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 and friends! As you read this issue of Model Aviation in early March, you must be thinking of the longer days (more daylight for flying) and the higher probability of good flying days that will soon be here. I hope you will be able to take advantage of opportunities to get out and fly. I have been able to get out at least a time or two every month this winter, but I still look forward to spring on March 20, and better flying weather. I can hardly wait—how about you?
This month I would like to recognize a new contest director, Michael Gaeta of Seffner, Florida, and a new Leader Member, Jose Melendez of Port Orange, Florida. Thank you for your dedication and support to our great hobby.
Camp AMA! Did you see my article last month with an offer to cover the tuition for a District V youth, age 13 to 19, to attend this wonderful event? Are you interested, or do you know of a youth who would benefit from the camp? The camp is scheduled to be held June 10-16, 2018. Just a reminder, essays are due to me by April 20. That’s only about a month away. Get your essays in so that my review team will have time to read them and choose a winner!
Warbirds. Before I took this position as district vice president, I hadn’t given that much thought to the warbird class of modeling. I was aware of it, and I knew that warbirds were flown in the Dawn Patrol during Joe Nall Week each year, although it always happened before I arrived there in the late morning.
However, after attending several warbirds events, I have developed a better understanding and respect for this class of flying. The models are nice looking, and the scale detailing on many of them is outstanding. It takes a lot of skilled work to build a nice warbird. I am impressed with the craftsmanship!
Speaking of warbirds, I attended the Inaugural Warbird Rally and the Pecan Patch hosted by Mark Murdock at his private airstrip, a really nice site with a close-cut grass runway. Mark provided the following comments:
“Thanks for coming to our [inaugural] Warbird Rally. The final pilot count was 16, with eight to 10 spectators in attendance. We had a really good turnout considering we were just recovering from Hurricane Irma and many prospective pilots had to make up time at work or take care of cleaning up after the storm.
“Overall, we had a good time flying and just getting together. Only one airplane was lost, and that was a 17-year-old Jack Stafford Bird Dog owned by Lewis Causey.”
We will do this again next year and we welcome all warbird enthusiasts! Thanks for inviting me, Mark. It a fun day for me as well.
Now on to an entirely different type of flying. Where do they come up with these ideas? I received this report from Bill Barbee, an associate vice president in Savannah, Georgia.
Greetings from Savannah! The Tri County R/C Flyers held its inaugural Family Day and Cooler Fly on October 14, 2017. One of the members had an idea to hold an event where each contestant received a Styrofoam cooler, four servos, an ESC, a motor, two propellers, four bamboo skewers, two popsicle sticks, and last, but not least, a marble. The only additional components allowed were control surfaces, glue, connecting rods, and imagination.
Everyone was then instructed to build a flyable airplane from the materials. The results were some pretty good ideas that worked great, and some really good ideas that did not work at all.
The competition was to see which model could fly the longest. Times ranged from 1.2 seconds to almost 6 minutes. After the timed event, the remaining aircraft that were still flyable engaged in an all-out combat fight complete with lots of Styrofoam carnage to the delight of the crowd.
In addition to the cooler flying, the club hosted lunch and buddy-box flying for family members and friends. Everyone had a great time, not only watching and flying, but appreciating the camaraderie and fellowship we all have in our hobby.
I can’t wait to see what the pilots have in mind for next year’s event! Thanks for the report, Bill.
That’s it for this time, but do come back. Have fun, stay safe, and before you launch, check those controls one more time; it just might save your airplane!
