Board of Directors

JOHN HORNER

Zone A - Alberta / Northwest Territories / Nunavut

LEDUC, AB

MICHAEL DICK

Zone B - Atlantic

JEMSEG, NB

MARK BETUZZI

Zone C - British Columbia Interior / Yukon

KAMLOOPS, BC

Zone C Director – Mark Betuzzi – MAAC 26605L
I was born in the small town in British Columbia, named Summerland We lived in the house my grandfather had built in 1913. In 1955 we moved to Lakeview Heights which is now West Kelowna, I did my schooling at Lakeview elementary, and George Pringle Secondary School in Westbank. I took my electronic technician training at Okanagan College in Kelowna and in Vancouver at Vancouver Vocational Institute.
In 1971, I started work with CNCP telecommunications as a Telex and Teletype technician. With the slow demise of Telex and teletype machines, in 1978 I transferred over to CN Rail as a radio technician with a posting to Kamloops B.C. I retired from C.N Rail in 2005.
I always had an interest in airplanes and model aviation. My Father was a flight instructor during the second world war teaching pilots to fly Harvards, Cessna Cranes and the Avro Ansons. I flew control line aircraft in the early 60’s but did not purchase my first radio-controlled model till 1995. I joined the Kamloops Model Airplane society to get trained and obtained my MAAC wings in August of 1995. I’ve belonged to the Kamloops Model Airplane Society’s club since 1995 and have held almost every executive position within the club.
In 2005, I became the Chairman of the Radio Spectrum committee of MAAC. During this time, MAAC worked with the federal government to obtain the required certifications to start using 2.4 GHZ Spread Spectrum technology for the control of Radio-Controlled models. The use of 2.4 GHZ radios was a real game changer for all R.C. flyers as right now, hardly any flyers are using any of the original 72 MHZ radio equipment.
In early 2023, I gave up being the chairman of the Radio Spectrum committee and became the Zone C Director for MAAC. Within the zone there are 28 clubs. I look forward to helping every club and MAAC member within the zone.
My other interests include Photography and playing trumpet. For close to twenty years, I held the second trumpet position with the local Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. I was also principal trumpet in several brass groups here in Kamloops.
Thank you,
Mark Betuzzi – MAAC 26605L

RANDY HEPNER

Zone D - Manitoba / Northwestern Ontario

STONEWALL, MB

For the year 2025 it is my goal and desire to see MAAC finally accept it's role representing the model aviation hobby in Canada. Regulations introduced in 2019 were never really fully incorporated into MAAC's reason d'etre - or fundamental purpose. The MAAC Board of Directors has been grappling with these and other fundamental issues, and 2025 should see some marked change in the way our Corporation operates. Lastly, the last two years have been very draining on our volunteers - the recovery efforts from the Exemption loss cannot be understated. It is my secondary goal to get relief and some fashion of reward to these folks - time for them to enjoy not only the fruits of their labour, but the hobby we all love.

CARL CIMPRICH

Zone E - Middle Ontario

NIAGARA FALLS, ON

Once upon a time when I was a knobby kneed 6 year old, my father and several of his friends were building a Pietenpol Air Camper. The fuselage construction was done at the St. Catharines Airport. The wing all 30 feet of it was built in the basement of our home. The wonderful toxic smells of adhesives and spruce dust that filled our home are still clear memories. I don’t know to this day if the wing rib I helped build ever really made it into the wing, but the damage was done, CF-PEK was born and so was my passion for all things airplane.

As I got older I didn’t know about MAAC or for that matter that there were model clubs, but that didn’t stop me from flying control line starting with the old Cox offerings. I moved to building Goldberg and other combat wings to a botched fiberglass 1/8 scale Fairy Firefly build in plastic tech class in high school. Radio control was an out of reach dream to hold until adulthood.

I learned about MAAC from a friend at work and some years later, now over 34 years ago, I joined the local club and built a Goldberg Eagle 2 on which I quickly became both proficient at flying and deeply and thoroughly hooked.

I’ve had the pleasure of making countless new acquaintances and friends as a MAAC member and have always tried to be a big part of the advancement of the hobby, my club and now hopefully our association.

That’s quite enough about me, I’m here for MAAC and its members and you deserve our best, not, our boast. I’ll do my best to come out to you all and get a sense of what you need.

Cheers!
Carl Cimprich

W. CRAIG KNIGHT

Zone F - Northern Ontario

SAULT STE MARIE, ON

Hello,
I was born in Windsor Ontario in 1952, so I guess I'm of the Boomer generation. Was hired by Burroughs Business Machines out of High School, moved to Sudbury with that company - a long story - then North Bay.
Began my modelling interests in North Bay, looking for a diversion. I developed an interest in model airplanes after seeing a demonstration at the Comber Fair maybe 1970. Bought my first radio control from Bob's hobbies on Lakeshore - a Kraft 5 channel. I paid 500 1975 dollars. Met my darling wife in North Bay, (another long story) and was member of both the North Bay model airplane club and the Nippissing Miniature Airplane Club - now known as NIPMAC. Same company then moved me and me to Sault Ste. Marie. I quit them and was hired at the Steel Plant where I put in 35 years retiring from Environmental Control. I have held many positions in my local club, was a zone director decades ago for one term and have been deputy zone director for Northern Ontario for a decade anyway. I currently fly scale aerobatics not too well, flippy models a little better, indoor foamies and anything else.

BRENT NORMAN

Zone G - Ottawa Valley

KANATA, ON

JOHN DEADMAN

Zone H - Southwest British Columbia

DELTA, BC

GRANT ROBINSON

Zone K - Saskatchewan

CHURCHBRIDGE, SK

M. ADAM MAAS

Zone L - Southeastern Ontario

TORONTO, ON

I grew up around aviation, with a father who was a bush pilot and an avid plastic scale modeller. I'm a life long modeller who was an active RC pilot as a youth, and then like many of us I got out of aeromodelling in my teenage years. I never did stop modelling and have been an active & life-long Model Train enthusiast as well and started scratchbuilding in the model train hobby, an interest which has come over to my RC activities as well.

I came back to aeromodelling in my late 20's and RC a few years later.

I'm now an active sailplane pilot, and dabble in RC power (Electric and am returning to glow), rubber & catapult freeflight and am an active builder with an interest in classic RC designs, especially smaller 1/2A and .10-.25 sized models. Radios also are a core part of my hobby and I spend a lot of time on both modern radios (OpenTX and Spektrum Airware) and conversions & repairs of classic radios from the 60's & 70's. You might even find me flying a Galloping Ghost on 2.4GHz.

PETER DOUPNIK

Zone M - Southwestern Ontario

LASALLE, ON

My passion is meeting great people and flying RC Jets. I have enjoyed model airplanes and great friendships for the past 58 years.

PATRICK ROY

Zone N - Quebec

ORFORD, QC