District V
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands
Welcome back, everyone! If you attended Joe Nall Week 2026 in May at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina, you were treated to the best weather in recent years—maybe the best since I started going 15 years ago. The runway was dry, the wind was mostly favorable, and the flying was plentiful. Triple Tree Executive Director Robb Williams informed me that they had 1,100 registered pilots and twice that many spectators. Despite the chamber of commerce weather, I think that attendance was probably down some because of the gas prices at the time.
The 3D line at Joe Nall is very, very popular! The talent displayed by both team and non-team pilots is phenomenal!
have questions answered. There is also a dinner that takes place afterward overlooking the beautiful float pond, and it's a chance to walk around a hangar stocked with full-scale classic aircraft.
I want to touch on burn bans and turbine jet flying. As a former firefighter, I can promise you that nothing is scarier than how fast a brush fire can spread when the humidity is low and the underbrush is dried out from a consistent lack of rain. AMA doesn't have any "rules" regarding turbine jets and burn bans, but common sense should prevail.
The view I look forward to every May: Joe Nall Week at the Triple Tree Aerodrome!
Rick Cawley, from Fuquay Varina, N.C., won the Bob Smith Award at Joe Nall with his radial-powered Hall Bulldog. The Bob Smith Award trophy will come back next year to be awarded again, and Rick's Bulldog will be featured on the entrance banner for the 2027 event.
AMA leadership, including President Greg Stone, Executive Director Tyler Dobbs, myself, and several of the district vice presidents, was in attendance, along with Retail Manager Wendy Neal and Government Affairs Manager Lucas Rodden from AMA Headquarters. If you don't know Lucas, he has taken over Government Affairs duties since Tyler transitioned to the executive director position and is doing a fantastic job dealing with issues that clubs might have with the FAA and local governments.
The Thursday night AMA Membership Meeting is your opportunity to learn what's happening firsthand from AMA staff and leadership and to
The featured youth this month is Donald Baxter, a new RC pilot from Green Cove Springs, Fla. Donald is shown here at his science fair with his project about the powered flight revolution and how it has changed the world. He won his category (of course!) and is advancing to district-level competition. He used his RC airplane to demonstrate to the judges how it works. Great job, Donald!
