The Northern Connecticut Radio Control Club’s (NCRCC’s) mission is to promote, develop, educate, advance, and safeguard aeromodelling activities. To supplement its extraordinary efforts to promote this hobby, NCRCC is also very proud of its long history of giving back to and engaging with its community. Here are some of the actions we’ve taken.
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Donations Made by NCRCC
NCRCC hosts a number of aeromodelling events sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). These events draw pilots from throughout the U.S. along with visitors because of advertising by NCRCC and the AMA to raise awareness of an event. During a number of the events held by NCRCC, the designated Contest Director may arrange for a fundraising component for the benefit of a non-profit organization. Examples of non-profit organizations that have received cash donation payments from NCRCC fundraising include Wounded Warriors, Disabled American Veterans, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Somers Public Library, Ellington Voluntary Fire Department, and others.
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Four Town Fair
In conjunction with three other towns surrounding the NCRCC flying field in Ellington, CT, the annual Four Town Fair is held to showcase many of the cultural, historical, social, educational, and entertainment aspects of these four towns. It is well-attended by a range of people seeking the multi-faceted experience. NCRCC has participated in the fair by placing signage on roadways close to our flying field to invite spectators and direct them to the flying field where our members interact with the public and demonstrate flight.
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Try-N-Fly Event
NCRCC invites those age 10 and above to experience aeromodelling. The event includes “ground school” which explains how the flight surfaces work and how to use a transmitter, flight simulator training, and buddy-box in-flight training. Guests are also treated to a static display of assorted model aircraft, a flight demonstration by some of the club’s pilots, and a free hot dog lunch – all at no cost.
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School STEM Program
In collaboration with Ellington High School, members of NCRCC have given flight demonstrations, spoken about aviation-related topics, and participated in question & answer sessions with students from their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Program. STEM is used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. NCRCC has also partnered with the Ellington High School STEM Program to prepare a radio-controlled model airplane.
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Partnering with University Students
A team of NCRCC pilots has partnered with undergraduate and graduate engineering students from local universities enrolled in their Fundamentals of Flight or other engineering-related courses. NCRCC’s team provides aeromodelling technical support while the student teams construct their models (which implements the aerodynamic theories they have learned in the classroom). Once constructed, NCRCC’s team will also perform a pre-flight safety check and the test flights. At one university, a substantial portion of the student’s grade is contingent upon successful test flights.
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Library Display & Activity
NCRCC has hosted static displays and youth-oriented activities at the Hall Memorial Library in Ellington, CT. Dozens of model aircraft are hung from the ceiling representing a range of types from large-scale to indoor to jet to control-line. The scheduled activities includes “ground school” which explains how the flight surfaces work and how to use a transmitter, flight simulator training, and a presentation.
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Mall Show
NCRCC hosted a static display mall show at the Enfield Square Mall in Enfield, CT. Many of our members participated; it was a lot of fun and a huge success. It gave NCRCC members an opportunity to meet people (young and old) from our community and informally talk about aeromodelling.
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Cub/Boy Scout Gathering
Over its history, NCRCC has hosted multiple Cub/Boy Scout troops and provided static and flying demonstrations. NCRCC is currently developing a program to support visits by local Cub/Boy Scout troops to come to our flying field, learn about aviation, and fly radio-controlled model airplanes.
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Brownie/Girl Scout Gathering
NCRCC is currently developing a program to support visits by local Brownie/Girl Scout troops to come to our flying field, learn about aviation, and fly radio-controlled model airplanes.
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Civil Air Patrol Gathering
NCRCC is currently developing a program to support visits by local Civil Air Patrol squadrons to come to our flying field, learn about aviation, and fly radio-controlled model airplanes.
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Visiting Scholar Program
In conjunction with local high school-level world history classes, students will study such significant events as World War I, World War II, etc. Aeromodellers specializing in building and flying scale aircraft (miniaturized versions of full-sized aircraft, some measuring one-fifth or one-quarter the size of the full-sized aircraft) from the era or event being studied have been willing to visit the class for pre-planned period(s) and bring along a scale model and provide a lecture regarding the aircraft’s function and role to supplement the students’ learning experience. This type of learning experience would not include a flight demonstration.
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Basics of Aerodynamics
Basics of Aerodynamics has been designed by NCRCC for use with various levels of youth audiences who have had limited exposure to aeronautical science. The program is intended to provide foundational knowledge and to entice interest in aviation-themed careers and avocations. By leveraging all or some of the guide’s material, the presenter can tailor it accordingly to aptly fit:
· the learning scope of the students’ age group
· the timeframe allocated for the presentation
· the presentation area and weather conditions
· the area to perform experiments associated with the sectional topics, and
· enabling the hands-on experience with radio-controlled (R/C) models in a safe manner.
Many elements of this program align with the course requirements Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts need in order to earn aviation badges. To view the Basics of Aeronautics guide for presenters click here.
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Contact NCRCC
NCRCC welcomes opportunities to interact with its community. So…if you represent a local community organization/event and would like to communicate with a representative of NCRCC to discuss how we might assist your program, please click here to be brought to the NCRCC ‘Contact Us’ prompt.
