District XI - 2006/04
Reconnecting through email
I received an email from a member who noticed a mention in one of my columns regarding Claude Tanner. The gentleman wondered if this was the same person who had been his very first flight instructor back in 1972 at the Northern Virginia Radio Control Club outside Washington, D.C.
He related how, from this beginning, model aviation had brought him many years of enjoyment thanks to his first instructor. I was able to get the two of them together via email so they could share some great memories.
My point here is that this hobby builds some special friendships in addition to the building and flying. Claude, who has been a good friend of my family for quite some time, is just one of many friends we have made in the hobby. These friends come and go—some move away—but I have noticed we stay in touch as much as we do with distant family members.
Our "family" of special friends is now spread all over the country, but we often enjoy reminiscing about all of the wonderful times we've had because of this great hobby.
Parma, Idaho — new flying site
Claude's ears must have been burning because, as I was writing this, I got an email from him advising that the club in Parma, Idaho—the Treasure Valley Aeromodelers—is back in business with a new flying site. The members had been flying off a strip at the local airport but lost the use of that site. It took almost three years to get a conditional-use permit to build a strip on a closed Bureau of Land Management landfill. The club now has a 40 x 600-foot paved strip. The money was put up by three members, a loan, and by cleaning out the club treasury. A few very dedicated members, according to Claude, made all this possible.
Keep smiling! It makes people wonder what you are up to.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
