Author: Jim Rice
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/09
Page Numbers: 138

District VIII - 2012/09

Camp overview

I discovered this camp from an advertisement in Model Aviation. It turned out to be everything I was looking for, and better than advertised. Check-in was during the XFC finals, which were held at the IAC. We watched the end of the finals, had a brief meeting, met the other campers, were assigned roommates, and then said goodbye to our parents for the next four days. We were taken to our hotel, to dinner, and then called it a day.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all about flying. The weather was great all week except for the wind, which made for some challenging flying, but we were there to learn and train.

Daily schedule

  • Days typically started at 7 a.m. with breakfast.
  • We loaded up and rode to AMA, picked up our aircraft (stored indoors), and continued on to the flying field.
  • We flew until a lunch break at 1 p.m.
  • After lunch we often switched aircraft if desired and returned to flying until 5 p.m.
  • We put the aircraft away, rode back to the hotel, got cleaned up, and headed to dinner at about 6 p.m.
  • After dinner we often did some indoor flying with small electric airplanes.

Aircraft, facilities, and training

  • We flew a variety of aircraft and were even given the controls of a Hangar 9 Sukhoi SU-26MM SE designed by Mike McConville.
  • We were given a tour of AMA Headquarters and the National Model Aviation Museum.
  • There was never a shortage of supplies, tools, or guidance. Everyone pitched in to help each other, and we formed some great friendships by the end of the week.

Meals and social

  • Dinner every night was at Applebee’s, where we could order anything we wanted.
  • Lunch was provided by Texas Roadhouse every day.
  • After dinner social time included more flying and camaraderie.

Recommendations and final thoughts

I recommend this camp to anyone who loves to fly RC aircraft, regardless of skill level. The camp is broken down into three groups:

  1. Beginner
  2. Intermediate
  3. Advanced

I learned a lot and will continue practicing the skills I was taught. A few of us put together a YouTube channel where we posted videos of our experience: AMAtureRCSpinsider. This was an experience I will never forget.

Coordinators

Jessy Symmes and Bill Pritchett were our camp coordinators. They were awesome — they got us everywhere we needed to be and made the experience the best it could be.

—Tristen Lobbezoo

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.