District V Report - 2003/06

168
MY LIFELONG friend George Perryman
passed away unexpectedly. George was an
active Associate Vice President for Free
Flight. We’ll all miss you, George.
George’s replacement will be Manny
Sousa.
Here is George’s granddaughter, Paulette
Perryman, with a replica of his 1948
Southerner, a CO2 model. Paulette attends
law school in Miami.
I attended the 12th Annual Big Bird Fly-In
conducted by the Sun Dancers Radio Control
(RC) Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. This
excellent organization is long overdue for
District V recognition. Port St. Lucie is on the
eastern side of Florida, 100 miles north of
Miami. Many model fliers live in the area.
The Sun Dancers, with 240 members,
provide anyone in the area with an AMA
license, an opportunity to join the club, and a
place to fly. The club currently has three fields
and a lake for model fliers.
George Zegaib is the treasurer and field
marshal.
Here are some of the officials who run the
club: Left to right are Doug Grant, contest
director; my good friend Larry Olson, a club
director and Life Member; Gary Ballard,
vice president and event director; and
Charlie Fisher, president.
Some of the members congregate into
groups when out flying. Earl Ridgway reports
the Monday-Wednesday-Friday Gang in the
club newsletter, Tale Spinner, and the
Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday Gang is reported
by Larry Olson. Similar interests and flying
expertise draw them together.
No one is forbidden to fly at any of the
club fields at any time. It is a fun organization.
Larry reported in a recent newsletter that
the Lake Forest Retirement Home residents
came in their own bus to the field and
watched the club put on a good show.
Impound control officers (L to R) are Blake
Walston, Larry Olson, Robert Gelina, and
Art Simmonds.
This event was February 22-23. There were
terrible storms in the northern states, but
temperatures here were in the high 80s.
This shows John Costantino and his son
Chris, Harry Pinkman, and Jim Julian. This
huge P-47 belongs to one of them.
Jack DeLisle from the River District RC
Eagles in Michigan was working the
loudspeaker. At my request, he asked all
the fliers to line up for a group shot for the
magazine. They did so and I got this
priceless picture. I failed to get their names
when they dispersed, but I’ll know better
next time.
This remarkable club, the Sundancers RC,
is our February Club of the Month.
Wait! Here’s another Club of the Month of
equal importance: the Charlotte Radio Control
Society (CRCS) in Punta Gorda, Florida. The
CRCS has just held a big International
Miniature Aerobatics Club (IMAC) contest. It
provided the field and the officials to help
conduct and help run the affair.
Pictured here are some of the officers of the
CRCS. On the left are Nancy and Jim
McClary. Nancy is the press and recording
secretary for the club. The former
president, Jim is club vice president this
year. Next are landowners Sylvia and Larry
Hudson, Joe Hanchey, a CRCS director,
club secretary Ed Hill, pilot Alex Wolski,
and club treasurer Steve Leonard.
The Junior Challenge was a contest for
events 412, 413, and 414. It was a four-day
affair for Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced,
and Unlimited, with a freestyle competition
on the last day. The event was sponsored by
Horizon Hobbies.
CRCS was started in approximately 1984.
Joe Hanchey and Jim McClary molded and
formulated a new direction for the club.
Today the organization is successful with
nearly 100 members. It has an excellent flying
field with two parallel runways. The land
owner and his wife, Sylvia and Larry Hudson,
like model airplanes and Jim McClary and the
other club officials. How lucky can a club get?
The contest director came all the way from
Maryland to run the event.
Meet Andy Kane and his wife Toni. They
look happy to me.
I was there on Friday, Intermediate day.
This was not a fun-fly; this was a big contest.
Fliers showed up from all over the United
States.
I was lucky to get this photo of the two
judges, Julie Johnson and Gerry Dale,
judging the flying.
In case you are wondering what an IMAC
airplane looks like, here’s one. They are
very large and have high-powered engines.
This one above is from Jamaica. Meet
Derrick Taylor, Joe Patterson, and Wayne
Mathews.
The CRCS is our other Club of the Month
for February.
Both clubs have been mailed cloth patches
that say AMA Club of the Month. There are
many more pictures of these clubs on our
District V Web site, www.modelair.org.
District V Report
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/
Frequency Coordinator: Jim McNeill
Note: For a listing of all district volunteer workers
please consult a previous issue of Model Aviation.