District II Report - 2004/12
Annual District II Fly-In
The annual District II Fly-In was held on October 2–3, 2004, in Wall Township, New Jersey. Saturday was largely scuttled by the weather, but Sunday was a perfect fall day. I’ll write more about this event during the winter.
Indoor season
Outdoor events have pretty much wrapped up for the season. Here in District II, interest for many of us now turns to indoor flying. As has been the trend during the last couple of years, the release of some new models this season should make for some exciting indoor activity. The dramatic improvement in indoor electric models has also resulted in indoor modeling becoming a year‑round activity.
Lakehurst NAS RC Indoor Event
Tom Haake sent the following about an event held at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station (NAS) in New Jersey.
The Delaware Valley Federation of Model Airplane Clubs (DVFMAC), in conjunction with the East Coast Indoor Modelers, sponsored their very first RC indoor event at the Lakehurst NAS.
Two exciting events that attracted quite a few fliers were Spot Landing and Limbo. It was a treat to observe the skill involved in winning these events.
- Spot Landing winner: Art Valand
- Limbo winner: Tom Unger
RCAWNY — Town of Hamburg Day Camp
The Radio Control Aircrafters of Western New York (RCAWNY) has a tradition of promoting model aviation in its community. RCAWNY member Phil Grzeskowiak wrote about an event his club held in July.
On July 20, 2004, RCAWNY members had a rewarding day at our airfield. We had 103 children and seven adult instructors visit us from the Town of Hamburg Day Camp.
Members of our club put on a show that brought looks of amazement to the faces in the crowd. So that no guest left without something to fly, the Paul Billings Pennyplane was offered as a special gift to each child. With summer still with us, we are looking forward to more visits in the weeks ahead.
Slope Soaring on Long Island
Associate Vice President (AVP) Ray Juschkus reports that slope soaring is indeed possible on Long Island.
After a futile attempt to make it to the NEAT Fair, on the trip back to Long Island we started talking about models. Ed Anderson said, “Tomorrow I’m going sloping!”
I decided to join Ed and the others, so early Sunday morning we met at a diner in Kings Park and headed east. Soon we arrived at a huge parking lot. We had to climb up a 20‑foot sand dune and when we got to the top there was a beautiful sandy beach and behind it a cliff that rose approximately 100 feet. The north wind was howling and there were whitecaps all over the Long Island Sound. It reminded me of Torrey Pines in San Diego and was just as pretty.
The group consisted of:
- Ed Anderson
- Ron Parigoris
- Rich Watson
- Wes Wagner
- Wayne Gutschow
- Ray Juschkus
Ron was the first to hand‑launch his Passaj and it flew very fast, doing loops, rolls, and inverted flight. Ron told me the Passaj is made in France and is state‑of‑the‑art in flying wings. He handed me the transmitter and I flew a few turns. For me it was a bit twitchy, but Ron flew it like a pro.
Ed Anderson was flying a Zagi‑type wing and he was doing very well. I must say the bug bit me and I am looking to buy a slope airplane in the near future. I am eagerly awaiting my next flying session on the slope and I hope it is very soon.
Closing
It’s hard to believe we’re approaching the end of another year. I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving and wish you all the best during the upcoming holiday season. See you next time.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
