Well, here we go again. It’s time to celebrate the birth of our nation. It is hard to believe that the year is already half gone. It seems like only yesterday I was out shoveling snow in freezing temperatures!
The AMA National Fun Fly is now in the history books. I hope you were able to come out and join in the fun. This is always a great time to come out and fly at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, without having to to compete. Discussions have already started for the 2023 National Fun Fly.
I don’t know what has happened, but this is the second month in a row that I have not received any input or information from the clubs and people of District VI. I choose to keep my column full of information about all of the wonderful clubs, events, and people from our great district, but I need your input to accomplish this. Please get those write-ups and pictures in the mail! Thank you.
Another thing that took place this past spring was Camp AMA. Since I have been the District VI vice president, I have paid the tuition for four youth from the district to attend Camp AMA. This year, I sent Jacob Miller. Following is some of the information I received about him and why I chose him:
“I am the second-oldest child in my home-schooled, single-income family of eight. My parents can’t afford to pay for me to go to camp. For the past year, I have been working and saving money for a car. I heard about Camp AMA. I remembered how much fun I had volunteering with AMA at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“My family and friends have suggested that I look into occupations surrounding RC flying because I enjoy it so much. With that in mind, I decided that going to Camp AMA would be an investment in my education and possibly help me find a career doing something I love. When at AirVenture last year, I found out that AMA would be there, and that there was a need for volunteers at the RC simulator trailer to help people who were interested in learning. After my first day of volunteering, I found out how much I enjoyed helping people learn to fly.
“I spent almost the whole week either at the AMA trailer explaining to curious bystanders how the simulator worked, or at the RC field flying and/or helping register and set up new pilots.”
I am looking forward to receiving Jacob’s post-camp essay and pictures! I will share his experiences at camp with you.
I still have in my possession an Apprentice RTF trainer and a RealFlight 9.5 flight simulator. I will give these products to two deserving clubs. To win, send me a short write-up on how either of these items would benefit your club and help it grow. Be sure to include your club’s name and your contact details.
This needs to be sent to me by July 31 and I will make the decisions shortly afterward. Don’t dally around too long. The end of the month will be here before you know it.
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 along with a couple of pictures. Email it to amadistrictVI@modelaircraft.org with the word “magazine” in the subject line. Please remember that pictures must be at least a 500 KB stand-alone JPEG file.
Please help get youth excited about model aviation. They are the future of our hobby!
Gary Himes
Vice President District VI