Craig Greening submitted the following:
Howard Ross was enjoying dinner when a gaggle of familiar faces walked into the dining room at ClarkLindsey, a senior living facility in Champaign, Illinois. The surprise visit by members of the Champaign County Radio Control Club was part of a tribute to the 98-yearold that included a plaque and many kind words.
“I had no idea they were coming,” said Howard, the only living founding member of a club that has been a community staple since 1951.
While fellow residents of ClarkLindsey looked on, Dan Irwin presented a plaque that reads, “Howard Ross, founder, flyer and friend. We wouldn’t be here without you.”
Howard is known in the Champaign-Urbana area for two things: his days as a farmer and his love of RC airplanes. Dan remembers Howard helping him learn to fly his first RC airplane at the age of 12 years old.
Dan later paid it back by helping Howard fly an RC airplane when his eyesight was failing. Howard was unsure of being able to still fly an RC airplane and Dan served as his copilot that day. Howard flew flawlessly, and it was exciting for both the pilot and copilot. Howard, despite nearing 100 years of age, remains sharp as a tack.
This next report is from Junior Centeno.
The Palos R/C Flying Club had its monthly meeting on February 6, 2024. At our meetings, members tell me that they always learn something new. Members bring their new airplane projects to show us what we can expect to see this summer.
Roughly 20 people showed up that night. Joe Felonk is our chief flight instructor and helps run several events throughout the year. Joe likes to build large Scale aircraft, including jets. This night, he brought a space shuttle. This aircraft will have twin turbines when finished. Everyone wanted to have their pictures taken with the model, and they can’t wait to see it fly.
Our flying field is located at Morrill Meadows Forest preserve in Palos, Illinois, south of Chicago. We hope to attract many spectators this year. I have been the president of this club for years, and this will be my last! I hope the next president will get excited as I did.
I will share your club’s event or even just a fun day of flying in my column. Simply write a 150-word description of an event, along with a couple of pictures. Email them to AMAdistrictVI@modelaircraft.org with the word “magazine” in the subject line. Pictures must be at least a 500KB standalone jpg file.
I want to remind you of the AMA National Fun Fly held in Muncie, Indiana, on June 28-30, 2024. The event is free this year to all pilots. T-shirts will cost $15 each. Although the event is free, we would like you to preregister on the AMA website, which will earn you a meal ticket. Venders will be selling their wares, along with a swap-shop area. Many more family activities are being planned. I look forward to meeting you there!
Gary Himes
Vice President District VI