March 2026 - District XI | Model Aviation

Hi all! It’s New Year’s Eve as I write this in the middle of our off season. I don’t have any current district news to share, so I’ll give you an update on me and promote some events that are coming.

I retired from my for-pay job at the end of 2025. I’ll have more time for my play job now and more time to play with our great hobby. I’m going to attend more events and do more flying than before. I bought myself a retirement gift (or two) and have them pretty much ready to go. I now have added a Boomerang RC Jets Atom Squared and replaced my Boomerang Sprint with a new version. I’m really excited about attending a few turbine jet events this year; it’s going to be fun. Here are some pictures of my projects:

Red and white model airplane with stars, in a cluttered workshop. — The updated Boomerang Sprint.

Model airplane with stars and stripes in a cluttered workshop. — The fully assembled Boomerang Atom Squared.

RC aircraft fuselage with visible engine and electronic components. — The Boomerang Atom Squared’s turbine and electronics setup.

Model jet with American flag design on a workshop table surrounded by tools. — Does this look similar to your workshop? The Boomerang Atom Squared was built during build season in Phil’s own workshop.

Now for the upcoming events. I am the contest director (CD) for the NorthWest Scale Aero-Modellers spring opener event on May 29-31, which will be held at the Silver Hills R/C Flyers field in Athol, Idaho, right across the highway from Silverwood Theme Park. This is a great place to fly on a long and wide grass runway— one of my favorite fields.

RC Scale competition is a lot of fun, with great camaraderie, and it greatly improves flying skills. Making your aircraft do exactly what you want it to, when you want it to, is a fun challenge. Please try to attend and join us in competition. We have a great beginner’s class that makes it easy to get started. Visit nwscale.orgfor more information.

Next, I’ll be the CD for a new event in our area, Weaver’s Jet Stampede, on June 12-14 at Weaver’s Field in Othello, Washington. We have few fields that can support gas turbine operations in our area; this is certainly one of the best. Gary Weaver is a great host, and the field has the best grass runway you have ever seen at 650 feet long. There is ample room for RVs and there are hotels nearby. We will have a lot of attendees, a lot of flying, good food available, and a raffle. Be sure to put this on your calendar—you won’t want to miss it.

That’s all for now. I hope to see you during my travels and at our events. Keep building and flying!

District XI