On January 1, 2026, the domain name for our district website (yes, we still have one) will change to www.amad4.org. The difference is that there is no dash in the name. Take note: Several of the email addresses for me, associate vice presidents (AVPs), and others on staff, have changed.
There are a lot of very talented Scale model builders in the country. One of those particularly skilled modelers is AVP Rick Cawley, who is also the administrator for the Golden Age RC Aircraft group on Facebook. He brings us this report.
The Golden Age of Aviation is the era between the great wars where aviation made some incredible leaps in technology. These leaps were a result of the great air races of the 1920s and 1930s, advancing aircraft designs with their monowing, metal-covered fuselages and retractable landing gear.
This topic brings us to the event that is sponsored by the Tri-County Sky Barons at the Golden Age Air Museum in Bethel, Pennsylvania, where the love of aviation from this time long ago is kept alive with the full-scale aircraft that are on display and flown at this air museum.
This year, in August for four days, the museum was dedicated to Scale RC aircraft. My wife and I arrived on Tuesday and, by the weekend, there was a good group of 84 registered RC pilots who were flying everything from the dawn of aviation up to World War II. Wednesday and Thursday were a time when you could fly any era of aircraft, but Friday and Saturday were restricted to Golden Age aircraft.
A large abundance of World War I aircraft, small and large, flew the scale maneuvers that so represent the aircraft from that time long ago. Of course, the Golden Age aircraft had a large group that was flown, from racers to Stinsons and so many more.
If you got hungry, they had breakfast, lunch, and dinner on-site between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the concession stand, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they had barbecue served under the pavilion for a donation.
This event is not just about RC aircraft. For a special treat on Friday evening, the full-scale aircraft were brought out for a recreation of what it was like back in the day, with a Jenny, Spad, Sopwith, Dr.I, Waco, Pitts, and two BT-15s flying. The recreation was spectacular with the vintage aircraft doing their flybys and the sights and sounds that were common for that era.
Go fly and have fun safely.