President's Message - February 2026

Fellow Flyers,

As we head into 2026, I’m excited about the momentum at Edgewood Flyers and the direction our club continues to take — squarely focused on radio-controlled aviation, pilot skills, and serious fun at the field.

Edgewood Flyers has always been about more than just flying in circles. It’s about learning the hobby, improving setups, and flying better every season, whether you’re bringing out a first fixed-wing trainer, a scale project, or a high-performance RC helicopter. The range of aircraft and experience levels at our field is one of our biggest strengths, and it’s what makes flying here such a great experience.

One thing we’ll continue to emphasize in 2026 is member-driven education. Marc’s RC helicopter setup tutorial is a great example of what makes this club special — real, hands-on knowledge covering mechanical setup, FBL configuration, tuning, and flight readiness. These sessions help pilots avoid costly mistakes, shorten the learning curve, and gain confidence in the air. I hope to expect more technical clinics like this across helicopters, fixed-wing, and electronics throughout the year.

2026 Featured Flying Events

We’re also looking forward to two major events that are shaping up to be highlights of the season:

• Helis on the Edge

  July 10–11, 2026

  New name, same amount of fun! Our annual helicopter fun fly returns with two full days of rotor-only flying, from sport to smack. This event continues to grow every year and brings together pilots from across the region for nonstop heli action.
  

• John Conklin Memorial Fun Fly

  June 13, 2026

  A special day of flying planes in honor of John Conklin, celebrating the camaraderie and passion that define this club. 

  
  

We’re proud to be partnering with HobbyKing, SAB Helicopters, Helidirect, and other manufacturers to bring excellent raffle prizes to these events. These partnerships help make our fun flies bigger, better, and more rewarding for everyone who attends.

Looking Ahead

Our goals for 2026 include:

• More technical workshops and setup clinics

• Expanded mentoring and training for new pilots

• Strong heli-focused and fixed-wing flying days

• Keeping the field active, safe, and welcoming through skill-based flying

  
  

Edgewood Flyers thrives because members show up — to fly, to teach, to learn, and to help each other improve. If you have experience to share or ideas for events or clinics, we encourage you to get involved.

Here’s to more flights, cleaner setups, smoother landings, and a lot of rotor and prop time in 2026.

Blue skies and safe flying,

Steve Graffeo (Spanky) President, Edgewood Flyers