Hello once again, District VII members. Taking a lyric from a song, "Can you feel it, feel it in the air, the wind is taking it everywhere," yes, I am excited the weather is trending toward the warmth and sunshine that makes for great flying weather. Can you tell I am excited and ready to start soaring through the sky?
Winter has been active as I catch up with the reports of club events throughout the district. It seems as though we have a hearty bunch out there who, even with the frigid temperatures, still find a way to keep their fingers warm and enjoy flights in the wide-open sky. An example of this is the Skymasters RC club of Michigan. Pete Foss, the club president, sent this in:
On January 1 of every year for decades, Skymasters RC of Michigan has hosted our Krazy Snow Fly. Although some years we have had snow, this year, we had a green snow fly. This year we had a great turnout of 20-plus pilots and family members.
For some, the flying is important. For all, it’s an opportunity to consume Jill and Kurt Kettler’s awesome chili! And, of course, we had fresh coffee (courtesy of our upgraded solar charging system) and plenty of sweets.
Quite a few pilots, including members from our neighboring club, the Pontiac Model Airplane Club (PMAC), got a chance to fly. All but one aircraft was electric powered this year.
Electrics are great in the winter! Toss in a warm battery and go fly. One of our most dedicated pilots, "Nitro" Mike Jones, flew a nitro-powered helicopter. At 88 years old, Mike is an inspiration to all of us. Talk about aging gracefully!
Mike, I tip my hat to you. I know what it is like to fly RC helicopters—my fingers would be icicles and move as such. Keep flying for many more year, my friend!
Another club in the area, the Scio Flyers, also in Michigan, held its long-standing New Year’s Day fun-fly with the annual Fanny Freeze. Club member. Jim Hartwell sent this in:
The Fanny Freeze was started by the Ann Arbor RC Falcons in 1974 and has been held regularly ever since. Despite facing chilly conditions of 34° and wind at 15 mph, the turnout was fantastic.
Club members took to the sky, showcasing their dedication and love for flying. The club even held a buddy-box session for one of our young students, allowing the person to experience flying RC for the first time. The combination of flying, learning, and camaraderie made it a memorable start to the new year for the club.
I hope you all have kept warm since we have had some cold weather. District VII members, let me also point out that the Scio club is also supporting a group of young students in the UAS4STEM competition. You can read up on this interesting program at https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/uas4stem.
One final note that I received from Dave Schneck, of the Michigan Signal Seekers RC club, was the unfortunate passing of Bronislaw "Brownie"
Kowalczyk. Brownie was 100 years old. He served as an MP in the U.S. Army, stationed in Ipswich outside of London. Brownie was a long-time AMA member and a regular at the field for many years, flying RC into his late 90s. Fair winds and following seas, Brownie.
Brownie Kowalczyk was 100 years old.
Until next month, keep the updates coming in and, of course, share the passion!