District II
New Jersey, New York, Europe
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) 902-8207; dennis66536@gmail.com
Sal Calvagna, Holbrook NY; (631) 737-6372; rcgiants@optonline.net
Frank Costello, Somerset NJ; teams3fpv@gmail.com
Chuck Davis, Sayville NY; (631) 589-7690; cjdavis60@verizon.net
Ed DeRossi, Johnstown NY; (518) 322-5172; ederossi@nycap.rr.com
Gary Fitch, Delevan NY; gmfit ch@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) 572-6727; hotrodsbymax@charter.net
Alexander Szemere, Kendall Park NJ; (732) 821-5641; drszemere@aol.com
Michael Wong, Mahwah NJ; kingmew@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
On January 27-28, 2023, I attended the Springfield Hobby Show in Springfield, Massachusetts. Although the event is largely for model trains, a significant number of AMA members attend each year.
Among the AMA members and friends whom I met at the Springfield show was Mike O’Neill, of western New York. Mike is the proprietor of the FlyBoyz blog internet site. He is a lifelong modeler whose interest in model aircraft lead to a career in aviation.
Included in Mike’s credits are his enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps as an aircraft structural mechanic and he served as a mechanic for Marine One, the presidential helicopter squadron. Mike later worked for the Atlantic Aviation Corporation, and ultimately found himself in information technology. You can learn more about Mike’s life story, along with interesting articles and some hard-to-find items for sale at www.flyboyzblog.com.
Another AMA member who traveled to Springfield was Mike Wong, from New Jersey. Mike is a District II associate vice president (AVP), serving as an AVP-at-large for technology and special projects. Like many modelers, Mike’s interests span several hobbies, including model aircraft, trains, photography, astronomy, and working with youth in robotics education.
Although Mike’s photography is award-winning, his efforts on behalf of the district is largely behind the scenes, working with public officials and homeland security. Mike’s efforts have helped AMA members and clubs many times.
The story of my visit to Springfield cannot go without mentioning Kathy Bechtel and Micro Fasteners. Kathy and her company have been strong supporters of our hobby. She has traveled thousands of miles to attend modeling events in District II and beyond.
Kathy works hard to provide personalized service, and her enormous product display at Springfield fulfilled any modeler’s needs for fasteners. Her high-quality products are US sourced and serve both hobby and specialized applications. Among her most popular items is the screw and nut gauge for both metric and SAE applications. Mine has come in handy when I’m working in the shop!
You can visit the Micro Fasteners website at www.microfasteners.com.
Remember, it’s not about what you fly, it’s about the friends you make!
