Happy 245th birthday, America! Be sure to celebrate this great country of ours safely and responsibility. Another celebration this month is the AMA National Fun Fly in Muncie, Indiana. The dates are July 30, 31, and August 1, 2021. Please plan to attend. This year should include a swap shop section, as well as multiple flight-lines. Check the AMA website for details!
Orville Shields, of the Erie RC Club in Erie, Illinois, shared the following:
We lost club member Tom Stoudt on August 14, 2020. Right out of high school in 1959, Tom enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He became an aircraft mechanic and worked on aircraft such as the B-47, C-130, F-86, and the F-4.
Tom spent much of his enlistment in Southeast Asia. He was able to finish his career in the US and in Germany before retiring in 1979. During his tour in Germany, he got the RC bug and taught himself to fly. When he returned home, he converted his basement to a workshop. He and a few friends founded the Erie RC Club, AMA sanction number 1000. He was club secretary/treasurer for most of the last 30 years.
Next up is from Curt Ledbetter of the Cameron Dragonflies R/C Club in Cameron, Missouri:
Our club was established in 1993. We have had several fields throughout the years. Our newest field has an 85 × 700-foot runway. It is located on an unfilled portion of a closed city landfill. We installed a safety fence and started constructing of a 30-foot shelter. We have no trees or obstructions at either end of our runway. A tree line to the west helps block the evening sun.
We aerated, seeded, fertilized, and rolled the field in April and have plans for restroom facilities, solar power, a spectator fence, and meeting requirements to become an AMA Leader Club. Under consideration is the possibility of drone racing, and we are looking forward to funflys and events. We like barbecuing and socializing. We currently have 24 members and are growing. We encourage all ages and types of aircraft. Our web address is www.camerondragonflies.com.
John Clauson, from the Sky Knights club in Mundelein, Illinois, shared the following:
Our annual New Year’s Day Fly-In dates back to 1956. Right now, we have 20 members and have been at our all-electric field since 2010. The group that evolved into the Sky Knights began in 1945. One of our long-term members is Ralph Warner, who was featured on the last page of the April 2021 Model Aviation. Another noteworthy member was the late Weldon Smith, AMA Life Member and designer/builder/pilot of the 1960s Talon Zipper. View our website at http://skyknightsrc.org.
From David Kern of the Fort Wayne Flying Circuits Inc. in Indiana:
Ron Ballard built his Vintage Mambo from an old Sterling Kit. The Fort Wayne Flying Circuits hosted a Vintage RC event on June 12 at our field. The Sterling Mambo is one of the 2021 theme airplanes designated by the Vintage Radio Control Society, an AMA Special Interest Group. The Flying Circuits’ website has this year’s schedule of events at www.flyingcircuits.org.
Send me a short write-up and pictures of your club’s event at amadistrictvi@modelaircraft.org, and remember to take a youth flying and/or introduce someone new to model aviation!
Gary Himes
Vice President District VI