District V—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Hello District V members and guests! I sincerely want to express my concern for everyone in District V affected by Hurricane Irma. I am especially concerned for our friends in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands who have been severely hit by Hurricane Maria. My thoughts and my prayers go out to everyone impacted by these storms, including those in District VIII hit by Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricanes aside, this is a great time to fly in District V. The weather is almost ideal with milder temperatures and sunny skies. I hope you can take advantage of the great weather and get out and fly. I know I will.
A big thank-you goes out to the following District V members who have recently become contest directors (CDs) or event managers (EMs). James Russell from Knoxville, Tennessee, and Luis Morales, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, are our new CDs. Matthew Sederquist in Cape Coral Florida, and Michael Setteeducati in Delray, Florida, are our new EMs.
Yeah, District V! The McIntosh High School multirotor team (MMRT) took first-place honors in the UAS4STEM national competition held in August. MMRT, from Peachtree City, Georgia, is mentored by Robert Grgetic. Robbie Van Zyl, also of Peachtree City, received the Dewey O. Broberg Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Congratulations to all.
What have we started? In the September issue of Model Aviation, I included a note from Warren Vanderwell telling us that he believed Bob Colpitts (91) might be the oldest active RC modeler. Well, not to be outdone, I received the following report from Joe Harlan of the Cobb County RC Club in suburban Atlanta:
Bob, I thought you would be interested to hear about Brayton Paul, a member of the Cobb County RC Club (CCRC). I believe Brayton may be the oldest active RC pilot. Brayton celebrated his 98th birthday on August 2, 2017. He drives himself to the field and flies several times a week.
Thanks Joe, I wish you and Brayton continued happy flying. Hey, there may be hope for me and others—I’m feeling much younger!
I am pleased to present more good news in District V. This time it is from my friends in Puerto Rico as reported by Gus Diaz, the Borinquen RC Club secretary.
As you have probably read in the press, Puerto Rico’s economy is in dire straits, but tell that to our local RC modelers and you might get a “so what,” followed with a wink and a smile. Flying their RC aircraft on weekends is what keeps them leveled out despite all of our troubles.
As proof of this, seven other clubs on the island joined us, the Borinquen RC Club, at our airstrip in Toa Baja (outside of San Juan), to celebrate AMA’s National Model Aviation Day. And what a celebration it was! Sixty-two pilots enrolled, with aircraft of every kind and era, to participate in an unprecedented show of high spirits and camaraderie among modelers. Dozens of former RC modelers from yesteryear showed up, many vowing to return to the hobby. We had hundreds of spectators (estimated at more than 600) throughout the day to the extent that the food concessionaire ran out of food to sell—twice!
Frankie Mirandes, our able and tireless CD, made our day when he convinced the embattled, cash-strapped town mayor to attend our celebration. Upon hearing of our youth-directed event offerings, including an island-wide invitational kite festival, a Boy Scout Jamboree, a quarter horse competition, and, of course, reviving our once-successful Theory of Flight School for boys and girls of elementary school level, the mayor stated, “You are the kind of neighbors I need—willing to give back to the community, fostering a better quality of life, and ‘thinking out-of-the-box’ in solving problems for our youth.”
With that, and a broad smile, he left for his office. As the AMA says, give back to your neighbors, and your value to the community is enhanced!
It was a spectacular fly-in and fun-fly event! The Borinquen RC Club was joined by the Carolina RC Modelers, the Tortuguero Hawks, the Caribbean RC Club, the Moca RC Club, the Hormiguero RC Club, and the Hormiguero RC Club in the celebration.
Thanks Gus and Frankie, that’s a wonderful report! And with that I will close for this month so I will hopefully have space for a few pictures of the event in Puerto Rico. Stay safe and be respectful of others!
