District VIII Report - 2009/09
Mr. Matlock and I drove 350 miles to fly for three hours in a gymnasium in Fort Worth, then came home the same day. Seems terrible, but boy did we have fun!
Bedford Boys' Ranch (rubber-powered indoor and RC demo)
At the invitation of Bob Wilder, we joined the group that flies at the Bedford Boys' Ranch. They have a group of rubber-powered indoor fliers who had some real fun and some impressive airplanes. Air conditioning created challenges, but they flew well.
The RC guys flew in the afternoon and I got a demonstration of Bob's round-the-pole RC/control-line combination. The airplane was tethered to a pole in the center and operated by RC from the stands.
Ed Couch impressed with loops, eights, wingovers, and inverted flight. Later, Bob flew a little Shoestring Racer with a small propeller and big speed as he did hot laps in a racing style he hopes to develop. I gave Bob a Making A Difference (MAD) Award and hope to build some of his airplanes soon.
My flash didn't work on the camera, so believe me when I say the craftsmanship was phenomenal.
Texas Scale Championships — GSW field, Fort Worth
We met Associate Vice President (AVP) Jack Hogan at the GSW field in Fort Worth for the Texas Scale Championships. It was another great show with really nice airplanes and nice folks as well.
The contest director (CD) for the event was Lawrence Harville, who created a safe but fun atmosphere for all pilots and spectators. Roughly 20 competitors in several classes flew and, despite the heat, everyone had fun. The new Texas Champion is Lee Rice. He flew a beautiful Bearcat with a Zenoah 445 twin in it.
Cowboy National Championships — Dunlay, Texas
Dunlay, Texas, was the scene of the Cowboy National Champs. Twenty-seven Pattern competitors braved record-high temperatures to compete in this first-year event. Competition was keen and all classes were well represented.
Chip Hyde and Brett Wickizer led the FAI class, and 12-year-old Brian Strachan won the Sportsman class. Arch Stafford did a good job as contest director in his first event since getting his license.
I heard someone say, "Y'all come back now, ya hear!" I echo those sentiments. It was a good time and the Medina Valley Club had the field in great shape.
Highland Lakes Flyers — Flights of Fancy
Mike McDougall, president of the Highland Lakes Flyers, sent a report on the club's annual Flights of Fancy community flight demo and youth training event. It was a great success, training more than 20 new pilots and entertaining more than 200 spectators.
Two ready-to-fly (RTF) electrics were donated as prizes. To be eligible for the prizes you had to take a turn on the buddy box.
Warbird Fly-In — Bomber Field, Monaville
Shorty and I visited the famed Bomber Field in Monaville, Texas, for its Warbird Fly-In. B.B. Weber was a great host and the event was ably run by Nick Stratos.
Warbirds from all eras and of different sizes filled the skies. Most were truly magnificent. Perhaps the nicest model I have ever seen was a B-24 by Gary Hughes.
I presented MAD certificates to:
- B.B. Weber
- Nick Stratos
- Randy Ritch (AVP Houston area)
- Pete Boudreaux (Louisiana AVP)
Have fun and fly safely! See you on the flightline.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
