District VII—Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Tim Jesky
Vice President
timjesky@charter.net
2886 E. Country Ln., Monroe MI 48162
Tel.: (734) 384-6085;
www.amadistrict-vii.org
Hello again everyone. With summer in full swing, I hope you’re reading this out at the field between flights. Having a copy of Model Aviation with you can be handy if you’re waiting for the weather to clear, or if a visitor stops by and would like to learn more about aeromodeling.
I have several announcements to make. Lloyd Swanson, Eastern Iowa associate vice president, has announced that he is stepping down from his position. Lloyd has served our district well and will be sorely missed. Thank you for your service, Lloyd, and best wishes in all your future endeavors.
Congratulations go to Greg Simons on his selection to the US Free Flight Team. Greg earned his position at the F1B Team Trials held in Boulder City, Nevada, last fall. Greg and the other team members will be competing at the Free Flight World Championships being held this month in Mongolia.
Greg is the current president of the Detroit Balsa Bugs and part of a well-known multigenerational family of Free Flighters. Go Greg! Go Team USA!
I had the pleasure of awarding the AMA Distinguished Service Award to Joe Hass at an event held this spring. Joe, too, is part of a family with a long history of involvement in our hobby. He is a tireless, enthusiastic supporter of all things model aviation and well deserves this recognition. Please join me in offering Joe hearty congratulations for being a recipient of this honor.
It’s time now to turn the show over to Bob McDonald of Livonia, Michigan, to talk about Control Line (CL) activities in the district.
I have been competing in CL Precision Aerobatics for longer than I care to admit. I am the 2014 and 2015 Nats CL Aerobatics Event Director and the District VII director for the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Associations (PAMPA), the AMA Special Interest Group for CL Aerobatics.
The Jim Morway Memorial Contest was scheduled for May 15-16, 2015, in Rouge Park in Western Detroit. June 7, 2015, was the date for the Wisconsin Stunt and Scale Championships, which takes place in the Greater Milwaukee Area.
Later in the summer is the Signal Seekers Michigan CL Championships, where I will be the contest director for the first time. This event is held August 15-16, 2015, at the club’s field in Westland, Michigan, and includes Old-Timer, Classic, and Profile Stunt as well as all of the PAMPA classes.
An event in Rouge Park on September 12-13, 2015, will feature Racing, Combat, and Carrier. Finally, on October 6-4, the Flint Balsa Termites will be part of the Worldwide Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon.
For the last several years, those of us in Michigan have held a series of introductory CL events called the Tour d’Michigan. This has gotten people interested in CL Aerobatics, and Samantha Hines, current Junior National Stunt Champion, is a product of the tour.
The Tour d’Michigan entails low-pressure, fun events that often include coaching by experienced area modelers. This comes from the Lansing Area Flying Aces website:
“The Tour d’Michigan is a collaborative effort of the West Michigan Smoke Rings, the Lansing Area Flying Aces, the Flint Balsa Termites, and the Jackson Radio Control Club. The purpose is to have fun while promoting the hobby/sport of Control Line flying. The format offers something for every skill level. Each venue will consist of 4-5 events selected from a pool of possible events. Craftsmanship will also be judged at each event.”
There are typically four annual events in the Tour d’Michigan. You can find out about these by visting www.flying-aces.net/tour15.html.
If you once flew CL or just can’t wait to try, get ahold of me (I am on the PAMPA website), or I am sure Tim can hook you up with someone in your area.
Take a kid flying.
