It is December already. While we celebrate with family and friends, please do so responsibly, and never forget the real reason for the season! I pray that 2026 will keep us all safe. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
David Kern reported that the Fort Wayne Flying Circuits, along with Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) 28, hosted the 57th National US SAM Champs for RC flying. The event included 17 pilots from across the Midwest who competed in multiple contests. A special award was given to Jay Burkart, who won the Grand Champion RC Electric award and was inducted into the SAM Hall of Fame.
Each year, the National US SAM Champs location alternates between the West Coast and the AMA Headquarters located in Muncie, Indiana. This year, however, the Flying Circuits’ field in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was chosen.
Roger Russell shared the following:
I was flying my Top Flite P-40 Warhawk when my daughter, son-in-law, and my grandson, Colson, surprised me at the field. I know—it’s a common occurrence, but it was the T-shirt Colson was wearing that made it special. I bought the Byron Originals T-shirt for Colson’s mom while attending the Striking Back show with my dad at the Aviation Expo in Ida Grove, Iowa, in 1986. Now, 39 years later, it’s being passed down to a next-generation RC flier.
George Fram gave details about an event that the St. Louis Aeropilots hosted for National Model Aviation Day.
We had handbills at both of our local hobby shops, and I was on the news the day before the event to help gain some attention. We had several people come out just to watch because they saw us on the news. We had everything from Giant Scale to foam board airplanes, and we even had several kids flying on our buddy-box set up. We also had people from other clubs come out.
Gary Koester shared that the Aurora Barnstormers RC Club hosted its annual RC Helicopter Fun-Fly event.
We had 13 pilots from around the Chicago area participate in a lot of flying during some very nice weather. The club provided pizzas for lunch, and everyone had a great time.
Bill Spencer reported that the Champaign County RC Club (CCRCC) hosted a fun-fly event that celebrated the achievements of the students from their 2025 flight training program.
We welcomed 32 eager students into our training program, and 25 have already taken solo flights to become skilled pilots! The graduates joined us for Saturday’s fun-fly alongside friends, family, and CCRCC members. The day was packed with friendly competitions in four categories: Precision Parachute Drop, Carrier Landing, Limbo, and Climb-and-Glide. We rounded out the celebration with a delicious lunch and a special raffle just for our student pilots.
Send your event information by email to amadistrictVI@modelaircraft.org. Pictures must be at least 500KB stand-alone JPG picture files.