District V—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Bob Brogdon
Vice President
r.a.brogdon@comcast.net
5251 Hermitage Dr., Powder Springs GA 30127
Tel.: (770) 421-8838; www.amadistrict-v.org
Hello District V members and guests! I hope you’re enjoying all of the opportunities to get out and pursue your favorite activities—maybe even a little model airplane flying, right? I have been out flying, but I’m also finishing some new airplanes for the season. I know I should be ready, but sometimes the best of plans get lost in the flurry of meeting other needs. I’m sure you understand—at least I hope so.
Fifty years! Yes, that is right—50 years. The Chattanooga RC Club (CRCC) in Tennessee celebrated its 50th anniversary as a model airplane club on the June 24, 2017. As of this writing, that is still a few weeks away, but Scott Anderson, AMA Leader Member Coordinator and associate vice president (AVP) for that area, and I intend to join the CRCC in celebrating this milestone at the club’s flying field. I congratulate the members of CRCC and wish them continued success!
We have one new contest director (CD) this month. Kevin Wright, of Ruskin, Florida, has met the requirements and is now officially a CD. Thanks, Kevin.
You might already be aware that AMA has a new position, Event Manager, that is similar to a CD, but the person manages non-rulebook events such as fun-flys, fly-ins, etc. I believe the following people are the first District V members to be named to this position: Christopher Kime of Niceville, Florida; Andre Smith of West Palm Beach, Florida; and James Houston of Palm Coast, Florida. My thanks to each of you for stepping up to support our hobby.
I am pleased to present a report from AVP Keith Hall of Valrico, Florida. Keith attended the annual Florida Jets event and offers a unique perspective on the gathering that I find interesting; I hope you will also. Thanks, Keith!
Florida Jets and Top Gun are two of the largest RC events east of the Mississippi. We all know the promoter of the events, Frank Tiano, but do you know the club that’s involved in helping to pull off these events? Let me fill you in.
The Imperial R/C Club from Mulberry, Florida, helps host these events. It’s easy to say that the promoter would have a hard time putting on events of this size without the Imperial club’s help.
Club president, Mike Zellars, pulls his members together to help by meeting people at the gate and directing parking. They hold a raffle. They control safety and the flightline. There are yellow club shirts everywhere! And they’re a great bunch of pilots!
The club also helps with the Red Flag and 12 O’Clock High events. But wait, there’s more! The club also holds its own events.
The Imperial R/C Club was established in 1969 and is one of the Tampa area’s oldest clubs. Many years ago, the Imperial site used to be a full-scale jet field. Before the Florida Jets event, the club used to hold a well-attended jet rally.
The Imperial R/C Club is located on Highway 60, which is practically in the middle of the state. It seems whenever I speak to someone about this hobby, they always say, “Oh, I’ve seen that field on Highway 60!”
If you have any interest in RC, Florida Jets and Top Gun are just two of the East Coast events to attend. These gatherings bring out the top pilots and their big, gorgeous aircraft! There seemed to be hundreds of RC aircraft at both events, either on the ground or in the air. Okay, a slight exaggeration, but there were lots of airplanes.
Attending these events is always fun not only to watch the great flying and see the beautiful aircraft, but also to see the pilots whom you read about in magazines. Of course, there’s Frank Tiano, along with talented pilots Dave Ribbe and Bob Violett to name a few.
They are great events with the help of a great club. I hope to see you there next year!
That’s it for this time. Keep the shiny side up when landing!
Associate Vice Presidents: Alabama: Rick Grim, (256) 502-5847; uavpilot@bellsouth.net. Florida: Chuck Forman, (352) 347-4745; timeout1932@hotmail.com; Andrew Griffith, (908) 993-4956; barracudahockey@aol.com; Keith Hall, (813) 928-3861; wing-man@verizon.net. Georgia: Bill Barbee, (912) 660-2155; awbarbee@hotmail.com; Bob Dixon, (478) 960-5200; rldixon3@cox.net; Nick Ray, (865) 368-3820; lasray@gmail.com; Dave Wenzel, (912) 754-9619; davevfrguy@hotmail.com. Mississippi: Paul Verger, (228) 826-4892; cpaulverger@yahoo.com. Puerto Rico: Edwin Medina, (787) 525-7768; captmedina@gmail.com. South Carolina: Robert Blackwell, (803) 317-9431; reblackwell2@gmail.com; Don Wise, (803) 534-8164; d7wise@cs.com. Tennessee: Scott Anderson, rcfamy@hotmail.com. Dick Tonan, (615) 995-6291; dtonan@mac.com; Charles Anderson, (423) 892-3998; canderson9898@comcast.net. Safety Coordinator: Red Scholefield, Newberry FL; (352) 331-8410; redsch@cox.net. RC Event Sanction Coordinator: Dick Tonan. FF Event Sanction Coordinator: Bob Thoren. CL Event Sanction Coordinator: TBD.
