166 MODEL AVIATION
I WANT to take this time to wish you all a
happy New Year. I hope that all of the
members and their families in District VII
enjoy good health and prosperity, and
above all, please take a few minutes to
check over your equipment to make sure
you will have a safe time at the field.
When I look back over the past year, I
marvel at the strides our hobby/sport has
taken. This is not only in the model aircraft
field but also in the boats and car sector. It
wasn’t too many years ago that we as
hobbyists had to build an airplane, boat, or
car.
Today you can walk into almost any
hobby shop, plunk down a piece of plastic,
and walk out with a model that is prebuilt,
painted or covered, and known as an ARF
or ARC. All it takes is a few hours to
assemble the parts, install the servos,
engine, or motor, and have fun.
One area that really has taken off—
pardon the pun—is that of electric motors
and batteries. We have progressed from
little hobby motors to large horsepower
motors flying Giant Scale airplanes. It was
necessary to add pound after pound of
double A, C-size, and in a few cases Dsize
batteries for power. Now we have Li-
Poly and other polymers that weigh only a
few ounces but put out tremendous
amounts of power.
I received a note from Jim Johnston,
president of the Little Finger Thermaleers
of Northwest Michigan (LIFT) in Traverse
City. It is an open invitation to anyone
interested in soaring hobby. Check out the
LIFT Web site at www.flyinlift.org.
The club has been in existence for 30
years. Jim invites everyone to see the
club’s field in Maple City, Michigan.
These are the LIFT fliers prior to the
International Postal Competition.
Don Johnson sent in these shots of the
new field that was acquired by the Alban
R/C Flying club in Alban, Wisconsin.
There was a great write-up in the local
newspaper describing how and what the
club did to get the new site.
Property owner Larry Riddell, with his
hand on the sign, and Jerry Seehafer are at
the club’s new flying site.
As you can see by the sign, the field is
named after the owners of the property:
Larry and Maryland Riddell.
This shows Riddell Field from the air.
Here is an airplane not often seen. It is a
Winged Derringer twin engine. It is a scale
model of an aircraft developed in the
1960s but never made to full production
except for two or three finished aircraft.
The Winged Derringer twin engine is a
most unusual aircraft.
The model is owned and flown by
Wyandotte, Michigan, resident Steve
McLain. Steve and fellow modeler Al
Heim scratch built the airplane.
The model has a 12-foot wingspan,
weighs roughly 65 pounds, and is powered
by two Quadra 50cc engines. It is capable
of mild aerobatics; in fact, it is impressive
in flight.
By now, most of the ARFs and ARCs are
assembled and ready for spring.
Good luck with your projects and fly
smart and fly safely. C.A.V.U.
Associate Vice Presidents
Larry Brannan, Grand Rapids
MI; (616) 956-6012;
[email protected]
Ed Bucki, Rockwood MI;
(734) 379-4054; thebuckster@
sbcglobal.net
Bud Gorman, Knife River MN;
[email protected]
Don Held, Elmira MI;
(231) 584-2662; [email protected]
Thomas D. Lazar, Marshall WI;
[email protected]
Jon McVay, Mount Vernon IA;
(319) 895-6527;
[email protected]
Tom Pierce, St. Clair MI; (810)
367-6450; tom_pierce_48070@
yahoo.com
Mark E. Robotti, North
Lindstrom MN; 76214.1624@
compuserve.com
Tom Ryan, Milwaukee WI;
(414) 881-0070; tomcat@
execpc.com
Frequency Coordinators
West: Al Schwartz, Roseville
MN; (651) 633-2286
East: Pete Waters, Northville
MI; (248) 486-4800 D
Volunteers
District VII
Bill Oberdieck, District VII Vice President; [email protected]
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Visit us on the Web:
www.modelaircraft.org
