District VII
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Hello District VII. First, I wish you in advance, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Joyeux Noël. Although most of District VII has succumbed to cold temperatures and snow, I still want to pass on reports of the past season’s brilliant events.
First up is a report from Mike Ast, the Beloit, Wisconsin, Rock River Aeromodelers Society club president. I have had the opportunity to visit this club, and although I wasn’t able to attend this particular event, the club members sure know how to enjoy this hobby and continue to make improvements to their facility. Mike, please take the floor:
Thank you, Randy. The weather was sunny, with temperatures in the upper 70s, but the wind was quartering our runway at 12 to 18 mph. This complicated takeoffs and landings but in no way deterred any of our 44 registered pilots, who flew approximately 150 airplanes. We had an excellent variety of airplanes, ranging from EDF jets to World War I biplanes and helicopters.
Our spectators were treated to 3D demonstrations by several talented pilots who put on quite a show! We had a demonstration of a C-47 towing a Waco glider, a nine-airplane T-28 gaggle, and a demonstration of Combat flying with airplanes pulling streamers.
Several airplanes were in the air at all times. Our air boss, Stan Anderson, kept things moving on the flightline. Our youngest pilot was Sammy Schwartz, age 9. He was having a great time, showing off his flying skills to our spectators.
At one point, we counted 100 cars in our lot, but that number varied throughout the day. Many families had a great day at the field. By the end of the day, we signed up three new members, putting our total membership at nearly 100.
Our club gathered many great prizes because of the generosity of fellow members and vendors. This assortment of excellent prizes led us to have an outstanding raffle. The proceeds from the raffle are the main source of income to fund field improvement projects.
A great time was had by pilots and spectators! We are already discussing next year’s Flying Circus. We hope to see you there.
Thank you very much, Mike, for sharing this. I followed the event on Facebook (thanks for the constant updates) and hope I can make it to your event in 2024.
I wanted to share something special that occurred in September that was a complete surprise to Hazel Sig-Hester, whom we know of Sig Manufacturing fame. Robbie Staton, owner of Airtech Fabric Covering Systems, flew his newly finished clipped-wing Cub to the Grinnell, Iowa, airport, where Hazel could see his beautiful airplane that he painted like one she had many years ago.
Hazel, 101 years young, used to fly in air shows. She was photographed with Robbie’s clipped-wing Cub and her smile was beautiful. I bet she would have climbed into the airplane and shown us that she is still a skilled aerobatic pilot if Robbie would have let her!
2023 has had many highs and great adventures, and lows with the loss of loved ones. I want to thank District VII members with whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends. I look forward to what 2024 brings and meeting more of you. Until then, happy holidays and a very happy New Year.
