I attended the US Scale Masters Championships, held October 10-13 at the Woodland-Davis Aeromodelers field in Davis, California. I’ve always admired the building skills shown in these Scale models. The level of detail is museum quality. After spending hundreds of hours crafting these jewels, they throw caution to the wind and fly them. This is all done in the pursuit of exactly replicating the appearance and flying style of their full-scale brethren.
The Scale Masters (www.usscalemasters.org) has a long history which began here in our district. In the early 1970s, a small group of Scale modelers—Harris Lee, Bert Baker, Bob Olson, and Jerry Ortega—who flew out of Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, California, decided to form a competition that had regional contests in which the best finishers qualified for a National Championship. Today, the organization is going strong under the leadership of Curtis Kitteringham.
If you’re interested in Scale modeling, check out the list of qualifying events for 2014. There are two categories that allow the use of ARF models so that you can use to make an easy transition into the world of Scale, so give it a shot.
One notable competitor was nine-year-old Dylan Baltazar. He flew his P-47 to a third-place finish in the ProAm/Sportsman class. Model Aviation plans to have a feature article about the competition next month.
In conjunction with that, I had a chance to sit down with Dylan and his father to conduct a video interview. Look for it and the full article. In the meantime, please enjoy some of my favorite photos from the event. More can be viewed at www.ama10.org.
Our longtime contest coordinator, Ellis Hall, has taken his final flight. CDs in northern California have depended on Ellis’s help to make their contests successful for decades. I enjoyed every minute I spent with Ellis. His passing is a loss for the entire District. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family. Sacramento-area associate vice president (AVP) Forrest Barton will take on Ellis’s duties. Please help him as he transitions into this new responsibility.
In more district personnel news, we have a new AVP in the San Francisco Bay area. Peter Vogel is an active member of the Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark Tomcats. He is the director of fixed-wing flight training for the Tomcats and a regular presence at the club’s field, helping new members earn their wings. Please help me welcome Peter aboard.
We have an AVP vacancy that I’d like to fill. Roger Willis, our Phoenix-area AVP, has moved to southern California. Phoenix is a strong hub of modeling activity for us here in District X, so I’d love to fill the vacancy with a capable and positive individual. Please contact me if you’re interested in the position.
Until next month, may you have nothing but happy landings.
