District VI May 2020

Written by Gary Himes District News: Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri As seen in the May 2020 issue of Model Aviation.

Whoo-hoo! May Day is just around the corner. For me, this is the best time of the year. My hometown club always has a fun-fly on my birthday, with a large turnout and lots of camaraderie! The first submission this month is by Phil Bean: This year is off to a flying start at the Rend Lake RC club (RLRC). There was fly-in on January 1, 2020. We have had indoor fly-ins with more scheduled and the Warbirds Over Rend Lake is scheduled for September 19-20. Opportunities to promote flying to youth are numerous. RLRC sent a teen girl from our club to camp AMA the previous two years and she enjoyed it greatly. The club received an AMA TAG grant for two E-flite Apprentice trainers that have gotten a lot of use in intro flights for beginners. Another program I want to bring attention to, started by EAA, is called Build and Fly. This package deal is offered by the EAA in partnership with model manufacturers and distributers. It consists of a kit, tools, covering, radio system, adhesives, a flight simulator, a field box kit, and a complete electric power system with batteries for only $500. EAA Chapter 1155, in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, has this program underway, with construction started by local youth working two hours on Saturday evenings. This past weekend (as I write this), there is an area that doesn’t drain well and holds standing water. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. We had five water takeoffs by two airplanes on floats and one amphibian model. Next is from Mike Cerveny of the Illinois Valley Remote Control club in Peru, Illinois: Many people have been members for decades and are still fascinated by the hobby. Jim Pagani has been active with the club going back decades. He has been the club president and headed up many projects. His knowledge of the sport is extensive and he shares it with all. These days he is our senior instructor. One of Jim’s personal projects was building a P-38 airplane that is a sizable and accurate model of the aircraft. Using Nick Ziroli plans as a starting point, it took him 8 years to build the 114-inch wingspan P-38. The finished airplane weighs 51 pounds. He invested more than $4,000. The P-38 was test-flown in 2018.

The gentleman who built this plane is Jim Pagani (L). He is 89 years young!

The last submission is from Frank Noyes of the Lake Ozark Radio Control Society (LORCS). Many clubs have great fliers. A few have inspirational fliers. The LORCS has Brian Stark and he fills the bill on both counts. Brian started flying RC in 1989. He was injured in an industrial accident that left him a quadriplegic. This caused a 27-year absence from flying. Brian started back in the hobby in 2017. Flying from his wheelchair, he has become an accomplished pilot. He began flying with an E-flite Carbon Z Cub. In his words, “something big and slow.” Lately he has taken on learning 3D flying. He has had help from family to accomplish this, and uses a specially modified DX9 transmitter with extended sticks and a pair of gloves with tubes attached to them that slide over the sticks to control his airplane. Brian is an inspiration to all who see him fly.

You can’t help but be amazed at what Brian Stark has accomplished. He has proven that a disability doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying this great sport of ours. Remember, to see your club in the magazine, simply send me a submission of your club’s event from this past year! I encourage you to email me at [email protected] with the word “magazine” in the subject line and attach some pictures! Don’t forget to introduce someone to model aviation!