Dare County Radio Control Flyers

Nineteen of our club members and their dates attended our annual Christmas party at the Thai Room Restaurant in Kill Devil Hills. Club president, Jim Davis opened the event by briefly speaking about some significant events and accomplishments of the past year, and expressed his thanks to all for their hard work. Jim also announced that the club was recently designated as a Gold Leader Club by the Academy of Model Aeronautics, and club vice president, Robert Yanacek, presented Gold Leader Club pins to the members in attendance.

Dinner was plentiful and delicious, and the courteous and professional service provided by our host, Jao Oira, was noteworthy. Our club members and their dates used their dinner time to chat and learn a bit more about each other, and the ladies have made plans to keep in touch with each other and become more involved with the club. Overall, everyone had a great time and our celebration of friendship and fellowship this evening was a perfect way to begin the Christmas season.

Those attending were: Michael and Mary Alexander; Robert and Diane Yanacek; Charlie and Vicky Doss; Stephen Yanacek; Peter Fynn; Jim and Sharon Davis; Jim and Joyce Shiels; Mike and Diane Kirkpatrick; Grant Dick; Philip Garey; Virgil Kee, and; Skip Wescott and his date, Brenda.

Six of our members had the pleasure of meeting and flying with two guests from Durham who were visiting the Outer Banks during the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Middle-school student, Jonathan, accompanied by his mother, Georgia, joined four of our club members for breakfast this morning at the Jolly Roger restaurant in Kill Devil Hills. Following breakfast, we drove to the flying field, and by 10AM we had planes in the air!

Following a quick safety brief, Jonathan, who is only twelve years old and also a new pilot, was in the air with his AeroScout S2. Despite some challenging winds above the treeline, he performed his flight using his plane's beginner flight mode very well, and ended with a good landing. While charging his battery and waiting for his next flight, Jonathan and Georgia watched and received some tips from other club members as they flew their aircraft, and learned about First-Person-View (FPV) flying that a number of our members use regularly. Jonathan's next flight went even better as our members talked him through performing his very first loop after switching-off his beginner flight mode. Jonathan did so well he was invited to fly Peter Fynn's 1.5m Turbo Timber Evolution which he did under Peter's watchful eyes. After watching a few drone and FPV flights, Jonathan then flew a 1.4m E-flite Valiant, belonging to our club's vice-president, as Stephen Yanacek talked him through is first takeoff and landing with a tail-dragger aircraft.

By the afternoon, our members had convinced Jonathan's mother, Georgia, that she too could learn to fly. With a fresh battery in the Valiant and a quick overview of flight control, Georgia was soon in the air with Stephen Yanacek acting as her flight instructor. Her flight went very well and she acknowledged that it was not as difficult as she expected.

Closing the day's activities, Mike Kirkpatrick tried out Philip Garey's AeroScout that had been modified by Philip with a flight controller that locked-in altitude. Mike, who is new to flying and one of our newest members, had a really great time with this modification and the thrill he experienced was noted by all.

As we prepared to depart and head home, we thanked Georgia and Jonathan for being such great guests, and our members vowed to do their best to meet again in a few weeks for our club's annual Christmas party.

Although it only reached 54-degrees today, low winds made for a good day of flying for eight of our members at the flying field today.

The day's activities featured Philip Garey successfully testing his auto-launch flight controller programming and a maiden flight for an aircraft that was given to Stephen Yanacek and rebuilt with an electric powered motor. Jim Shiels had some good flying with the mini-Moa glider he recently built and with his UMX Cessna 150. Jim Davis also performed aerobatics with his low wing black-colored monoplane and ended the day with a parachute drop from his Piper J-3 Cub.

Eight club members participated in the Fall Festival hosted by the Outer Banks Women's Club less than a mile from the location of the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903.

Our members had a good time interacting and informing the public about the club and its activities in the sport and recreational activity of model aviation. Club members also provided festival guests with information about our club, the Academy of Model Aeronautics, and copies of Model Aviation magazine.

Being that it was too windy to fly, seven club members met at the Jolly Roger Restaurant in Kill Devil Hills for breakfast, fellowship, and conversation about airplanes and flying.

Those attending were Mike Alexander, Philip Garey, Peter Fynn, Stephen Yanacek, Robert Yanacek, Charlie Doss, and Grant Dick.

Two members of Sussex Aeromodelers went to the field to fly today, accompanied by two of our club members. Alex Zanow and Tom Perkins were visiting the Outer Banks this week and wanted to do some flying at the "Birthplace of Aviation." Our club was pleased to spend time with them as they flew their aircraft, which included a flight by Tom of his helicopter.