Welcome to timpa.org
TIMPA News:
Time to Renew Your TIMPA Membership
It is time to start the TIMPA member renewal process for 2014. Below is the printable form for renewal. Please mail it in with a stamped, self-addressed envelope so that we can mail you your 2014 sticker. If you are unable to print the form, copies can be obtained from Fred at the field. Also, be sure to renew your AMA membership for 2014. We can check for AMA renewal online so you do not need to send a copy of your AMA card with your TIMPA renewal. If you are renewing a family member or a youth member, make sure to send a separate application with their information. Remember, the deadline for AMA renewal is December 31, 2013 and the deadline for TIMPA renewal is January 31, 2014. If at all possible, please renew early! If you have questions about membership you can contact Mike Cummins at 299-0593. If you have work credit questions, contact John Gonzalez at 883-5379. If you earned work credits after Nov. 20, they will be carried over to next year’s renewal cycle. Click here for 2013 TIMPA Credits
Great Turnout for 2nd Annual Giant Scale Fly-In
Twenty eight registered pilots brought more than 40 aircraft to the Second Annual TIMPA Giant Scale Fly-In! The weather was perfect and the planes were beautiful, both on the ground and in the air. Not to be outdone, Billy Hempel brought his gianormous Fokker DR1 triplane and wowed everyone with a well executed flight demo. In the end the awards went as follows: Best Civilian Aircraft – 1st place, The Beast by Jeff Ohmstead; 2nd place, Cessna 195 by Brian Rhodes; 3rd place, Stearman by John Mangeno. Best Military Aircraft – 1st place, Bristol biplane by Keith Koppos; 2nd place, JU-87 Stuka by Jim Lynch; 3rd place, Lavochkin LA-7 by Fred Thompson; Best Civilian Flight - Pilatus Porter by JJ; Best Military Flight – French Pusher by Keith Koppos. Check out TIMPA’s Facebook page for lots of photos.
Night Wings 2 Draws Large Crowd at PASM
Pima Air & Space Museum’s Night Wings 2 event drew a large crowd and TIMPA’s jet display, setup and run by Clay and Debbie Sherrow with the help of Ralph Salgado and Bob & David Reynolds, saw lots of traffic. Kids young and old enjoyed trying out the RealFlight simulator setup on one of the tables and questions were fielded all evening by the five volunteers. The Night Wings event is a fun and popular event put on by the Museum. The next one is scheduled for August 24th with The Physics Factory and their exciting and inspiring science demonstrations. Check out TIMPA’s Facebook page for more pictures.
Memorial for TIMPA Member Chuck McCammack
A Memorial Service for Chuck McCammack was held at the field Sunday, April 28 at 10 am. Chuck was one of the original TIMPA volunteers and was instrumental in the early development of TIMPA. Due to poor health, he had been unable to participate for a number of years but he truly missed being able to help out at TIMPA.
AIAA Design Build Fly Competition
The TIMPA field was closed this past Friday thru Sunday for the semi-annual AIAA Design Build Fly contest. Beautiful weather and quality flying made this a very impressive event. The Design Build Fly contest, sponsored by Cessna and Raytheon, provides a real-world aircraft design experience for college engineering students by giving them the opportunity to validate their engineering studies. Student teams from around the world design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio controlled aircraft which can best meet the specified mission profile. Go to the TIMPA Facebook page to see photos of the event.
FPV Flying Suspended at TIMPA
After considerable discussion the TIMPA Board of Directors decided it would be best if all FPV (First Person View) flights at the TIMPA flying field were suspended until the AMA and the FAA sort out and publish the pending federal regulations regarding private FPV flight. FPV flight is fundamentally different than traditional radio control line-of-sight flight in that FPV aircraft are capable of flying under the control of a pilot for much longer distances and at much greater altitudes. This effectively allows them to fly past the boundaries of the TIMPA flying site. For the neighbors of our flying site there is no way to differentiate between FPV aircraft and traditional line-of-sight R/C aircraft and their perception is that the R/C flyers are flying dangerously beyond TIMPA’s set boundaries. This puts TIMPA in real jeopardy of losing the lease on the land we lease from the city of Tucson. Until the FAA publishes its pending regulations there will be no FPV flight allowed at the TIMPA flying site.
Great Weather Makes For Great Desert Heat Turnout
The 2013 Desert Heat rocket shoot had a great turnout thanks, no doubt, to spectacular weather. Breezy conditions limited the flying of the larger rockets on Saturday afternoon but Sunday’s weather was perfect. See TIMPA’s Facebook page for dozens of photos and some launch video. You do not have to have a Facebook account to view TIMPA’s Facebook page. Just click on the picture below or the Facebook button above.
Weather Clears for Tucson Jet Rally
Last weekend’s Jet Rally started out a little cold and soggy but the sun eventually came out and dried things up. A large number of jet pilots showed up and put some impressive aircraft up in the air. Go to TIMPA’s Facebook page to see more pictures. You do NOT need a Facebook account to view TIMPA’s Facebook page. Just click on the button above or on the image below to take you there.
Ryan Sherrow’s AMA Number Retired at AMA Expo
This past Saturday, on January 12, Ryan Sherrow’s AMA number (613168) was retired in a ceremony presided over by AMA President Bob Brown at the AMA Expo in Ontario, CA. President Brown gave remarks praising Ryan and his parents, TIMPA members Debbie and Clay Sherrow, for Ryan’s aero modeling achievements and his parents’ desire to create an AMA scholarship in his name. Clay was asked to speak about his son and why the scholarship is so important to his family. Ryan’s story was well told and Clay’s education and his daughter Breanna’s PhD in Special Education are examples of why creating an education scholarship is dear to the Sherrow family’s hearts.
Giant Scale Fly-In a Success!
TIMPA’s 1st Annual Giant Scale event was a success! Twenty eight pilots entered with over 35 scale aircraft of every description. We had some wind Saturday afternoon, and it was nippy on Sunday morning, but everyone was flying and enjoying themselves on both days. Click here to see the results.
2012 Tucson Aerobatic Shootout a Big Hit
This year’s Tucson Aerobatic Shootout was a big hit with the local crowd as pilots from around the world competed for over $100,000 in cash and prizes. Great weather, good food, and exciting flying made for a great weekend as the best R/C aerobatic pilots in the world duked it out to see who would bring home the $12,000 first place prize. Go to the TIMPA Facebook page to see all the pictures. Click here to see the official results.
Check us out on Facebook!
TIMPA has a Facebook page! Just click on the Facebook logo near the top of the page or the TIMPA avatar below to get there and then be sure to “Like” us so that you will get all the TIMPA notifications! You will find the latest and greatest photos and event info there as well as a communication channel for model aircraft people to connect right to the TIMPA webmaster. As usual, do not be afraid to contact me through email or Facebook with any questions, interesting info, or classified ads relating to radio control aircraft!
