Earlier this spring, while returning from the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo in Toledo, Ohio, I stopped in Buffalo, New York, and attended the annual Aircrafters of Western New York auction, located at the Ismailia Shriners Hall at 1600 Southwestern Blvd., in Buffalo.
District II Associate Vice President Max Smart trekked to Toledo and Buffalo from the Canadian border!
Paul Schwartz (center) of the Brookfied RC Club was still sleepy from his Toledo trip.
The bidding was fast and furious at the auction.
The bidding was fast and furious at the auction. The auction is a fun event and the club works hard to keep the gathering interesting and lively. There’s always something new or different going over the auction block.
The Aircrafters is a highly involved AMA club. In 2024, it hosted the 22nd annual District II Fly-In in conjunction with the Flying Knights of Hamburg, New York. Despite dodging raindrops and battling heavy wind from hurricane Debbie, that event raised more than $1,000 for the Hamburg Recreation Foundation, whose mission is to provide equipment and improvements to the town’s recreational facilities. This is a great lesson in giving back to the community and being known as involved community members!
An interesting engine test stand at the auction.
The Aircrafters has a nice field that it shares with the Flying Knights of Hamburg. Interestingly, the field is a former Nike missile base situated at 2800 Lakeview Rd. in Hamburgh. I hope that the missiles are gone! They have been replaced with flying activities of a different kind!
The club presented the donation to the town of Hamburg NY.
As the Aircrafters mention on the club’s website, "We intend to provide entertainment, social recreation, lectures, exhibitions, and instruction to our membership and the interested public."
Key to this statement is "social recreation." AMA clubs need be proactive and to think of themselves as involved, entertaining, and, most importantly, fun, social groups.
Remember, it’s not about what you fly, it’s about the friends you make.