June 2007 175
I CAN’T RECALL the author of the
following, but I believe it was one of the
AMA staff members.
“Addressing the declining AMA
membership and the increasing
participation in RC cars, it occurs to me
that there is an opportunity for AMA to get
involved in the RC car community as a
source for new membership.
“To start with, the AMA insurance
policy does include RC cars. Many of the
flying sites do have adequate area for a RC
car track. Encouraging clubs to define an
area at their flying site and to invite RC car
enthusiasts to join their club will be a
benefit financially to the club by the
increased membership of the club as well
as the AMA. It’s a win-win situation for
the club and the AMA.
“Visiting hobby shops I have noticed
that the growth in RC car activity acts as
the catalyst for the growth of their
business.”
I can’t agree more! If you have already
established an RC car track at your field,
let me know and send pictures. I would like
to advertise your success here in this
column!
What has your vice president been doing
this last month? In mid-February, Ruth, my
bride of 36 years, accompanied me on an
unofficial visit to Champaign, Illinois, to
attend E-Fest. Actually, Ruth went for the
shopping/dinner experience!
Friday evening, Don Anderson and his
wife treated us to outstanding fellowship and
a wonderful meal. Don, besides being the
founder of Great Planes, is an integral
member of my Membership Development
Committee, an active hobbyist, and a true
gentleman.
Saturday morning I dropped Ruth off at
the shopping mall and enjoyed the majority
of the day at E-Fest. If you get the
opportunity, this is one first-class event and
you will be amazed at the electric airplanes,
helicopters, and piloting abilities!
I was also invited to speak at two Kansas
City-area clubs about AMA. I presented a
PowerPoint slide show that seemed to be
well received. If you are interested in seeing
the presentation, simply coordinate a
convenient time and place for your area
associate vice president to attend your
meeting. They have the same presentation.
Take care, keep in touch, and have fun!
Mark
Conclusion to Odyssey to the Northern
Plains August 23-29, 2006.
If you’ll recall from the April column,
flying bud Don Oppliger and I were heading
south from Minot, North Dakota, for an allday
trip to Rapid City, South Dakota.
It was early in the morning and we had
been on the road for approximately three
hours and I was thinking about all the great
fun we’d had during the past couple of days
and anticipating flying with the people in
Rapid City when it hit me—I left my
transmitter in Minot!
I called my friends in Minot and
arranged for them to send it back to Kansas
City and I would use Don’s transmitter for
the rest of the trip. Luckily, all turned out
fine but it sure makes your heart skip a beat!
We arrived late in the afternoon in Rapid
City. Jim Tiller and friends met us to tour
the local hobby shop and grab a bite to eat
(buffalo burgers!). Then it was off to Jim’s
home to meet with local modelers and make
a short presentation on AMA.
The next morning, we drove to Mount
Rushmore and then to the flying
site to fly with our new Rapid City
friends.
At noon we parted company and
headed east for our 6 p.m. meeting
in Beresford, South Dakota, where
we met with members from the
Beresford Area Radio Flyers
(B.A.R.F.) club to make another
AMA presentation and have
questions and answers. The next
morning we had a great time flying
at the club’s field and then roughly
noon we finally headed south for
home.
This was a wonderful trip and all
the new friends we made were what
made it so enjoyable. Thank you to all and I
look forward to seeing you again soon!
I want to recognize good flying bud Don
Oppliger for traveling with me and
especially for helping out with all the
driving!
District IX
Mark Smith, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Mark Smith
Vice President
14632 W. 50th St.,
Shawnee KS 66216
Tel.: (913) 568-4347
www.amadistrict-ix.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Max Hansen, Huron SD;
[email protected]
Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY;
[email protected]
Troy Lapp, Bismarck ND;
[email protected]
Ward Neeson, Omaha NE
[email protected]
Brenda Schuette, Auburn KS;
[email protected]
Jerry Tuttle, Olathe KS;
[email protected]
Jim Wallen, Arvada CO
[email protected]
Webmaster: Jim Shaw,
[email protected]
Contest Coordinators:
Mike Tallman, Wichita KS; miketallman@
webtv.net
Judy Gerken, Denver CO;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator: Steve
Mangles, Denver CO;
[email protected]
District IX Volunteers New flying buds from Rapid City are (
L
to R) Jim
Kammert; “Doc” McGuigan, Propbusters president;
Ben Roller; and son Zac Rolle.
B.A.R.F. club officers include president
Roger Lang and secretary Dave Larsen.
Flying bud Don helped with the driving.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/06
Page Numbers: 175