District V Report - 2009/11
Event
I was able to get over to the Shadetree Miniature Aircraft Association’s Bud McMillan Big Bird Fly-In held September 11–12 in Glen St. Mary, Florida. The site is roughly 25 miles west of Jacksonville, Florida, on I-10 at exit 333.
Although the weather was overcast with rain threatening, that didn’t stop those in attendance from bringing out some truly nice aircraft and enjoying the wonderful flying site.
Some really great scale models were present, and fliers from nearby Jacksonville made the short trip over to attend. The club field is very large with an all-grass runway.
I spoke with some of the local members and it was evident that they really have a passion for model airplanes and just want everyone to come out and enjoy them in a low-key setting.
A personal story
While at the fly-in, I spoke with a longtime modeler who relayed this story to me. I won’t mention names, since I didn’t get his permission to print it, although I am sure he would be okay with it.
In a previous Model Aviation District V report, there was a picture of an airplane with its proud owner. Being interested in this model as well, he noticed that the owner had his same last name. He knew that he had some relatives in that part of the country, but did not know this person.
After doing some searching, he was able to contact the owner of the model and found out that their grandmothers were sisters. They were, in fact, second cousins who had never met.
Both had a long history of love of aircraft and had been flying RC for many years. He was very happy to have found a relative who enjoyed model aircraft as much as he did.
What a great story! I can’t think of a better way to meet a relative you didn’t even know you had. And isn’t that what model aircraft is all about? Meeting a new friend, sharing with the friends you have, and even getting family involved.
It just doesn’t get any better than that.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
