District II
New Jersey, New York, Europe
On March 19, 2022, I trekked to the Canandaigua Sky Chiefs Swap Meet and Auction at the Phelps Fire Hall in Phelps, New York. This was a new location for the annual club event; however, attendance and interest were as brisk as ever.
A key component of wintertime indoor events, such as swap meets and auctions, is the social aspect. At these events, AMA members can meet with members and friends from area clubs. The discussions range from who’s building what to promoting attendance at summer flying events. The conversations are often about seeing old friends again.
In the age of COVID-19, some of these opportunities were delayed for as much as two years. The Sky Chiefs swap meet was a refresher toward more normal times.
The Sky Chiefs club is an exceptionally involved AMA club! The club is approximately 35 years old. A past host of the District II Fly-In, the club routinely hosts flying events. The Sky Chiefs’ website states, “Organized in 1987, the Sky Chiefs have over 60 members representing many aspects of radio-controlled airplane and helicopter flying. Our members primarily fly glow-, gas-, and electric-powered models ranging from scale to sport to pattern. Flying an airplane or helicopter while your feet are planted firmly on the ground is the ultimate goal of this hobby. Learning how to do that in a safe and sensible way, at an airfield created exclusively for that purpose, is what our club is all about.”
The club gets it right because this is the essence of any model aircraft club! Thanks to the Sky Chiefs for hosting great events and being welcoming hosts for modelers in Western New York.
Eric Williams
Vice President
rcpilot@nycap.rr.com
4242 Amanda Ln., Schenectady NY 12303
(518) 356-2057
www.amadistrict-ii.org
www.facebook.com/DistrictIIAMA
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Dennis Andreas, Freeport NY; (516) 379-0135; danandreasdnhsd@juno.com
Frank Costello, Somerset NJ; teams3fpv@gmail.com
Chuck Davis, Sayville NY; (631) 589-7690; cjdavis60@verizon.net
Gary Fitch, Delevan NY; gmfitch@hotmail.com
Gene Gavin, Staten Island NY; (718) 967-0598; Gavin1957@aol.com
Frank Granelli, Rockaway NJ; (973) 625-4995; granelliff@aol.com
Bill Hauth, Hamburg NY; (716) 649-8582; toolmkr2000@msn.com
Tony Jensen, Binghamton NY; (607) 644-6873; tjravenpilot@gmail.com
Ron McGrath, North Chili, NY; ronmcgrath@rochester.rr.com
Anthony Rossi, Somerset NJ; (917) 320-2665; p510851@gmail.com
Leonard Max Smart, Morrisonville NY; (518) 563-6878; hotrodsbymax@charter.net
Alexander Szemere, Kendall Park NJ; (732) 821-5641; drszemere@aol.com
Michael Wong, Mahwah NJ; kingmeow@verizon.net
Herb Ziegler, Baldwinsville NY; (315) 857-6266; herbz1957@yahoo.com
RC EVENT SANCTION COORDINATORS
Tony and Trish Jensen, 23 Clarendon Dr., Binghamton, NY 13901; (607) 644-6873; tjravenpilot@gmail.com
CL/FF EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR
AMA Headquarters, Competitions Department; (800) 435-9262, Ext. 252; cpierce@modelaircraft.org
Remember, it’s not about what you fly, it’s about the friends you make!
