District VII
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Hello District VII members, and welcome to March. I know many of you have been agonizing through the cold, and in some instances, heavy snow. Fear not, though, my friends, spring is soon around the corner!
I write this before knowing Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction (although I take it with a grain of salt since he is not a District VII member), but I am hoping the clouds were in our favor and he didn’t see a shadow, giving us an early spring!
District VII members are a hearty bunch, not letting cold and snow dissuade them. While many of us are in our warm basements working on some new and fantastic flying creations, or keeping the fingers loose by flying in an indoor complex, there are still those who will not allow the cold to keep them from flying!
The Skymasters RC Club of Michigan does not let either cold or snow keep them from flying. Meet Pete Foss, president of Skymasters. Pete, take it away.
When I joined the Skymasters RC Club of Michigan in 1987, the Krazy Snow Fly on New Year’s Eve morning had been a fixture for many years. Back then, we all flew glow or gasoline and “enjoyed” priming with lighter fluid, adjusting needle valves with bare hands in 100 mph propeller blast, etc. And yes, it was a blast!
Fast forward 30-plus years and this year’s edition featured only one engine in a helicopter, the rest were electric-powered aircraft. If you keep your LiPo batteries at room temperature, they perform just great! Let them get cold and that’s another story. I use a Ziploc bag of rice that was heated in the microwave inside of an ammunition can to keep the batteries warm.
We had approximately 15 pilots and another 25 or 30 spectators at the 2021 edition! It was a great turnout on a pretty nice day, with 35° weather and low wind. It made for a great morning of flying and eating chili from members Jill and Kurt! There’s nothing like hot coffee and chili to keep you warm on a cold day. With that, along with a propane spaceheater, we were all set!
Thank you Pete, and I bet the chili was mighty tasty and spicy enough to keep you warm on the inside.
Keep sending me information about events, builds, or other things that you might wish to share with fellow AMA members.
Until next month, stay warm, stay well, and share the passion.
