District X Report
Arizona / California / Hawaii / Guam / Nevada / Utah
Richard Hanson Vice President
PO Box 3312 Scottsdale, AZ 85271 Voice/Fax: (888) 899-3548 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.ama10.org
Associate Vice Presidents
- Glenn Carter — Walnut Creek, CA — (925) 933-2086
- Jim Giffin — Sacramento, CA — (916) 296-6165
- Wayne Hamada — Honolulu, HI — (808) 521-7733
- Kai Jensen — Reno, NV — (775) 329-6430
- Bill Malvey — Ladera Ranch, CA — (949) 481-8621
- Jerry Neuberger — Santee, CA — (619) 258-4477
- Bob Reynolds — Tucson, AZ — (520) 296-8183
Frequency Coordinator
- George Steiner — Sacramento, CA — (916) 362-1962
(See last month's column for additional AVPs and coordinators.)
Santa Fe Dam Float Fly (April 26–27)
The Santa Fe Dam RC Modelers (SFDM) hosted its spring float fly on the cool blue waters of Santa Fe Dam in the San Gabriel Valley northeast of El Monte, California. Kent Smith was the contest director, assisted by Mike Jones and a hard-working group of volunteers. Curt Wass and his wife Jane served a catered lunch, and a pilots' raffle rounded out the day with a radio donated by Rick Mattie of Airtronics.
The Santa Fe Dam RC Modelers sponsor a float fly twice a year with donations going to the Friends of the Santa Fe Dam Support Foundation. This organization supports families and underprivileged kids and also provides fishing mentors, a park-watch program, and help in the preservation of the local wildlife. The event also benefits the club as it earns "points" from the Dam for promoting public interest in its facility.
The SFDM club also participates in the Dam's Family Fish Day by providing a static display of model airplanes and flight demonstrations using park flyers and electric helicopters. This event presents an opportunity for young people of all ages to get up-close exposure to model aviation. In return, the modelers gain a flying site and an incredible venue for their float fly.
You can visit the club's Web site at www.sfdrcm.org. Be sure to check out the "First Saturday" information. The SFDM field is open to the public on the first Saturday of each month for site orientation and an introduction to RC flight. The club even has its own aviation-oriented Boy Scout troop.
Best in the West Jet Rally (April 11–13, 2003)
District X AVP Bill Malvey of Ladera Ranch, California, provided the following report on the 2003 Best in the West Jet Rally.
The California Radio Control Jet Association (CRCJA) held its annual Best in the West Jet Rally at the Prado Regional Airpark, home of the Pomona Valley Model Airplane Club (PVMAC), April 11–13, 2003. More than 50 pilots attended and enjoyed four days of flying some of the most high-tech model airplanes airborne today.
The PVMAC field is 800 feet of perfectly smooth asphalt surrounded by a large expanse of farmland—perfect for all RC flying and tailor-made for the jets.
The weather was less than perfect, but few let the intermittent showers put a damper on the fun. Mike Sineracki was again the contest director and ran a beautiful and safe event. PVMAC members turned out to support the rally, providing much of the manpower and a great food concession.
Most participants flew turbine-powered airplanes, with glow-powered ducted fans in the distinct minority. Turbine airplanes are truly something to see and experience. It's amazing to stand in the pits, hear the sound of a turbine spooling up, and smell the jet exhaust as it fills your nostrils. It takes very little to imagine you're watching full-scale jets in action.
Scale models are always popular; however, several non-scale airplanes were in evidence and many of these make great starter platforms. The learning curve can be steep, and new turbine pilots rely heavily on the experience of the more seasoned veterans.
The CRCJA and PVMAC worked jointly to get an altitude waiver for the event. The PVMAC field is three miles south of Chino Airport, and the club and the FAA worked with CRCJA to allow the jets a little more breathing room. Cooperation was the name of the game, and everyone came out a winner.
Many thanks to Bill, Jerry, and Vincent Massa of the Channel Island Condors for their contributions to this month's column.
Till next time... Keep 'em safe and keep 'em flyin'.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
