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 again District V and friends! My, where has this year gone? I’m writing this article in December, only a few weeks before Christmas and New Years, as I complete my first year as your District V vice president.
I have learned a lot, and I have met many good people whom I would not have met if not for this job. I thank you for the opportunity. Let’s make 2018 another good year of meeting new friends and enjoying the hobby.
It is my pleasure to congratulate District V member Robert “Bob” Walker, of Robart Manufacturing fame. Bob was recently inducted into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame! Nick Ziroli Sr., a District V member in Sarasota, Florida, presented the award and provided the following information:
“I’m proud to say that my recommendation to vote Bob Walker, Mr. Robart, into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame was well received and he was accepted this year. District V should also be proud to have him as a member of the district.
“This honor was long overdue. Everyone who is a serious modeler knows the name Robart. The company manufactures a wide range of model products, including Robart retracts, control hardware, model building tools, and of course, Zap glue products. He is a very talented model builder, engineer, and machinist. Welcome to the National Model Aviation Hall of Fame, Bob Walker!”
Bob “Mr. Robart” Walker, with his wife, Sylvia, at his side, receives the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame award from Nick Ziroli.
Next, I wish to recognize our new Leader Member, Ryan O’Conner of Palm Beach, Florida. Thanks, Ryan, for taking on the responsibility of being a Leader Member and contributing to our great hobby.
Do you know a young person, or are you a youth who would like to attend Camp AMA this year? If so, I would like to cover the tuition for a District V camper. Camp AMA is open to pilots ages 13 to 19 and will be held June 10-16, 2018.
Each applicant needs to write a short essay detailing why he or she would like to attend Camp AMA. The essay should also include the applicant’s age, current grade-point average, and modeling experience. Please keep the essay between 250 and 500 words—500 words at the most. Essays are due to me no later than April 20, 2018.
I prefer to receive essays via an email attachment, but I will accept mailed hard copies. One winner will be selected based on the sincerity and content of the essay. In the event of a tie, a drawing will determine who will receive paid tuition for Camp AMA 2018.
Rick Grim, an associate vice president in northern Alabama, attended the North Alabama Radio Control Association Aerotow event in October and provided the following report with comments from Tim Batt, the contest director (CD).
“We arrived and set up Wednesday afternoon and found many airplanes already in the air. The attending pilots were able to enjoy four days of flying and fun, although the Sunday flying had to be canceled because of an approaching storm.
“CD Tim Batt provided the following comments: ‘For those of you who have not attended one of our aerotow events, you have been missing a very friendly bunch of guys and some beautiful sailplanes. Jeremy had his turbine-powered tow plane out for the event. It was well worth coming to the event just to see and hear his turboprop Porter.
“‘Several pilots brought high-performance sailplanes too. What can a high-performance glider do? How does 157 mph sound? Wonderful!
“‘One of the sailplanes here last year was powered (and I do mean powered) by a ducted fan that stowed away inside the fuselage. This plane made a fantastic flight with some beautiful aerobatics, and oh that jet sound!
“‘By the way, this was our 9th annual aerotow! Next year I plan to do something special to celebrate.’”
Once again, I’m out of space. Check back next month for more district news. Meanwhile take advantage of District V’s year-round flying weather; it gets even better in just a month or so. As always, be safe and be courteous in whatever you do, but particularly at the flying field.
Associate Vice Presidents: Alabama: Rick Grim, (256) 502-5847; uavpilot@bellsouth.net. Florida: Chuck Foreman, (352) 347-4745; timeout1932@hotmail.com; Andrew Griffith, (904) 993-4956; barracudahockey@aol.com; Keith Hall, (813) 928-3861; wing-man@verizon.net. Jose Melendez, (321) 412-3078; rcjets12@hotmail.com. 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: Don Wise, (803) 534-8164; d7wise@cs.com. Tennessee: Scott Anderson, rcfoamy@hotmail.com. Dick Tonan, (615) 995-6291; dtonan@mac.com; Charles Anderson, (423) 892-3998; canderson9898@comcast.net. Safety Coordinator: Red Scholefield, Johns Island SC, (843) 494-5225; redsch03@gmail.com. RC Event Sanction Coordinator: Dick Tonan. FF Event Sanction Coordinator: Bob Thoren. CL Event Sanction Coordinator: Dave Wenzel. Webmaster: Glenn Bond, d5amaweb@gmail.com
