District VII
Contact
Bill Oberdieck, District VII Vice President; [email protected]
States
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
Message from the Vice President
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. 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 and sport have taken. This is not only true in the model aircraft field but also in the boat and car sectors. It wasn't too many years ago that we as hobbyists had to build an airplane, boat, or car from scratch.
Today you can walk into almost any hobby shop, buy a single kit, and walk out with a model that is prebuilt, painted or covered—known as an ARF or ARC. All it takes is a few hours to assemble the parts, install the servos and engine or motor, and have fun.
One area that really has taken off—pardon the pun—is electric propulsion. We have progressed from small hobby motors to large horsepower motors flying giant-scale airplanes. Early on it was necessary to add pound after pound of AA, C-, and in a few cases D-size batteries for power. Now we have Li-Poly (LiPo) and other polymer batteries that weigh only a few ounces but put out tremendous amounts of power.
Clubs and fields
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. 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.
Don Johnson sent in photos 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. As you can see by the sign, the field is named after the owners of the property: Larry and Maryland Riddell.
Featured aircraft
Here is an airplane not often seen: the Winged Derringer twin-engine. It is a scale model of an aircraft developed in the 1960s but never produced in quantity—only two or three full-size aircraft were finished. The Winged Derringer is a most unusual airplane. 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 50 cc engines. It is capable of mild aerobatics; in fact, it is impressive in flight.
Closing
By now, most of the ARFs and ARCs are assembled and ready for spring. Good luck with your projects — fly smart and fly safely.
C.A.V.U.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
