The Sunday Flyers

So it's Sunday and I'm moping around the house . I still haven't figured out what I'm going to write for my April column. You should always have a plan laid out ahead for Sunday. It's too important a day to try to wing it and then end up wasting the whole day. And here I am, it's Sunday and I have no plan. And then, miraculously, a lightbulb went off in my head. Why don't I go visit The Sunday Flyers! What a brilliant thought. Let me tell you about my visit, such a pleasant visit.

CLUB OF THE MONTH: THE SUNDAY FLYERS

Bird Field

Actually, The Sunday Flyers have two fields: Bird Field off of Bird River Beach Road off of Ebeneezer Road, and Batavia Field off of US 40 inside the Baltimore Beltway. Bird Field has a 100-by-300' grass runway and is most suitable for .60-size and smaller planes. Batavia Field has a 150-by-500' grass runway and will accommodate all size planes. You can learn all about them on their web site. Log on at www.sundayflyers.rcclubs.com.

This day we visited Bird Field. And the first to greet us was my old flying buddy Dick Dannenfelser. What a pleasure it was to see him. He immediately took me in tow and started to introduce me to all the members.

Luther Joiner, President Ron Meyers, Vice-President

The first I met was Luther Joiner, the President, and Ron Meyers, the Vice-President. I barely had time to say hello when they said, "How do you want your eggs? We're serving up breakfast. You want bacon or sausage or both?" Sure enough, in this modest little shed they had a warm little iron stove and grill going, with all the fixings for eggs. So I had a fried egg sandwich with bacon and a hot cup of coffee. It was great.

Frank Drecchio Newsletter Editor

Next I was introduced to Frank Drecchio, the Newsletter Editor of The Sunday Flyer 2001. Frank, in addition to flying fixed wings, is also very heavy into helicopters. He has several very handsome machines, but the most striking is his Bell Model 206L. It's made up in the exact color scheme and detailing as WJZ-TV's Sky Eye Chopper 13 . a beautiful reproduction. You can see a picture of the helicopter on the club's web site. Click on rotary wing.

George Stone and Ernie Hancock 100 years of modeling

I was privileged to meet two of the charter members of The Sunday Flyers, George Stone and Ernie Hancock. What grand gentlemen they are. Both are still very active and in tune with the everyday operations of the club. Ernie served in the Air Force in WWII. He was a tail gunner on a B-24, and served in the China-Burma-India theater of operations. I also met Leonard Liddic, another gentleman that knows what aviation is all about. He was an engineer on a B-24, and completed 56 flights in the European theater. He participated in the famous Ploiesti raids on the last remaining oil fields that Germany had at the end of WWII. I am always moved when I talk to these guys about their war experiences . it's being connected to history in a real way.

Leonard Liddic and Dick Dannenfelser

The Sunday Flyers have a very comprehensive training program with free flight instructions. Tom Obringer heads the program with about six instructors. Tom is very thorough in his training of the instructors to assure they will pass on the very best training to their students. This day he was working with a candidate instructor, Andy Robicheaux. I listened in on some of it . whew! It's worse than the pains I had when I had to prepare for my solo flight. Starting in April, they will set aside Wednesday nights as students' night.

I saw Mark Vivell working with a Hog Bipe. It was powered with an OS .91 4-stroke . nice workmanship.

Tom Obringer and Andy Robicheaux

The Sunday Flyers membership has grown to in excess of 180 members. Because the club has two operating fields, the leadership is always on guard not to allow the membership to become separate. It's obvious that some members may tend to hang out at one field in preference to the other. So the leadership is always sponsoring activities at both fields to assure that everyone keeps in touch. For example, while today's breakfast was at Bird Field, next month the breakfast will be at Batavia Field. And they'll continue to alternate them thoughout the year to maintain a sense of camaraderie.

Mark Vivell with the Hog Bipe

As an example of how both fields are actively used, on May 6th they will have a club "Cub Fun Fly" at the smaller Bird Field. It's supposed to be Cubs, but actually any high wing will do. Any Cub "wanna-bees" need only put a Cub yellow sticker on their plane and they can participate too. (Do you really think there are airplanes out there quietly wishing that they were Cubs?)

Then on Sept 16th they will have the Monster Modelers of Maryland Fly-In at Batavia Field, because it can accommodate the larger aircraft for giant scale.

Jim Snyder and Tom Obringer Batavia Field

You can imagine that maintaining two flying fields in top condition can be a formidable job. The Sunday Flyers have basically put a field general in charge of each (they're actually called members-at-large). Tom Obringer is in charge of the Batavia Field, and Bill Ey is in charge of Bird Field. Each of them has the responsibility to assure that all necessary work required to maintain the fields in top condition is accomplished. The club cuts its own grass, seeds, tills and does whatever is needed to assure that the fields are flight ready.

I don't know how these guys with such a large membership operating out of two separate flying fields are able to maintain such a level of cohesiveness, fellowship and cooperation. They are always doing something . breakfasts, in-club fun flies, raffles at the club meetings . they have huge turnouts at the club meetings. One of my missions when I started my odyssey of the Maryland flying clubs was to learn some of the things that clubs do that make them a little closer, a little tighter and more fun to fly with. I haven't found all the answers yet, but I suspect they're here, somewhere within the body of The Sunday Flyers.

FISH GOTTA SWIM, BIRDS GOTTA FLY, I GOTTA GO TO LEBANON OR I WILL DIE
As sure as the swallows return to Capistrano and the Ravens gather in Westminster, RC modelers will flock to Lebanon. To "go to Lebanon" has become an euphemism for going to the annual Central Pennsylvania Aeromodelers Radio Control Flea Market. By their claim, this is the largest RC flea market in the USA.

John Kocon Art Hansman, "A Living Legend"

What a grand day the trip to Lebanon is. People form car pools, they have breakfast on the way, and in general set aside the entire day for a glorious outing. It's a chance to catch up with old friends and old airplanes. I swear some of those planes have been to as many outings as I have. They just keep on showing up.

One of the most interesting people we ran into, an old friend of ours, was Art Hansman. Art is probably one of the most colorful characters in RC modeling. If you were into RC modeling in Harford County, you knew a story about Art. And for those of you waiting with baited breath, no, Art did not buy an airplane.

Jim Snyder, Steve Snyder, Tom Obringer

We saw some familiar entrepreneurs peddling their wares. Jim Snyder, who flies with the Sunday Flyers and the Harford County Miniature Aircraft Operators Association (MAOA), Steve Snyder, who flies with MAOA, and Tom Obringer, who flies with the Sunday Flyers and MAOA, had a table together. We saw two other favorites at another table, Bill Kalb, who flies with the Sunday Flyers and MAOA, and Russ McKenzie, who flies with the Sunday Flyers and Howard County Radio Control Club.

Bill Kalb and Russ McKenzie

It was a good day. Those Central Penn boys run a top notch show.

A HEADS UP
DCRC and SWAP Club will unite to sponsor the Mason-Dixon IMAC Challenge Jun 1-3 at SWAP field. This is a major event. More to follow.

FOR THE GOOD NEWS
Unless you want me to do all the writing, you can send me any of your club inputs to axsilvestri@earthlink.net.

NEXT MONTH
I think we're going to wing it. I'll be doing a "Club of the Month" but don't know which one.

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Courtesy Links Baltimore Area Soaring Society   District of Columbia Radio Control Club   Harford County Radio Control Modelers   Patuxent Aeromodelers   Prince Georges Radio Control Club   Radio Control Modelers of Baltimore   Sunday Flyers of Baltmore   Swan Harbor RC   Westminster Aeromodelers