District III
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Modelers have many interests, including Control Line (CL), RC, Free Flight, rockets, and more. It is rare to see all of this diversity at our flying fields; however, one place where all of these disciplines come together is a swap meet. These interests were all on display at the annual Dayton ModelRama Swap Meet and Auction, held April 29-30, 2022, and hosted by the Dayton Wingmasters in Dayton, Ohio.
AMA District III’s information table and flight simulator at the Dayton ModelRama.
Paul Stimmel, of the Dayton Wingmasters, kept attendees informed at the ModelRama. Thanks to all for a great event!
The Wingmasters have held a swap event for years, and each year’s event gets bigger and better. A couple of years ago, the Wingmasters had a tornado come through the area that destroyed its flying field. The proceeds from the swap meet are helping to rebuild the facility.
Throughout the years, I have attended many swap events, and I have begun to appreciate the atmosphere of fun and camaraderie. I enjoy talking to our members about AMA business and seeing their varied interests. Although traditional hobby expos are a thing of the past, it appears that swap events are growing year after year. Congratulations to the Dayton Wingmasters for another successful swap meet, and I look forward to next year’s event and beyond.
I like to highlight District III modelers doing great things. On April 8, 2022, I was in Muncie, Indiana, for a quarterly AMA Executive Council meeting, which happened to coincide with the
donation of Bret Becker’s Top Gun-winning U-2C model into the National Model Aviation Museum. Bret is from Dayton, and was Mr. Top Gun in 2020 and 2021.
Bret’s U-2C model is one of only two to ever receive a perfect static score at the prestigious Top Gun event held in Lakeland, Florida. One must see this model to appreciate the details he has built into it.
Congratulations, Bret, for having your model included in the museum’s collection. I encourage all District III members to visit the facility to see it and other significant model aviation artifacts that illustrate the history of our hobby.
Some of you know that in addition to flying models, I am also a full-scale pilot. There is nothing I like more than combining those two aviation elements. That is exactly what I did on April 23, 2022, when I flew into the Danville, Pennsylvania, airport to attend and fly in the Susquehanna Valley Modelers Spring Fling event.
The club acquired a new flying field on airport property in 2021 and held a grand opening, which I attended. Two CL circles were added to the field this year. It is refreshing to see a club encouraging additional model aviation activities. Thank you, Susquehanna Valley Modelers, for making your field more accessible to more model enthusiasts.
Until next month, stay safe and fly safely.
