District XI
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Hi all! It was another busy month for me. I attended events or flew every weekend in August. I went to Wenatchee, Washington, to attend the Red Apple Flyers’ warbird event and the NorthWest Scale Aero-Modelers Scale Championship. Look for these events covered in a future article.
Associate Vice President Joe Miller reported that the 18th annual Scalehelipalooza in McMinnville, Oregon, is in the books. With 25 registered pilots and a ton of Scale helicopters, this was an event to see. Pilots flew all types and sizes of Scale helicopters. Most were electric powered, while a few had turbine engines.
This year’s event was held at Harris Field, home of the McMinnville Aircraft Modelers. The tents were up and everyone settled in for four days of fun and flying. The weather was sunny and warm with light wind. Families were there in support and some to fly.
There was a scoop pool set up to dip buckets of water out of. The youngest pilot there had his own pool to cool off in. Great people make for great events, and all of the pilots, family, and friends were hospitable and eager to share their stories. This is a gathering to put on your calendar for next year.
Larry Guevara, secretary of the Bell Air R/C Flyers of Ferndale, Washington, shared that on July 30-31, 2022, the club hosted the Warbirds and Classics Over Whatcom. The parking lot was nearly full, with spectators watching a dedicated group of 13 pilots.
The wind was coming straight down runway 21 at the Bill Schnobrich field, with a clear view of Mt. Baker for a day of good flying. The perennial battle between the Red Baron in his Fokker Triplane Dr.1, flown by Gerry Becker, vs. Snoopy’s Flying Doghouse, flown by Jerry McLean, ended in a draw. Pylon Racing demonstrations were held in B-class electric, Vampires, A-class electrics, and E-1000s.
The only crash of the day was from club president Art Newland during a Pylon heat. His airplane dove straight in from low altitude and was not recovered, but there were no injuries. Lunch was served from Westside Pizza, with plenty of cold water available during the warm weekend.
An honor flight was performed to recognize departed club members Bill Mitchell, Mike Mosbrooker, Bill Radder, Jay Schoening, and Wally Swartz.
That’s it for this month. I have a lot more to share but limited space, so stay tuned! Keep building and flying!
