Welcome back everyone! Have you grown model aviation lately? If so, let me know how! If not, ask yourself what you can do to grow the hobby and give it a try next time you’re at the field.
I enjoyed attending a couple of events this month. The first was the Winter-Air-Fest and Swap Meet at the DeLand Golden Hawks RC Club in Deland, Florida. This is an annual fly-in and swap meet and everyone in attendance enjoyed the nice weather and wide variety of items for sale.
The DeLand club is a fantastic example of cooperation between an RC club and a local airport authority because they use an inactive runway at the DeLand Airport. They maintain a 400-foot altitude limit during daily operations but obtain authorization of 700 feet for events, which is plenty for most flying. A shout-out to both the club, their president, Mike Setteducati (no relation to the motorcycle!), and everyone there who makes this event a success. Also, apologies to Mike for butchering his name the last time I mentioned him here!
I also recently returned from the Southeastern Model Show, also known as the Perry Swap Meet. I spoke with several first-time attendees and asked them for their first impressions. They all used the same word: overwhelming!
If you’ve never been, the show takes place at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and features more than 100,000 sq. ft. of floor space for modelers to hawk their wares and for customers to search for deals. AMA Headquarters staff was in attendance to process renewals, answer questions from members, and even give away AMA swag in the form of koozies, pens, and, for a lucky few, April Conner’s homemade cookies.
If you’ve never attended, you should put it on your list. If you stopped by to say hello or share a story, it was my pleasure to hang out with you! Until next month, happy flying and stay safe.
