District VIII — Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Mark Johnston — Vice President
I traveled to Oklahoma City for a swap meet hosted by the Oklahoma City R/C Flyers on Saturday, March 14, 2015. The event was well organized with plenty of tables and many people walking around to buy and sell. Charles Trice ran the event with help from many other members. I was able to visit with people from all over whom I had not seen in a while.
While I was attending the event in Oklahoma, Tony Breyen from the Wichita Falls Radio Control Club was in Weatherford, Texas, attending that club’s swap meet, which happened to be on the same weekend. Tony said there was a fair turnout, but it was down from last year.
I also attended the Albuquerque RC Club’s swap meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 4, 2015; it was down as well from years past. Swap meets are always an up-and-down event—some years they do well, and others, not so much.
On March 27–29, 2015, I attended the Texas Wings Flying Club’s 4th Annual Giant Scale Fly-In & Fun Fly in Newark, Texas, near Fort Worth. The event was fun and well attended. I have a picture of all of the pilots who were willing to have a picture taken; the photo was taken by Mimi Mason of Model Aviation Memories.
The Texas Wings event was a hit in the community. The club couldn’t have asked for a nicer weekend—weather was perfect with a slight breeze to keep everything just right. More than 50 registered pilots came from six states. There was nonstop flying from early morning to late in the evening on a large 540 x 133-foot grass runway. Everything flew, from small foamies to a beautiful Bill Hempel 60% L-4 Grasshopper. Club members and their guests put on a great show for all who came to watch. Roman Paryz and the club did an outstanding job and had prizes not just for the pilots, but for kids as well. The noon demos were a hit, and the club will continue to grow the fly-in into a top-notch annual event for the district.
Jerry Walters, Louisiana associate vice president, sent me the following report:
The 6th Cajun Scale Heli Classic was held at the Rice Area Modelers Society (RAMS) airfield in Rayne, Louisiana, March 27–28, 2015. More than 70 pilots registered. The second Len Mount Scale Helicopter Championship was held, and Eric Babineaux’s Cobra was the winner. The weather was beautiful and the outstanding flying site was trimmed and immaculate. The aroma of a roasting pig for the Saturday night pilots’ dinner filled the air. Numerous RAMS members staffed the AMA-sanctioned event and Cajun hospitality was evident. The flying was amazing! The scale event featured the finest handcrafted machines, including several turbine-powered helis. The 3-D flying was awesome, and huge lighting units kept the pilots flying until 2 a.m.—they just couldn’t get enough.
Stew Moore visited the East Texas Aeromodelers of Longview, Texas, on St. Patrick’s Day. The club members gather for lunch before flying on the third Tuesday of every month. Stew joined the club as well because it was only 45 minutes from his home.
I have not heard much about Free Flight, Old-Timer, or Society of Antique Modelers groups from anyone in the district. I wonder how much activity is going on. I have seen several control-line sanctions and a few sailplane contests. If your club participates in these areas, drop me a line—I would love to hear what your group is planning or has held for events.
Hope to see you all at the field!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
