District III
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Spring is here! For more than 60 years, the event that everyone looked forward to was The Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo. For various reasons, this great event was canceled for good in 2020. This has created a void in District III and for our hobby.
Noting this void are the members of the Dayton Wingmasters Club in Dayton, Ohio. For more than 20 years, the Wingmasters Club has hosted a swap/auction event in February that has successfully attracted modelers from several states. With the demise of the Toledo event, the Wingmasters have expanded the swap/auction event and will add a manufacturer and distributor mini expo. The dates for this show are April 23-24, 2021. I received the following from Event Director Paul Stimmel.
“The Dayton Modelrama has always been a one-day show in February, but in 2021, we are expanding it to a two-day show. Additionally, we have booked a second building (16,000 square feet), giving us a total of 42,000 square feet. This is being done to ensure safe social distancing and to accommodate vendors such as Micro Fasteners, National Balsa, Vintage RC Society, and Dave’s RC, with more expected. For more information, visit http://daytonmodelrama.com or contact Paul at (937) 361-7696.”
Thank you, Wingmasters, for providing modelers a great event to look forward to in 2021.
One of the best things about being the District III vice president is meeting the members of the clubs in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and celebrating their accomplishments. One such celebration was the 50th anniversary of the Mountaineer RC Club, held September 12, 2020.
Correction: In my January 2021 column, I listed the District III Leader Clubs and I inadvertently left out the Wheeling Hill Hoppers in Wheeling, West Virginia. I apologize for the omission.
Until next month, stay safe and fly safely.
Upon arriving at the event, I was met by James Butler, club president and District III associate vice president (AVP). He showed me around and introduced me to several members. David Gaines, the treasurer and a founding father of the club, said that it began in 1970 when there was a lot of interest in building and flying RC airplanes.
The club has had several flying fields throughout the years and has been at its current facility in Tornado, West Virginia, since 1990. The event was blessed with good weather and there was an excellent turnout of club members, spectators, and local media to celebrate the club’s milestone. Thank you, Mountaineer RC Club, for your dedication and service to promoting model aviation for the last 50 years. Here is to another 50.
