District VII Report - 2004/05
Website and Chat
As those who read this column know, District VII has a website: www.amadistrictvii.org. District VII also maintains a chat site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AMA_D7/. You will have to subscribe in order to post messages; to subscribe, click the link on the AMA District VII chat page.
I have been disappointed to a degree that neither site seems to draw much interest. They were set up to provide avenues for ideas, discussions, hints, and questions about airplanes and related topics. We had hoped clubs would post or advertise activities in their areas, such as fly-ins.
Webmaster Needed
Because of the lack of interest in the www.amadistrictvii.org site, the fellow who had been the webmaster decided he could use his talents elsewhere. I have had a few inquiries about getting the site updated, which is encouraging, but we need a volunteer webmaster to maintain it. I am searching for someone who might be interested so we can try again with better results. It seems a waste not to utilize this medium.
Aeromodeling Hall of Fame: Anthony (Tony) Italiano
A congratulatory mention goes out to Anthony (Tony) Italiano, the latest recipient of the Aeromodeling Hall of Fame award. The award was presented to Tony at the November 2003 Bong Eagles meeting by Russell Knetzger, Associate Vice President (AVP) for District VII.
Tony has been very active in all phases of free flight and has made many contributions to the activity. He was a pilot of C-46s in the Pacific Theater during World War II and later a manager for the General Motors Delco division, working on guidance systems for the Apollo space program and inertial guidance systems for aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Congratulations, Tony.
School Project with NASA
Michael Beckman of the Hamburg Flyers R/C Club and Mike Cisler of the Livingston County RC Club, both in Michigan, were called upon to assist teachers from Spencer Elementary School in Brighton, Michigan.
Michael and Mike conducted the setup and flew a Sig Kadet equipped with infrared and color cameras. This project was in conjunction with NASA and was part of Dr. Robert Ballard’s Project JASON. The airplane and all equipment were supplied by NASA. In attendance to view the flight were members from Hamburg Township, the University of Michigan, and local radio and newspapers to record the event.
The involvement of these two clubs is an example of how clubs can be part of the local scene and contribute to efforts that may help retain possession of their fields or assist in finding new sites.
Closing
In the meantime, fly safely, have fun, and introduce a youngster to our hobby/sport.
C.A.V.U.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
