By:  Jim Hagberg, Chairperson

A Nominating Committee has been formed to seek out candidates for the 2027 Elected Officers.  The Committee consists of Jim Hagberg and Steve Allen.  We are seeking individuals that wish to run for the elected offices of Club President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Safety Officer.  The current list of candidates is as follows:

President                                          Vice President                                 Secretary

Joe Pirozzoli                                     Jamie Park                                        Scott Emerson         

Treasurer                                          Safety Officer

Ken Monblatt                                  Shazam Kianpour

Anyone seeking to run for office or wishing to nominate someone else, please contact the committee or see one of us at the field.  If you are nominating someone else, please be sure and ask that person if he or she will accept the nomination.

You can contact the Nominating Committee by clicking on the email link on the Board Members Webpage, under “Other Staff”.  The following link will also take you there:

Thanks,

Jim Hagberg, Chairman

cc: Steve Allen

Email:  nominations@arvadamodelers.com

IMPORTANT UPDATE – PLEASE READ AND COMPLY

Construction to complete the bike trail across our (north-south) access road is quickly approaching.  Per our request, the City and Contractor (CEI) have come up with a plan and schedule to build a temporary reroute of the (north-south) access road this coming Monday, 9/14.  Shortly thereafter, but no later than 9/22, CEI will then start work on that section of road and/or a drainage culvert.  CEI is juggling other areas that also will need such coordination, so timing is fluid.  Therefore, the reroute may be in place for 2-3 weeks.  They may also station a person there to direct traffic as needed.

To that end, it has been brought to my attentions (by City personnel) that some of our members are driving excessively fast on the access road.  This is an active construction site!  The City, CEI, and AAM are incredibly committed to safety, with the goal that everyone goes home safely at night.  THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT IS 20 MPH, PLEASE DO NOT EXCEED THE POSTED LIMIT.  FYI… it’s a mile from our gate to the East field.  Doubling the speed limit only saves about 1.5 minutes… SLOW THE HECK DOWN AND APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE CITY COULD HAVE CLOSED THE ROAD!!!

Thanks for your help and cooperation, and please also be very careful and courteous with CEI!

Joe Pirozzoli, President

The latest edition of the monthly Hi-Flyer newsletter is now available!  Check it out for club updates, including information why battery recycle bins were removed and options for safely recycling your batteries.   Also read about the recent “Jet Over the Rockies” and “Colorado Pattern Challenge” Events. 

Informal “2026 Colorado Design/Build/Fly” Competition

AAM Airpark

By: Joe Pirozzoli

About Design/Build/Fly (DBF)

“The 2025-2026 Design/Build/Fly Competition will celebrate its 30th year.  Started in 1996 by the AIAA as an opportunity for university students to apply real-world aircraft design experience by giving them the opportunity to validate their analytic studies.

Student teams will design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio-controlled aircraft which can best meet specified mission profiles.  The goal is a balanced design possessing good, demonstrated flight handling qualities and practical and affordable manufacturing requirements while providing a high vehicle performance.

To encourage innovation and maintain a fresh design challenge for each new year’s participants, the design requirements and performance objective will be updated for each new contest year. The changes will provide new design requirements and opportunities, while allowing for application of technology developed by the teams from prior years.”

Over 200 universities and institutions of higher education, from around the world, will submit proposals for the chance to compete in the annual DBF fly-off.  The proposals are graded by an AIAA committee, and only the top 100 (or so) are selected to participate.

For more information and to see video of the actual fly-off, please visit:  https://www.aiaa.org/dbf/

AAM and its members have perennially been involved with DBF for many years.  AAM has provided pilots for the University of Colorado (CU), Colorado State (CSU), Colorado School of Mines (CSM), and numerous other universities in the US and the world, as well as lending the Airpark for aircraft and systems testing prior to the official fly-off.  It is very unusual that none of the aforementioned Colorado teams made the cut for 2026.

However, AAM stepped up and agreed to host an informal (unofficial) version of the DBF fly-off, at the AAM Airpark, on the very same weekend (April 18^th – 19^th) as the official fly-off being held in Wichita, KS.  Teams from CU, CSU and CSM were all set to compete in the Colorado DBF Fly-off.

Special thanks to Mark Stenson (AAM Education and Research Coordinator) and Dan Underkofler (AAM Events Coordinator and former DBF pilot) for facilitating the local fly-off.

2026 “Unofficial” DBF Fly-off Highlights

Two days were set aside for the fly-off (Saturday and Sunday) which would be held at the West field.  I agreed to chaperone the teams in Dan’s absense for the entire weekend (if necessary).  Saturday was a beautiful spring day, except it was just a bit chilly in the morning and windy as well.  As such, all 3 teams scheduled to meet at 1 pm at West field.  Due to the weather that day, there was also very little activity at the East field.  So, after a brief discussion with the teams, we agreed to move the proceedings to the East field.

I do not know the exact details of the 2026 DBF missions, but they included aspects of speed, cargo capacity (i.e. weight), towing a banner, and combinations thereof.  The cargo theme this year was “rubber ducks” and “hockey pucks”.  As you can see from the pictures, both were to be incorporated into the aircraft’s payload.  The challenge, as always, was for each team to complete a ground mission as well as 3 progressive flying missions.

The first mission that each team would undertake was to simply complete at least 1 lap of the prescribed flight pattern.  The planes were ready and had presumably been test flown.  I was ready to step in and pilot for any one (or all) of the teams, but each team brought with them an experienced RC pilot.  The pilot for CSM is a actually a current member of AAM.  CU’s pilot is a member of the Boulder club and CSU’s pilot is from Love Air.

There was no pre-determined flight order, but CSU agreed to fly first.  The CSU plane was stable and appeared to fly very well.  However, shortly after takeoff, and before the plane returned to the center of the field, one of its hatch doors had come loose and was flapping in the breeze.  It did not come off, but the team agreed that after completing 1 lap they would land immediately.  I do believe that they were also timing the lap.  Upon landing, which was a bit bumpy, the nose gear became dislodged.  The landing gear was definitely repairable for a second flight if necessary.  As it would turn out, this would be the most successful of all the attempts that day.

CSM would be next.  Their plane was probably the least accomplished in terms of construction.  I noticed a rather significant gap between the trailing edge and the wing and the ailerons.  By significant, I mean about ¼ – ½ inch gap.  I wondered how negatively that might affect flight performance, but did not interfere.  Immediately upon takeoff, it was apparent that the plane was either under-powered or over-weight.  The pilot was able to successfully navigate the first turn and the circle at the center of the field, but when he tried turning on the down wind leg, it lost airspeed, stalled and crashed.  CSM was definitely done for the day.

CU was last.  Their plane was larger, had twin motors as was capable of carrying 32 rubber ducks and at least 5 hockey pucks.  It was not necessary to carry the payload on the first flight, but this is worth mentioning because, if successful, they may have easily won the cargo mission challenge.  CU’s plane also had a very long fuselage and a large conventional tail.  Upon takeoff it was obvious that the plane had plenty of power and was very stable.  Unfortunately, very shortly after takeoff, but not before it was able to gain about 75 feet of altitude, the elevator dislodged from the stab, and the plane came crashing to ground.  This ended their day as well.

As is always the case, DBF began with great enthusiasm and excitement.  And, as is often the case with many teams, DBF presents significant challenges and disappointments.  As mentioned earlier, CSU had the most success having actually completed a full flying lap and having landed their plane with only minor damage to the nose gear.  However, under the strict rules of DBF, a mission is not successfully completed unless the plane is landed and completely intact.  Thus, the Colorado 2026 DBF Fly-off techically finished without a clear winner.

Epilogue

Even though this was not the official fly-off, nor did it include nearly 100 teams from around the world, nor was it held in an exotic location such as Wichita, KS, I believe it was just as exciting and exhilarating for these CO teams.  I also believe that they put in just as much time and effort as they would have for the official competition.  After all, there is a lot of pride and competitiveness between these “in-state” rivals.  And, all the teams exhibited the great sportsmanship and camaraderie that is typical of the DBF fly-off.

I too felt the same exhileration and sense of belonging that I’d felt the numerous times I piloted (and assisted) at official DBF fly-off’s in both Wichita and Tucson.  Being around and working with these undergraduate engineering students takes me back to my college days at “Whiskey Tech”, and it reminds me of my own children when they were undergrads.  It does, in a very real way, make me feel alive and young again with attitude that everything is possible.  The fact that this interation also involves the hobby that I am most passionate about is simply icing on the cake!  I will always accept an invitation to participate in DBF.

University of Colorado (Team CU)

Colorado State University (Team CSU)

Colorado School of Mines (Team CSM, not all present)

Lots of Rubber Ducks

and Hockey Pucks

Design-Build-Fly Competition (West Field, Sat & Sun)

3/31 update: NOTE date change.

The club plans on changing the gate code on Wednesday, April 4.  The new gate code was sent to the club email list.  If you did not receive the email, please contact the Membership Coordinator though the contact form.

“Annual Tradition & Generational Event”

By:  Joe Pirozzoli

History and Recent Memories

The “Frozen Finger Fun Fly” (FFFF) has been a Club tradition since 2004, as is evidenced by the plaque on the front of the trophy.  Prior to that, I do not recall the Club having a fun fly or any other organized event on New Year’s Day.  I remember the days when a handful of very zealous members would try to put up the first flight of the year.  Some guys were willing to be at the field at midnight, regardless of the weather, point their car lights over the runway, and take-off at the stroke of midnight.  Lanny Hansen was one of those guys and managed to claim that honor for many years.  Even in recent years there have been early birds to the Airpark on New Year’s Day, of which I was not usually one.  Ironically, this year (2026) was my turn.  I arrived a bit later than planned, happily opened the gate, and flew several flights well ahead of the rest of the crowd.

The FFFF has been successfully executed for 23 consecutive years (2004 – 2026).  The trophy (after this year) has room for 7 more names (i.e. for 30 years of champions).  As far as I know, all but one of the prior years was on the actual day (i.e. January 1^st).  In 2022 the event had to be postponed due to snow blocking the road.  Still, 4 of us crazy bastards managed to get into the East field and put up a couple of flights.  The 2022 FFFF was eventually completed on January 9^th that year.

2026 FFFF Highlights

The first thing that is worth pointing out is the attendance.  We had one of our biggest years in recent memory with 16 participants (8 Sportsman/Juniors and 8 Experts).  I’m sure the mild weather (i.e. 50 degree temps and virtually no wind) was a contributing factor.  The only complaint one could have had was that it was heavily overcast the entire day.  Regardless, any time we can get double digit attendance for the FFFF is a good year… so 16 is exceptional.

Another highlight was the event itself.  We did several things this year that were never done before or that were done with very unique twists.  That is due to the ingenuity of the CD (Landen Jekel) and his helper/grandfather (Rodger Barsch).  There were a ground event and 2 flying events.  I particularly enjoyed the “racetrack” ground event and the “climb and glide/precision landing” event.  I didn’t much care for the “hover” event because, as is common knowledge… I SUCK AT 3D”. 

Perhaps the most notable aspect of this FFFF was the CD himself (i.e. the 2025 FFFF champion).  Landen Jekel is a 4^th generation RC flyer from the Barsch family.  When I joined the Club in 1984, there were already 3 generations of Barsch’s very active in the Club.  Landen’s uncles, then very young themselves; of course, his grandfather Rodger (who is also a founding member of AAM); his great-grandfather; and a great-uncle.  How cool is that!!!

Any of us that have been able to enjoy this hobby with our children or a parent consider ourselves very fortunate, no matter to what extent because sometimes that may only be for a short while.  Rodger and Landen, in particular, are very fortunate.  We should all be so lucky… to enjoy the greatest past time there ever was, with virtually everyone in your family.  My hat is off to both of you my friends, you are truly blessed.