below is a snap she sent me of her club’s big
success at the Paddock Park Mall Show in
Ocala, Florida.
This snap includes (L-R) Bob Wagner, Dick
Thomas, Joan Thomas, Judi Dunlap,
husband Harry Dunlap, Fred Johnson, Joe
Anderson, Roy Wagner, Jack Davis, Hank
Jazwinski, and Bill Winkler. It is Baron
John’s airplane.
District V Report
Frequency Coordinator, Jim McNeill
Associate Vice Presidents
James Alvis, Jackson MS (601) 956-4978
Sherwin Arculis, Huntsville AL (256) 883-9838
Malcolm Boartfield, Marietta GA (770) 977-4126
Ron Chidgey, Pensacola FL (850) 476-8639
Rod Gier, Cocoa FL (321) 636-2148
Michael Gregory, Greenville SC (864) 244-8660
Louise Izzo, Wintersprings FL (407) 699-4929
Richard Jackson, Charleston SC (843) 744-4575
Bob Laine, Goldmine GA (770) 466-5336
Richard MacEntee, Palmetto FL (941) 729-1524
Joseph Micalizzi, Fajardo PR (787) 863-9163
Fred Mulholland, Tampa FL (813) 962-7020
George Perryman, Smyrna GA (770) 436-6001
Nancy Riley, Lake Placid FL (863) 699-1215
Melvin Sires, Aiken SC (803) 649-4073
Jim Stewart, Gardendale AL (205) 631-6968
Ward Van Duzer, Gainesville GA (770) 718-0122
Lee Webster, Manchester TN (615) 728-3283
Bud Williams, Gray TN (423) 477-0772
Alabama / Florida / Georgia /
Mississippi / Puerto Rico /
South Carolina / Tennessee
Jim McNeill
Vice President
617 South 20 Avenue,
Birmingham AL 35205
Tel.: (205) 322-2127
Fax: (205) 252-2654
E-mail: [email protected]
District V Web page:
www.modelair.org/
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