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, Freenort NY; (516) 902-8207; dennis66536@gmail.com
Eaton Bryce, Brooklyn NY; (917) 749-3125; subunderground@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; gmffitch@hotmail.com
Gene Gavin, Staten Island NY; (718) 967-0598; Gavin1957@aol.com
Frank Granelli, Rockaway NJ; (973) 625-4995; granelli@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; kingmeuw@verizon.net
Herb Ziegler, Baldwinsville NY; (315) 857-6269; herbz967@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
District II has a rich aeromodeling history. Unfortunately, with the great people who helped foster model aviation, comes their ultimate passing. As you might have seen elsewhere, our hobby—and particularly District II—has recently lost several of the pioneers in model aviation, all of whom are in the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame! In my time as an AMA vice president, I have had the honor of knowing all of these people.
Among the District II greats we recently lost was Bob Aberle, of Long Island, New York. Bob was a prolific writer whose articles and designs appeared in numerous magazines. As a teenager, he joined the Long Island Gas Monkeys airplane club. In 1957, he attended his first AMA Nats at Naval Air Station Willow Grove in Pennsylvania. Bob attended many Nats, and nearly 40 years later, in 1996, he won first place in Class B Old-Timer, second place in Class A Old-Timer, and a third place in Class B Sailplane.
If ever there was a supporter of model aviation, it was Walt Throne. He was best known for his hobby shop in Syracuse, New York, that has been open since 1975. Walt and his wife, Jan, were enormous supporters of model aviation. Walt regularly donated to active training programs by providing supplies, aircraft, and flight instruction. His annual Secret Santa event was a great day. During the event, Walt gave away thousands of dollars of modeling goodies. He was an involved aeromodeling Nats competitor and competed in helicopter, RC Aerobatics, Sailplanes, and Formula I and II. He also flew in the Canadian Nationals. In addition to competing, Walt was the contest director for at least 60 events!
Larry Scarinzi, of New Jersey, is a name perhaps best known in the Control Line (CL) community. While in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s, Larry was a member of the Piston Poppers. He was known for his ability to fly two CL aircraft simultaneously, as well as his expertise in engine modifications and aircraft designs. Larry spent two months on the road, zig-zagging the country to fly at the Vintage Stunt meet in Tucson, Arizona, visiting the Duke Fox Factory in Fort Smith, Arkansas, attending an engine “Collecto” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, visiting Action Hobby in Memphis, Tennessee, attending the Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo in Ohio, and stopping at Brodak Manufacturing in Pennsylvania, with side visits to fly with friends across the country.
The recent passing of AMA President Emeritus Dave Brown was another loss for our community. Dave was a well-noted Nats competitor and model aviation business owner. The first RC flight simulators were designed and sold by Dave at the 1985 WRAM Show in District II. I spent many an hour on an ancient computer crashing airplanes on his invention.
As Dave once said, “It is the people and the friendships made during their journey through this wonderful hobby that are everlasting.”
