District VII

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

Last month I wrote about looking outside of traditional areas when you’re trying to attract new members to your club and our hobby. When you do attract them, what happens next is mostly on you.

A smile, handshake, and introduction are always great when you see someone new out at your field. Nothing better says “you’re welcome here.”

Next, if a person brings something out to fly and appears to be unsure of himself or herself, offer to help. Some people are naturally reluctant to ask for assistance from a stranger. Encouraging words and a pat on the back now and then go a long way.

One thing that you really want to avoid is plain and simple: bad conduct. We’re all going to have disagreements from time to time, but keep it civil. Loud arguments, foul language, and bad behavior isn’t something any of us want to expose our families to and sends the wrong message of who we are. It all boils down to common sense. I’m glad that most of you out there are blessed with an abundance of it.

The rest of this month’s column comes to you courtesy of Mark Barnett from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mark enjoys RC Precision Aerobatics (Pattern) flying and works hard to promote it throughout the Midwest.

The Cedar Rapids Sky Hawks in Iowa held its first Pattern contest

in 27 years July 8-9, 2017. The weather was perfect with nearly clear skies and low wind. Twenty-one competitors came from five states to participate, including five fliers who were competing in their first contest. Many participants came in on Friday afternoon for some practice flying. Following this, the group gathered at a local restaurant for dinner.

Club class is a new class promoted by the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics as an entry-level Pattern class for those with no contest experience. Club class Pattern is done one maneuver at a time with a free turnaround in between each maneuver.

The local Club class and Sportsman participants were given copies of the call sheets weeks to months in advance to allow time to practice the maneuvers. Demonstration flights were done at a club meeting several weeks before the contest. Club Pattern is much less rushed than other patterns, which have one maneuver right after another.

For the contest, Club class and Sportsman fliers were paired with Masters pilots who worked to calm nerves, give coaching tips, and call maneuvers for their apprentices. The flying rounds started at approximately 10:30 a.m. An electronic scoring system was used and worked well.

On Saturday afternoon, the first four rounds concluded by 5:30 p.m. On Saturday night most enjoyed a group meal at a different local restaurant. Lunches were served both Saturday and Sunday by Robin Barnett and Pam Gorden.

On Sunday, the flying started a little earlier and concluded at roughly 1 p.m. Awards were presented and goodbyes were said. All fliers, but especially those in Masters and Club/Sportsman, came away with good memories from the contest.

I was encouraged by the participation of the five new pilots. Since the contest, every one of these fliers has returned to the field to practice maneuvers and improve their flying. Other club members have noticed the rapid improvement in their skill levels. This has helped make it easier to recruit for next year’s contest.

Take a kid flying.