District V
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season. I’m excited to start another year as your district vice president.
Another shout-out to the AMA staff. FRIA approvals are still rolling in despite the enforcement delay for which AMA advocated. As of this writing, there are more than 1,250 approved FRIA sites nationwide. Secondary site approvals are coming in now that most primary applications are completed, and many denials are turning into approvals after being reviewed, revised, and resubmitted by the FRIA team.
It’s with great sadness that Carol Tiano announced the end of Top Gun and Florida Jets. Top Gun reached Frank Tiano’s vision of 35 years in 2023, but, unfortunately, without him for these last two years and given the tremendous logistics in running such an international invitation-only event, the decision was made to sunset it.
I think I speak for the entire community in thanking Carol for everything the Tianos have done for the hobby. There are ongoing talks in the jet community about spinning up an event to fill the void left by the loss of Florida Jets. Stay tuned for details as they become available.
I had the pleasure of attending the recent Dino DiGiorgio Sr. Memorial Warbird Fly-In at Mac Hodges Field in Americus, Georgia. The weather was great and there were nearly 100 pilots in attendance, with more than double that number of aircraft present. This is an annual trek for me. If you’ve never flown at Mac’s, it’s a 1,500 x 300-foot putting-green runway just a few miles from where Charles Lindbergh learned to fly.
Caption: (L-R): Greg Foushi, test pilot John Rosier, owner/builder Tim Len, and expert advice dispenser Billy Freeland after the successful maiden of Tim’s CARF Models P-47 Thunderbolt at Hodges Field.
Some of the many aircraft present at the Dino DiGiorgio Sr. Memorial Warbird Fly-In at Hodges Field.
Look at the venue’s event list and find one that interests you. Events include International Miniature Aerobatic Club contests, warbirds, gliders, jets, and more.
(L-R): Club member Richard Frank, Contest Director Mike Stanley, and club member Wayne Branch at the Jacksonville Jets event at the Radio Control Club of Jacksonville on October 7.
Jeff Quisenberry made a trip from Minnesota to fly this 123-inch Holman Mosquito with twin Zenoah engines for power.
Until next month, keep ’em flying.
Andrew Griffith
Vice President
amadistrictv@modelaircraft.org
12258 Bucks Harbor Dr. N.
Jacksonville FL 32225
(904) 993-4956
www.amadistrict-v.org
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Mickey Avery, AL; (334) 247-7123; district-V-AVP@email.com
Rick Grim, AL; (256) 656-0859; uavpilot@bellsouth.net
Joe Dolliver, FL; (239) 218-2677; Joe33914@gmail.com
Keith Hall, FL; (813) 928-3861; wing-man@verizon.net
Jose Melendez, FL; (321) 412-3078; rcjets12@hotmail.com
Andre Smith, FL; (850) 980-3724; andredsmithsr@gmail.com
Bill Barbee, GA; (912) 660-2155; awbarbee@hotmail.com
Bob Dixon, GA; (478) 960-5200; rldixon3@cox.net
Nick Ray, GA; (865) 368-3820; lasray@gmail.com
Darrell Sprayberry, GA; (706) 280-5848; darrellhuh@optlink.us
Paul Verger, MS; (228) 826-4892; cpaulverger@yahoo.com
Edwin Medina, Puerto Rico; (787) 525-7768; captmedina@gmail.com
Don Wise, SC; (803) 534-8164; d7wise@cs.com
Scott Anderson, TN; rcfoamy@hotmail.com
Tim DiPeri, TN; (615) 591-7399; caseco@comcast.net
Dick Tonan, TN; (615) 995-6291; dtonan@mac.com
RC, CL, AND FF EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR: Dick Tonan, (615) 995-6291; dtonan@mac.com
WEBMASTER: Glenn Bond, d5amaweb@gmail.com
