Fly the RC Adventure Continues
“FLY THE RC Adventure,” published in the May 2008 MA, is about a school program designed to help clubs introduce students to RC flying.
The Paragon Aero Club first instituted the program at Cavallini Middle School in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. The club recently added Smith Middle School in Ramsey to its program to encourage aeromodeling in the youth community. The Paragon club issued the following press release promoting Fly the RC Adventure.
Press release
On Thursday, October 23, Paragon Federal Credit Union of Montvale, New Jersey, continued the Fly the RC Adventure at Smith School in Ramsey, New Jersey. Paragon FCU President and CEO, Richard Rays, is both an avid pilot and modeler. He approached his associate Dave Kopec about introducing the virtues of model airplanes to the various 52 Bergen County school districts the credit union serves.
Jim Gorab of Cavallini Middle School in Upper Saddle River was gracious enough to help Paragon spread the word to other schools after their own fly-in (see the May 2008 MA for full coverage). This kinship resulted in a fruitful relationship with Jeremy Truppi, a science teacher at Smith School.
Mr. Truppi had been at a follow-up appearance at Cavallini and was excited to be a part of the RC Adventure. Jeremy deserves a great deal of credit for bringing aeromodeling to the youngsters at his school.
It was a great day for flying as the 7th- and 8th-grade students lined the edge of the beautiful athletic field at Smith School. Richard Rays and “RC” Joe Beshar had the undivided attention of the students as they spoke about the many virtues of flying model airplanes.
As a World War II pilot, Mr. Beshar always does a great job discussing the history of flight as well. The bottom line of their message is that model flying is educational, fun, and exciting.
With school principal Richard Weiner and Ramsey assistant superintendent Tony Kemps on hand, Paragon started things off by donating a beautiful HobbyZone Piper Cub (RTF) to the school. Tremendous enthusiasm had already been generated even before the first plane hit the sky.
Once “RC Joe” got the Piper Cub airborne, the excitement was palpable. Seeing this beautiful white plane soar against a clear blue sky was a sight for everyone to behold. Much credit should go to everyone at Smith School for doing such a tremendous job organizing such a great group of well-behaved (and awestruck) students.
Richard Rays (who nailed a beautiful landing) and local flying pro Bruce Guimarra also dazzled the youngsters with their considerable talents.
The greatest part of the day is always when the kids can get their hands on the controller and fly the planes themselves. The Piper Cub is so easy to control that a buddy box is not a necessity. Beshar, Rays, and Guimarra were all terrific in assisting the students in navigating the Piper Cub through the air.
One by one, several students took turns in what had to be a truly memorable day of flying. At one point, Bruce was mobbed by students like a celebrity as he put the plane through its paces.
Fly-ins never fail when it comes to delivering excitement and education to everyone on hand. The very next day I received an e-mail from Mr. Truppi regarding the great response he received from everyone at the school. The students were especially excited, as Jeremy’s inbox was flooded with requests by parents on how to obtain a plane. Many parents joked how their kids were now costing them even more money.
It will come as no surprise to see these planes find their way into many more homes come the December holidays.
— Dave Kopec
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
