District VIII - 2015/06

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 done 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, and
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 28, 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. The
weather was perfect with a slight breeze
to keep everything just right. The event
ran March 27-29 with more than 50
registered pilots coming from six states.
There was nonstop flying from the
early morning to late in the evening on
a large 540 x 133-foot grass runway.
There was everything flying 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 with the event, and had
prizes not just for the pilots, but kids as
well. The noontime 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 of handcrafted
machines, including several turbinepowered
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 had
for events.
Hope to see you all at the field!