District IX
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Let me introduce our latest Associate Vice President (AVP) for Colorado, Sean McEntee. Sean was recommended by National Free Flight (FF) Society President Dave Lindley, so I drafted him for his expertise in FF. It is important to make sure that all aspects of our hobby are represented. Here are a few words from Sean:
I look forward to doing what I can for District IX. I represent a great bunch of people whose passion is FF, and I have close ties to folks who fly Control Line. FFers have at least one monthly “Scramble,” plus several large contests, including a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale event throughout the year. We also work with the Science Olympiad each spring, culminating in the Colorado State competition in April.
My first contribution covers our Indoor Scramble, held in January at Manitou Springs High School, which was the first Scramble of 2025. Eight fliers entered the traditional contest, in which fliers enter any event (e.g., P-18, Hand-Launch Glider, etc.) and are scored against local club records for that event. Additionally, each contest holds a featured event. The featured event for this January was No-Cal (Profile) Scale, with four fliers entered.
At the top of the No-Cal heap was David Aronstein, with his fantastic Mr. Smoothie Thompson Trophy racer. It is a great performer. Tom Norell placed a close second with his SBD Dauntless. Following Tom was Don DeLoach with his Farman Mostique. Bringing up the rear was yours truly with a rendition of Paul Bradley’s B-25 plans. This model has been more of a
technical challenge than a competitive model (and who doesn’t love bombers?). It features counterrotating propellers and scale-length motor sticks. With a little propeller experimentation, this model should be able to crack the 1-minute barrier. An honorable mention was John McGrath’s great-looking Spitfire.
For the Scramble, Chuck Etherington and Frank Menanno battled for top honors, with Chuck besting Frank in P-18. Other highlights included David Aronstein test-flying his Cabin model. David’s models are world-class, and it is always a treat to watch his ultra-light models in action. Newcomer Butch Berlemann, making quantifiable improvement with each outing, brought out his well-executed Lacy M-10 Peanut. Props (no pun intended) go out to Don DeLoach and Tom Norell for helping Butch get his model trimmed out. Butch’s enthusiasm and hunger for knowledge is great to watch, and he will soon be a factor at contests.
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Craig Bastian, Casper WY; (307)577-6463; craigb1961@msn.com
Brian Blois, Winter Park CO; (720) 333-2720; brian.blois@outlook.com
Tyler Brown, Lincoln NE; (402) 617-0444; tylerz x@yahoo.com
Mark Dennis, Longmont CO; (951) 203-7776, MarkDflyer@gmail.com
Zac Heskin, Underwood ND; (701) 340-2039; zheskin23@yahoo.com
Sean McEntee, Fountain CO; (314) 910-2097; sean.p.mcentee@gmail.com
Zachary Roller, Rapid City SD; (605) 519-0815; zroller28@gmail.com
Arend Schuurman, Elkton SD; (605) 695-2122; arend.schuurman@gmail.com
Jim Tiller, Custer SD; (605) 390-3878; jtillert@hotmail.com
Terry Wiles, Harrisburg SD; terryscustom@yahoo.com
EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR
Troy Hamm, Gardner KS; (913) 744-5745; funflyr@juno.com
