District X
Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah
Lawrence Tougas
Vice President
ama.district10@gmail.com
Box 276, Fairfield CA 94533
(707) 480-2053
www.ama10.org
Happy New Year. I am so looking forward to 2021. We’ll finally get out of this maddening lockdown. It’ll be a return to traveling and contests. I’ll have a chance to see old friends and make some new ones. I wish the very best new year to you all.
The District X winner of the 2020 AMA Youth Leadership Award was Jonathan Abing. I met Jonathan last year when I was visiting his home club, the San Gabriel Valley Radio Control League in Whittier Narrows, California. Jonathan is a wonderful young man and is a great example of our Youth membership. Check out Jonathan’s YouTube channel at www.jonsrc.com.
Las Vegas Associate Vice President Gil Terzo is a retired American Airlines (AA) 737 captain. Gil wanted to find a model that reminded him of his many hours crossing the country in the flight levels. When he came across the Freewing Boeing 737 electric ducted-fan model, he knew he had to have one.
This 737 has a 72-inch wingspan and is 79 inches long. The twin 70 mm ducted fans are powered by a 6S 5,000 mAh LiPo battery pack. The model comes with preinstalled servos. There are two each for the ailerons and elevators, four for the flaps, and a single rudder servo.
Gil finished this foam model first with foam-safe Krylon primer topped with clear urethane that was sanded between coats to provide a solid base. He had latex paint mixed to match the AA gray base coat, which he sprayed. The anti-ice areas on the leading edge of the wing and stabilizers were covered with aluminum tape to add a greater sense of realism.
The finishing touch was a set of AA graphics that he purchased from Callie Graphics. I can
attest to how effective the finishing job that he did is. I initially thought it was a composite model until Gil told me it was foam.
Gil has a dozen flights on the aircraft and couldn’t be happier. He said it flies great. It slows down nicely on approach without any tendency to drop a wing. It has plenty of power and he cruises around at half power for a scalelike appearance.
It comes with a complete lighting package and electric retracts. Gil recommends the model as a great entry into scale modeling.
Please enjoy the following photos of Gil’s 737, taken by Warren Washington Photography of Las Vegas.
Until next month, I wish you all nothing but happy landings.
