Happy birthday, America! If my math is correct, this month is the 247th birthday of the United States! Remember to celebrate safely and responsibly with your family and friends.
Associate Vice President Craig Greening sent the following report:
I went to the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana, on April 14-16 for the National Electric Fun Fly. The weather was ideal and I had a great time. It’s a bit of a weird event for me. It has been held on different dates in the last few years, and doesn’t get a lot of promotion.
This year featured roughly 15 pilots on Friday and maybe 25 on Saturday. It could easily be a much larger event, but it needs more promotion and awareness.
A friend of mine came down from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I let him fly my Hangar 9 OV-10 Bronco, which put a smile on his face!
I attended the 4th Annual Jim Richmond Open on April 1-3, in West Baden, Indiana. This is held in the beautiful, historic West Baden Springs hotel. I do not fly Free Flight, but I enjoyed this very much. Maybe I need to find someone to mentor me and try my hand at this discipline of our hobby.
It is amazing to watch the graceful flights. I found out that many of these airplanes weigh less than half of a penny. This weight does not include the rubber used to power the craft, but don’t be fooled—many have flight times longer than my electric RC airplanes.
For a fun, informative weekend, make plans now to attend next April.
I also attended the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo 2023 this past April. The show was well attended by both commercial vendors and swap shoppers. AMA also had the simulator trailer there and was very busy throughout the show. There were bargains to be had and even yours truly left the show with less money than I had when I got there.
I have heard through a good source that this event will continue in April 2024. It is another great event to put on your calendar.
I am looking forward to seeing your pictures and hearing about your club’s events. To get your club’s event, or even just a fun day of flying, into my column, simply write a 150-word description of the event accompanied by a couple of pictures. Email it to AMAdistrictVI@modelaircraft.org with the word “magazine” in the subject line. Keep in mind, the pictures must be at least 500KB standalone JPG files.
Each and every one of us need to take time to introduce someone new to model aviation. Help get youth excited about model aviation because they are the future of our hobby, as well as a potential worker in aviation-related industries!
Gary Himes
Vice President District VI