Flying Site Assistance-2004/12

December 2004 155
LEON’S SPIDER: Leon Shulman gave me
an interesting accessory which I have found
useful at the flying site and I would like to
share it with you. It is an electrical adapter
which comes completely assembled with
high-quality banana plugs, molded leads,
and an insulated junction sleeve to allow
charging virtually from any battery plug.
It comes with banana-type plugs for your
charger output leads with plugs for Futaba,
Airtronics, and Hitec transmitters and
receivers, three spare leads, and a JST
female lead. The list price is $24.95 but it is
available at a special introductory price of
$19.95 from Taisun.com, 1140 Citrus Oaks
Run, Winter Springs FL 32708; (800) 983-
7050 or (407) 359-1020.
Fly Before You Buy: A recently opened
hobby shop called Lighthouse Hobbies in
Lockport, New York, offers a terrific
hands-on promotion program that is
working extremely well to bring new
members for the two clubs in the area: The
Lake Ontario RC Flyers and the Niagara
County RC Flying Club (Balsa Busters).
“Fly Before You Buy” is posted clearly at
the shop and all anyone has to do to get RC
experience is to show up at the field where
the hobby shop provides trainers and
instruction.
What is interesting is that one of the
members of the Balsa Busters is the father
of Lockport’s newest mayor, Mike Tucker,
who has joined his father and learned to fly
this season through “Fly Before You Buy.”
This resulted in political connections in the
area. Several city officials were contacted
and were able to fly with the store trainers,
learning how educational and important the
hobby/sport really is.
Several members of the local radio
station, WLVL 1340 AM, agreed to come
out and learn how to fly RC aircraft. Last
year, 20 students from Medialle College
came to fly the trainers. College officials
liked what they did so well they agreed to
bring more students this year.
Joe Bartholomew, owner and operator of
Lighthouse Hobbies states, “as long as we
have the community on our side, we won’t
have to worry about losing our flying site.”
Don Ross, FSA volunteer, has always
professed that we should develop model
programs for veterans in our government
retirement institutions. With the vehicle of
indoor flying through its dramatic growth of
micro modeling, Don demonstrated how it
can be done and how well it is received and
enjoyed. The photos are by Vic Bock.
A Win-Win Club Project: The second
annual Teaneck Armory Wheelchair-Bound
Veterans’ Fly-in was a huge success. On
October 15, the Metropolitan Sport
Squadron hosted 16 wheelchair-bound
veterans from the Paramus Veterans’ Home.
Our visitors had coffee and cake while they
watched demonstrations of Easy Bs, Peanut
Scale, Indoor Scale, and electric RC.
Art Collard helps one of the veterans
prepare his aircraft for flight.
The veterans were fascinated by the
micro RC stuff taking off from a card table
and usually landing right back there. The
really light Indoor stuff seemed to stay up
forever and brought out a lot of questions
and interest. We assured our visitors that
they would be able to build and fly their
own models.
The club originally received permission
to fly in the armory from Tom White who
rents the space for his soccer league. Tom
Flying Site Assistance
Joe Beshar
Coordinator,
Eastern Region,
Districts I - VI
198 Merritt Dr.
Oradell NJ 07649
Tel.: (201) 261-1281
Fax: (201) 261-0223
E-mail: [email protected]
Wes De Cou, Coordinator
Western Region
Districts VII - XI
Voice: (480) 460-9466
Cell: (480) 296-9515
Fax: (480) 460-9434
202 W. Desert Flower Ln.
Phoenix AZ 85045
E-mail: [email protected]
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining
Tom Schiavone is showing one of the veterans some building techniques.
THE HEARTBEAT OF MODEL
AVIATION: Recognizing the critical
nature of the need for preserving and
finding flying sites, congratulations to
the AMA members who have taken the
initiative to register to join in
addressing this most important
objective. They are the heartbeat of
model aviation.
These people comprise a network
of volunteers who serve as AMA’s
eyes and ears, by being aware of
activities in their area that could
negatively impact existing flying sites.
They recognize locations that have
the potential for future flying sites,
and they advise the clubs and members
in their area.
We invite and welcome all AMA
members to get on board and join the
team. Please contact one of the Flying
Site Assistance Coordinators for
registration details.
not playing soccer.
Last year, Major Tom Pitersky helped us to organize the first
annual fly-in. He put us in touch with Janet Dillon who supervises
armory rental and use. We explained to her what we had in mind,
and with the Major’s help, we worked with Ms. Petrelli at the
Paramus Veterans’ Home to set up the event. Captain Mellen, who
now runs the armory battalion, along with Charles Parsons, the Chief
Armorer, provided logistic support and enthusiastic supervision.
During last year’s fly-in we found that doing this kind of
community service carries big rewards. Many of our members are
veterans and the pleasure we all found in showing our visitors a
unique kind of good time gave us a glow that lasted all year. Some
of our visitors had even flown in.the ships that our Scale models
portrayed.
After coffee, we started the half-hour building program using the
Canarsie Canary that was designed for just this kind of event. The
Canary is all sheet balsa, has only six glue joints, and sports an
adjustable-wing pylon so balance and incidence can be changed
along with rudder and left aileron tabs to control turn.
Art Collard instructs the veterans on building details.
The Canary was chosen as one of the Ten Best Models of 2003
by the National Free Flight Society and it does well in the hands of
any beginner. Plans for the Canary appeared in the August 2001
Model Aviation and are available from AMA.
The other half of the win-win proposition is that we now have a
fine flying site where we are treated as equal participants in the
armory’s community service program. I believe the same
arrangement can be worked out with any indoor club that has access
to an armory. Scout a local armory or other potential site.
Instead of wandering in and asking if you can fly there, make up
a presentation that can be shown to the person in charge. You might
take a copy of this article (and another soon to be published in the
National Guard newspaper), and an Alan Abriss Silent Magic video
that shows the Canary being built and flown by a group of
youngsters. Take a sample AMA insurance certificate and maybe a
Minnow, Canary, or Butterfly model.
Offer the program as a community service idea and follow up
with letters showing more pictures of indoor flying. Our club is
trying to get some sort of national notice that can be shown to any
armory commander. We will report on our progress in later months.
In the meantime, please send me notes on what progress you may
have made in getting flying sites, perhaps using some of the above
information. I can then spread the word to many other clubs. It’s
possible that some armories or other military installations have large
outdoor areas they use for drilling, etc. This could result in multiuse
sites for all types of flying.
Silent Magic is available from Alan Abriss, 94-20 66 Ave.,
Forest Hills NY 11374; E-mail: [email protected].
Register as an FSA Volunteer!
The Flying Site Assistance Program consists of a network of
volunteers who serve as the AMA’s eyes and ears.
These volunteers read newspapers and listen to and watch news
programs to be aware of any activities that could impact an existing
or potential flying site.
It is just a matter of collecting information regarding flying
sites, advising local modelers and AMA clubs in the area, and
passing it on to one of the AMA Flying Site Assistance
Coordinators.
Join this ambitious program as a service to your fellow
modelers. Anyone interested, contact one of the Flying Site
Coordinators at the address at the beginning of this column..
Attention AMA Clubs:
YES Grant Deadline
January 1, 2005
The AMA Youth Education Stipend (YES) Grant
program, administered by the Education Committee,
awards one-time, $500 grants to AMA clubs for the
purpose of aiding introductory modeling programs.
For the guidelines and an application, visit
www.buildandfly.com or contact April Hathaway:
(765) 287-1256, ext. 515; [email protected]