Hello all you fellow District V fliers.
The flying in Florida for the past several months may not be the best but I bet we are getting more flying in than those guys and gals in District I. Every time I look at the weather there’s a nor’easter, ice storm or 30” of snow on the ground. Maybe that’s why there are no IMAA events in District I in January.
There have been several events in Florida I have attended over the past several months and not all of them were IMAA events. A friend of mine, Tony Greene, attends extreme flight events (hope that the right term) and he asked me to accompany him the one in Jacksonville. I know all of you up north will laugh at me but it was cold. Not only couldn’t I wear shorts I had to wear a long sleeve shirt, sweater with a hood, 2 jackets and gloves to stay uncold. To say I was warm was definitely wrong. Despite the cold there was a lot of flying going on. At one time there were seventeen planes, from 40% planes to foamies hovering over the runway. They treated me very well and fed me once in a while even though I was what they called a circle flier. These pilots refuse to fly straight and level. One pilot that was doing all kinds of high alpha maneuvers told me it was the planes maiden flight. I asked him if it had been difficult to trim. He said he hadn’t been straight a level long enough to see if it needed to be trimmed.
The same weekend as the Jacksonville event was the Annual Wings over Venice. AD, Mike Wolvin, attended and said the weather turned bad and flying was limited. Elliott Feiner was the CD and ran a good event in spite of the weather. This was the 10th year for the event and I look forward to attending it next year.
The next event was the annual Festival of Giants in Deland. This was an IMAA event in the past and I talked to the new CD, Donnie Byrans, about having it as an IMAA event in the future. Donnie said he was willing to discuss the possibility of having the event sponsored by the IMAA in the future. The Festival has at times been plagued with bad weather but for this event the weather was good. Lots of flying and a very large crowd on Saturday. I learned how to filet a 40% YAK with a Sig Rascal. First you have the Rascal fly a low pass over the runway from left to right. Then the Yak does a nose high knife edge from right to left. When the spotter, who is talking on a cell phone, starts yelling and using swear words you know the filet is about to occur. Using precise calculations and precise airspeeds, otherwise known as dumb luck. The wingtip of the rascal slices an eight inch long hole in the belly of the Yak. Viola, Filet of Yak! Luckily both planes landed safely. No damage to the Rascal and a half hour repair job to the Yak. It took Tony longer than a half hour but he kept having to answer his cell phone. I was not there Sunday but I heard there was a large crowd on that day also. It was a good event and Donnie did a great job as the CD. Hope to be there again next year.
The next event was the Southeastern model show in Perry, GA. A swap meet fanatics dream. 1200 eight foot tables filled with used and new radio control equipment. Actually 1199 because I saw one table filled with Holley carburetors for a Chevy. My wife told me that had to clear out one of our spare bedrooms (we have 3) of airplanes because we had relatives coming to visit. I told her the reason all three bedrooms were filled with airplanes is because I don’t want any relatives coming to visit. She said either I clear out a bedroom or she would. Faced with that proposition I took 23 airplanes to Perry and sold 19. I could have bought another 19 to replace the ones I sold but I resisted and only bought one. The CD, Norm Deputy, was kind enough to provide table space for an IMAA display and District V ADs, Mike Russell and Joe Dolliver, spent the two days of the event explaining the IMAA to participants, passing out magazines and selling memberships. If you like swap meets this is the one to attend in the Southeast.
The last event was the Annual Dick Coles Memorial Fly In, in Palmetto. The wind blew the first two days but there will still fliers brave enough to fly. Saw one pilot with two spotters keeping him from getting blown away while he flew on Saturday afternoon. After the flight he said he came to fly and not sit around like the other wimps at the field. James Holloman was the CD and appeared to be having a great time. His main concern at the pilots’ meeting was that everyone has a good time. This is the 19th year for this event. Anyone in southwest Florida in February next year should try to attend.
I am going to start a thread that relates to this blurb in the District V forums. Anyone that has comments, photos of the events or questions he or she wants to post please put it in the District V forum.
Randy.