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
Now that the daylight hours are getting shorter and the fall wind is doing its thing, many of us bring our modeling activities indoors. Building and repair has always been an activity that goes hand in hand with our climate in these parts, along with the indoor flying that continues to grow in popularity.
One of my favorite fall pastimes is going to swap shops. The deals, the steals, the trash, and treasures, and of course, no small measure of good-natured ribbing between friends. Aside from the benefits to buyers and sellers, swap shops are an important part of clubs’ operating budgets. Plan to visit a few this year; you never know what you might find.
As we head toward Thanksgiving, it’s my sincere wish that you’re able to share the day with family and friends. We, as Americans, are blessed with many, many things to be thankful for. Please take a moment to remember our service members and first responders who help make it all possible.
The following comes from Wisconsin Associate Vice President Bob Johnson out of Fond du Lac. I attended this event several years ago and I can tell you that it lives up to all that Bob writes.
On August 17-19, 2017, the Fond du Lac Aeromodelers Association hosted its 11th annual Warbirds and Classics Over the Midwest event. From its modest beginning in 2007, with 35 participants, each year the event has grown in size and stature. With 145 pilots attending
Shane “Opie” Logue, from Rush City MN, flew an impressive Dauntless that has a 120-inch wingspan and weighs 53 pounds.
Bob Patton scratch-built this awesome 36% T-34C Mentor from three-view photos. The model has a fiberglass fuselage using molds constructed by Bob. The wings and stabilizer are constructed from balsa-sheeted foam. It has a 142-inch wingspan and weighs 114 pounds. Bob hails from Somerset KY.
this year, the gathering has become the most widely attended event in the upper Midwest.
Although most of the pilots were from Wisconsin, some from Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Indiana were also in attendance. Pilots from as far away as Florida, Texas, and Colorado, made the long trip to attend the event. With 11 fliers from Canada, it is truly an international event.
A count taken at noon on Saturday yielded 236 aircraft. This did not include those aircraft flying or in trailers. Placing those models wingtip to wingtip would require a distance of more than 1,500 feet. The club field is a quarter mile (1,320 feet) long so if the models were so aligned, they would require the length of the field plus an additional 200 feet. This Giant Scale event has evolved into one of truly gigantic proportions.
Anyone who believes that model
This magnificent Curtis Jenny was built by Wendell Hoffmann, from Madison WI, who sold it to Mark Johnson of Pardeeville WI. The model was scratch-built from Procter plans that were scaled up to 33%. The 50-pound airplane has a 15-foot wingspan. It is powered by an electric motor that draws energy from a 12-cell LiPo battery. It utilizes a belt drive that was custom designed by the builder.
building is a dying art should attend a Giant Scale event and closely examine the outstanding models that are flown. Although some are built from kits, many are scratch-built and are truly works of art. There were many airplanes, both warbirds and classics, that deserve mention, but space is limited.
Pilots arrived as early as the Sunday before the event and remained until the pilot banquet was held Saturday evening. Several departed after the banquet on Saturday, while many others departed early Sunday morning.
Sunday, August 20, was a fun-fly event for models of all sizes. Many of the local Giant Scale fliers remained for this event. Plans are already being made for the 2018 gathering. For more information, visit the Fond du Lac Aeromodelers Association website at fdlaa.com.
Take a kid flying.
Associate Vice Presidents: Bruce Baier, Oshkosh WI; (920) 233-1127; buzssr@gmail.com; Lee Frederickson, Ada MI; L1520@comcast.net; David George, Riverview MI; (734) 284-9017; indiancity5129@yahoo.com, Randall Gibson, Lansing MI; (317) 698-4346; rgibson@mmrcha.org; Bud Gorman, Knife River MN; (218) 834-5797; bgorman@frontiernet.net; Don Held, Elmira MI; (231) 584-2662; edge540m@gmail.com; Bob Johnson, Fond du Lac WI; (920) 922-6705; bobj54935@yahoo.com; Mark Robotti, Lindstrom MN; (651) 257-6792; mgrobotti@frontier.com; Marc “Doc” Shelstrom, Lancaster WI; (608) 732-4077; shelstrm@uwplatt.edu; Peter G. Van Heusden, Bloomfield Hills MI; (248) 515-1071; petervh@malibutech.com; Kent Woods, Ames IA; (515) 232-8180; woods229@msn.com. Event Sanction Coordinators: Wayne Yeager (RC Michigan), (517) 260-0132; yogi1931@comcast.net; Michael J. Haller (RC non-Michigan), Fond du Lac WI; (920) 979-9452; mike.haller60@gmail.com Frequency Coordinators: Al Schwartz, Roseville MN; (651) 633-2286; alberts@comcast.net; Pete Waters, Northville MI; (248) 924-0223; petevwaters@charter.net.
