As Carol Burnett used to say, "Now it’s time to say goodbye." As my time being the interim District III vice president (VP) comes to an end on December 31, 2025, I hope that I have been a good steward for the district. Starting on January 1, 2026, Mark Radcliff will once again become the district’s VP, and I will revert to being an associate vice president for the district.
I will still travel around to various district events and club meetings to answer questions that any of you might have about AMA or FAA issues. Let me know if there is anything you want me to do; my contact details are on the side of this page. If I do not answer my phone, please leave a message so that I can get back to you.
I want to congratulate two of our district members who have been selected for the FAI F4 World Championships for Scale Model Aircraft RC Scale team that will travel to Buckminster in the U.K. next summer. They are Mike Barbee (Columbus, Ohio) and Keith Numbers (Dayton, Ohio). The team was selected during the AMA RC Scale Nats this past summer at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana. We are sending a full team next year, consisting of six RC Scale fliers and three Control Line (CL) Scale fliers. Kathy Bauer joins the F4B CL team as the first-ever female CL Scale competitor.
I want to wish the team the very best in their travels and in the competition. Go Team USA!
On August 8-9, I attended the Carl Hopkins Aviation Expo in Bridgeport, West Virginia. The event’s contest director was Ed Waske, who educated youngsters on the various areas of education and employment that are available within the aviation industry.
There were displays by various colleges and universities, aviation companies, including Boeing, and, of course, AMA. The AMA Model Aviation Experience sponsored by Wing simulation trailer was there, along with RC trainer airplanes, CL demonstrations, and a CL trainer airplane (thank you to Rick, George, and Bob). Mark Radcliff was there buddy-boxing, and I did the candy drop for the kids (eight times).
Friday night, there was a banquet where the guest speaker was Victoria Yeager, the second wife of Brig. Gen. Charles "Chuck" Yeager. She shared accounts of her time traveling with Chuck and some of his stories from when he flew for the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II. A good time was had by all.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude to all of the workers at the IAC and all of the District III members who have supported me during my tenure as your district VP. Keep flying, and whenever you can, help a youngster to learn to fly and enjoy this great hobby.
Merry Christmas and have a safe new year with plenty of flying time!
