District V Report - 2004/02

February 2004 175
I ATTENDED the Thermal Thumbers of
Metro Atlanta’s Last Fling Till Spring contest
held at Whitesburg, Georgia. It was an
interesting affair. Radio Control (RC)
enthusiasts can stay in model airplanes for
years and then, maybe, try something else.
Free Flighters, when hooked, stay in Free
Flight (FF) for life. This Metro Club has
roughly 75 members, 13 of whom are contest
directors (CDs).
Thermal Thumbers club members hosted
the FF affair and practically every club
member there helped run the contest. This
picture shows many of the members present.
Back row (L to R) Oscar Smith; Howard
Klemetson; Al Pardue; James Martin;
Dohrman Crawford; Graham Selick; Ray
Cudworth; Geoff Grosguth; Brook Dixon;
Jim Altenbern. Front row Fritz Mueller; Don
Peacock; Jim Howell; Brook Dixon Jr.;
David Mills; Don Brown; Frank Hodson;
David Barfield.
The Brown family is a famous family in the
FF world. Three generations of this family
have won numerous events at the National
Aeromodeling Championships.
Pictured are Don Brown (L), middle of back
row is Peter Brown, Peter’s wife Stephanie
(R) holding 9-month-old Jessica, and
Elisabeth and Michaela in the front.
AMA FF rules require the contestant’s AMA
number be on the top of the wing on
outdoor models. Here are Al Pardue from
Vestavia, Alabama, and Tom Hopkins (R).
Al is holding his Gollywock model.
I attended the 3-D fly-in at Autaugaville,
Alabama, hosted by the Fountain City Flyers.
Brice Stultz, the club’s president, had to work
that day. What is 3-D flying? This picture
below might help explain it.
Here are four of the International Miniature
Aerobatic Club (IMAC) almost ready-to-fly
(ARF) airplanes all hovering vertically at the
same time. These propeller-driven scale
aircraft can do every maneuver-slow rolls,
loops, flat spin, stall turns, you name it.
The Fountain City Flyers helped put on the
3-D fun-fly. Members helped in every way
they could. This photo includes some of the
club members.
Front row (L to R) Chase Wold; Taylor
Green; Gene Sedgewick; Bab Ernsbarger;
Sandy Johnston; Julian Johnston. Back
row Steven Dodds who worked the
impound; “Arkansas” Hoight; Carey Dodds;
Gayla Hoight; Jay Cox; Charles Welch;
Chris Lambert; Morris McKen; Dan Baker.
Wes Dotson, Mike Sauls, Chase Wolk
(holding the model), and Dan Baker
paused a moment to let me snap this
picture. The size of these airplanes is
awesome. They get bigger every year.
Kneeling on the far right of this picture is
Blaine Austin from River Ridge, Louisiana,
with his Carden Edge. Blaine also brought
a 1/2-scale airplane powered by a twocylinder,
240 cc, 23 hp engine powering a
37-inch propeller. Great care is exercised
when these experienced fliers perform.
I attended the Shade Tree Miniature
Aircraft Association’s International
Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA)
Mini-Festival at Glen St. Mary, Florida. The
club president, B.J. Cannon, gave me
permission to honor his organization with a
Club of the Month award, so I did.
In the photo are B.J. Cannon (R) and CD
John Mason.
The Shade Tree club hosted and
sponsored this Giant Scale event. Many of
the club members helped officiate.
Pictured above are Dick Porter; Monty
McMillan; Milton Moise; Skip Dorman;
Frank Porter; B.J. Cannon; Charles
Stracener; Alan Jackson; Tim Sibley; Dan
Moon; Brian Stephens; Spencer Stephens;
Barbara Spedele; Don Arnett; Polly Thies;
Terry Thies. A couple of names are
missing.
There are roughly 30 photos of this Glen
St. Mary event on the District V Web page
at www.modelair.org.
If you attended any of these three events,
look on the Web site. You might see
yourself.
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
Bob Dixon, Macon GA (478) 476-9219
Judi Dunlap, Summerfield FL (352) 347-5852
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, Loganville GA (770) 466-5336
Joseph Micalizzi, Fajardo PR (787) 863-9163
Fred Mulholland, Tampa FL (813) 962-7020
Nancy Riley, Lake Placid FL (863) 699-1215
Melvin Sires, Aiken SC (803) 649-4073
Jose Soto, Apopka FL (407) 814-9641
Manny Sousa, Gulf Breeze FL (850) 932-6383
Jim Stewart, Gardendale AL (205) 631-6968
Ward Van Duzer, Gainesville GA (770) 718-0122
Lee Wells, Columbia TN (931) 380-0789
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/
04feb.qxd 11/24/03 10:12 am Page 175