District X Report - 2005/03

March 2005 161
ON OCTOBER 25, 2004, the North Las
Vegas City Council and the Regional Parks
Department officially dedicated the 160-acre
regional park in North Las Vegas, Nevada, in
honor of the crew of the Space Shuttle
Columbia which was tragically lost on
February 1, 2003. More specifically, the Prop
Nuts RC Club’s and the Rebel Squadron’s
flying site within the park was named the
Willie C. McCool Memorial Model Air Field
in memory of copilot Willie McCool.
Pictured: (back left) council members
Stephanie Smith and Sheri Buck, Audrey
McCool, Barry McCool, mayor Michael
Montandon, and councilman Robert
Eliason; (front left) Rebel Squadron
president Paul Schmitz, Prop Nuts RC
president Mike Middleton.
The Prop Nuts RC Club are proud to
have Willie’s father, Barry McCool, as a
member of the club and naming the field in
Willie’s memory came at the suggestion of
Prop Nuts member Larry Paiva.
After several meetings with park planner
Tony Taylor, the Parks and Recreation
Board and the Bureau of Land Management,
the North Las Vegas City Council was
presented with a request to name the field in
honor of Willie.
Prop Nuts member Barry McCool and his
wife Audrey expressed their appreciation
to the North Las Vegas City Council, the
Regional Parks and Recreation and the
local clubs for naming the North Las
Vegas Flying Site after their son Willie
McCool, copilot of the Space Shuttle
Columbia which was tragically lost
February 1, 2003.
The city council not only decided to
name the flying field for Willie, but to name
the entire regional park in the memory of all
seven astronauts who lost their lives. The
city offered to pay for the official park sign
and the clubs paid for the plaque displayed
at the flying field.
The Prop Nuts RC Club and the Rebel
Squadron thank Tony Taylor, the Parks and
Recreation Department, and the North Las
Vegas City Council for all of their help.
November 12-14, the Desert Hawks RC
Club hosted its 18th annual London Bridge
Seaplane Classic in beautiful Lake Havasu
City, Arizona.
Under the direction of CD Charlie Paska
and beach master George Field, the threeday
Seaplane Classic was well organized
and well attended. Although there was some
uncooperative weather on Friday and
Sunday, Saturday was picture-perfect. The
land, sea, and sky at Lake Havasu were
filled with float planes and float plane
enthusiasts.
This gorgeous seaplane belongs to Jerry
Short of Norman, Oklahoma. Jerry’s
unique landscape paint scheme blends in
perfectly as it cuts through the waves at
Lake Havasu.
The Desert Hawks worked hard to make
sure everyone had everything they needed
and had a great time. As you can see in the
picture, the retrieval crew worked nonstop to
ensure the inadvertent water mishaps made
it safely back to shore.
Till next time ... Keep ’em safe and Keep
’em fly’n.
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
Bill Malvey Ladera Ranch CA (949) 481-8621
Jerry Neuberger Santee CA (619) 258-4477
Bob Reynolds Tucson AZ (520) 296-8183
Frequency Coordinators
George Steiner Sacramento CA (916) 362-1962
(See last month’s column for additional AVPs and
Coordinators)
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
District X Report