District VII
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Hello District VII members, and happy holidays to you all. When many of you read this, I am sure the cold weather will be embracing you and, dare I say it, snow will have fallen in many areas of the district.
In this season of giving, look back at the flying season and ask, “Did I help make a positive influence on others?” Embrace that moment of talking to a visitor at the field. Invite a youngster to buddy box an RC airplane, or help him or her fly a Control Line (CL) airplane. Sometimes just saying hello and welcoming visitors to ask questions could have a strong influence on someone.
This month, I want to shine a bright light on a club that gives to the community: the Circle Masters Flying Club, located in Milwaukee. Thank you, Dave Siegler, for bringing your club’s activities to our attention.
The Circle Masters participates in Maker Faire Milwaukee. The Maker Faire is an event held each fall and is meant to showcase people and organizations that are involved in the “maker” community. The Circle Masters Flying Club has
been an exhibitor at Maker Faire since 2017. The goal of our attendance is to gain awareness in the community.
In the past, the Circle Masters club collaborated with the Milwaukee R/C Association and provided great exposure of the aeromodeling community. During the Maker Faire event, club members exhibit projects and demonstrate CL flying. We run the AMA video, Wired for Excitement, on a monitor during the event and answer lots of questions from young and old about model aviation.
The airplanes fly on 15-foot lines, and we use a modified RC car transmitter for speed control. Construction of the airplanes is lightweight foam. The throttle control allows touch-and-gos, hovering, and enough power for aerobatics. The airplanes are crowd-pleasers and fully aerobatic. The slow speed and short lines allow for safe operations in a small space.
For those who are interested in seeing an example of the event, here is a video from the 2019 Maker Faire event: https://youtu.be/f-_o-wBaK-Q.
The 2021 event was hosted by the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The school provided a great venue.
Thank you, Dave, for telling us about this event and for the hard work that you and your club do to promote the joys of aeromodeling.
I wish to extend happiness and joy to all of the District VII members. Thank you for your support this year, and I’m looking forward to 2022 and meeting and sharing flying with many more members within the district. Happy holidays!
