District II
New Jersey, New York, Europe
Eric Williams
Vice President
amavpd2@gmail.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; dennisb6563@gmail.com
Eaton Bryce, Brooklyn NY; (917) 749-3125; subundergroundny@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; gmfitch@hotmail.com
Gene Gavin, Staten Island NY; (718) 967-0598; Gavin1957@aol.com
Frank Granelli, Rockaway NJ; (973) 625-4995; granellif@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; kingmeow@verizon.net
Herb Ziegler, Baldwinsville NY; (315) 857-6269; 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
Earlier this spring, while returning from the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo in Toledo, Ohio, I stopped in Buffalo, New York, and attended the annual Aircrafters of Western New York auction, located at the Ismailia Shriners Hall at 1600 Southwestern Blvd., in Buffalo.
District II Associate Vice President Max Smart trekked to Toledo and Buffalo from the Canadian border!
Paul Schwartz (center) of the Brookfield RC Club was still sleepy from his Toledo trip.
The bidding was fast and furious at the auction.
The auction is a fun event and the club works hard to keep the gathering interesting and lively. There’s always something new or different going over the auction block.
The Aircrafters is a highly involved AMA club. In 2024, it hosted the 22nd annual District II Fly-In in conjunction with the Flying Knights of
Hamburg, New York. Despite dodging raindrops and battling heavy wind from hurricane Debbie, that event raised more than $1,000
An interesting engine test stand at the auction.
for the Hamburg Recreation Foundation, whose mission is to provide equipment and improvements to the town’s recreational facilities. This is a great lesson in giving back to the community and being known as involved community members!
The Aircrafters has a nice field that it shares with the Flying Knights of Hamburg. Interestingly, the field is a former Nike missile base situated at 2800 Lakeview Rd. in Hamburgh. I hope that the missiles are gone! They have been replaced with flying activities of a different kind!
The club presented the donation to the town of Hamburg NY.
As the Aircrafters mention on the club’s website, “We intend to provide entertainment, social recreation, lectures, exhibitions, and instruction to our membership and the interested public.”
Key to this statement is “social recreation.” AMA clubs need to be proactive and to think of themselves as involved, entertaining, and, most importantly, fun, social groups.
Remember, it’s not about what you fly, it’s about the friends you make.
