District X - 2012/07

One of my favorite things to do as
your district vice president is to attend
monthly meetings and flying events in
our district. So, I was happy to oblige
Mike Stone and the Gilman Springs RC
Flyers when they invited me to the club's
World War I fly-in.
When I arrived, the skies resembled
Europe in 1915. A cavalcade of beautiful
Scale models traded blows in mock
aerial combat. Twenty-four pilots flying
33 models resulted in plenty of fun. I
noticed a substantial group of spectators
enjoying the event.
A full-scale Fokker Dr.I flyby was
a big crowd pleaser, along with a FF
demonstration during the noontime
break. I love to come to events such as
this, so if you have something exciting,
please let me know and I’ll do my best to
be there.
A new tradition was started with the
Donnie Leseberg Memorial International
Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC)
Event, held April 20, 21, and 22 at the
Tucson International Modelplex Park
Association flying field.
Donnie was involved in an automobile
accident traveling home from last year’s
Tucson Shootout. Both of Donnie’s
children were in the car with him. They
survived, but sadly, Donnie did not.
Tony Russo from Desert Aircraft
organized the program, which attracted
30 pilots from across the Southwest.
The Leseberg family was grateful for the
support and generosity of everyone who
attended, and the outpouring of kindness
from the RC community, including all
the businesses that sponsored the event
and the individuals who donated their
time to make it all happen.
Donnie Leseberg
and his daughter,
Brylee.
Noteworthy was that it was the first
time Donnie’s son, Cole, competed. He
placed fifth in Basic. All proceeds from
the event were donated to the Donnie
Cole Leseberg Fund.
If you would like to donate to this
fund, which benefits Donnie’s young
son and daughter, you can do so at
any Wells Fargo Bank. The donation
should be made to: The Donnie Cole
Leseberg Memorial Trust; trustee,
Mark E. Leseburg; account number,
55934667638. You can also donate
online at www.donnielesebergmemorial.
com.
Something that I’ve discovered as I
travel our district is that clubs involved
with communities tend to be the most
secure. An excellent way to connect with
your neighbors and build your club’s
membership is through having regularly
scheduled learn-to-fly sessions. I’d like to
help your club accomplish this.
The AMA has taken delivery of a large
number of basic four-channel Zebra
brand FM radios through the generosity
of Hitec RCD USA. They come in two
versions: one with a standard receiver
and three servos, and a second with a
lightweight receiver and two microservos
for small foamies. They have a trainer
jack and are compatible with a JR
Instructor’s transmitter.
I will provide these to any club that
requests them for its trainer fleet for the
cost of shipping. In addition, if you have
a young, underprivileged member who
needs a radio system, I will extend the
offer to them too. Contact me if you are
interested.
These are the radios that are available.
Congratulations to the Kona R/C Flyers
and the Conejo Valley Flyers. Both of
these District 10 clubs were awarded
AMA Flying Site Assistance Grants to
cover 10% of the cost of improvements
to their fields. Take advantage of this
benefit the AMA provides and improve
your own field. Next year’s grant requests
will be due in spring 2013.
I’d love to receive coverage of your events
for the column and website, so please
send in your reports and let everyone
know how much fun we’re having.
Don’t forget to check out the District 10
website at www.ama10.org, where you’ll
find an expanded version of this column
with more pictures and all the news
that’s fit to print about our district.
Until next month, happy landings.