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!
At the invitation of Bob Wilder, we
joined the group that flies at the Bedford
Boys’ Ranch. They have a group of rubberpowered
indoor fliers who had some real fun
and nice, 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-thepole
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.
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 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.
Lee’s Bearcat flies as well as it looks.
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.
All of the winners together.
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 CD 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.
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 RTF electrics were donated as
prizes. To be eligible for the prizes you had to
take a turn on the buddy box.
Alexi Bell and Amy Holly were the lucky
winners. In the back are George Brugnoli and
Mike.
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.
Gary’s museum-quality B-24.
I presented MAD certificates to B.B., Nick,
Randy Ritch (AVP Houston area), and Pete
Boudreaux (Louisiana AVP).
MAD presentation.
Have fun and fly safely! See you on the
flightline.
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Jim Rice
Vice President
118 E. Wright
Blvd., Universal
City TX 78148
Tel.: (210) 213-
0299 (evenings)
www.AMA-Dist-
8.org
District VIII
Lawrence receives the MAD Award. Arch receives the MAD award.
For a complete listing of district
officers and volunteers, please visit
the District VII1 Web site at
www.AMA-Dist-8.org
170 MODEL AVIATION
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/09
Page Numbers: 170
