AMA News: District IX - 2008/02

HI FOLKS! It’s cold here in Kansas City
and not much outdoor flying is going on.
I have been busy with the launch of the
Park Pilot Program and working with our
new president. I am confident Dave
Mathewson will lead us to a very bright
future!
I am using this month to catch up on
articles that several of you have sent me a
few months back. So with that, here ya go!
News from Wyoming as reported by John
Moyer: The Rawlins Prop Nuts hosted a
fun-fly on Saturday, June 16, at the club’s
flying field. Activities during the day
included flight demonstrations by club
members.
RC pilots from the Casper Club joined
us and flew their airplanes. One pilot from
Casper, Tom Rorabaugh, who previously
lived in Rawlins, flew a beautiful, largescale
Piper Cub. Small balsa airplanes
were given to all youngsters who attended.
Club members gave introductory flight
lessons to any who were interested, which
is encouraged by AMA. Fred Hildebrand,
associate vice president for AMA District
IX attended and flew one of his airplanes.
Judy Dixon, a member of the Rawlins
City Council, spoke to the crowd during the
dedication ceremony. She stressed the
importance of activities and groups such as
the Prop Nuts and emphasized the need for
volunteer groups and the city to work
together for the betterment of the
community.
The weather was standard for
Rawlins—a clear sky with a few puffy
clouds and, of course, no wind. Domino’s
Pizza had a stand set up for the crowd and
DeShan Shinkle from the Rawlins
Recreation Center provided us with a
portable sound system.
We sincerely thank the city and its
various departments that helped to make
this fun-fly a success. We are looking
forward to next year with more pilots,
larger crowds, and of course, no wind.
Brad, with his back to us, and his son
Hunter, setting up their airplane.
Hutch Bunch Annual Picnic: On the
weekend of September 22, I was treated to
an outstanding time by a small rural RC
club in south-central Kansas. Jim Harris,
club secretary, has been E-mailing me for
the last three years, inviting me to come to
Hutchinson.
I finally made the commitment and
traveled 3.5 hours to Hutchinson. Not
expecting much in such a remote location, I
was pleasantly surprised! This small club
has the biggest of hearts and made me feel
welcome from the moment I hit town. Jim
and club president Gordon Warnken met
me at the hotel, treated me to lunch at an
outstanding hamburger grill, and then we
spent the afternoon at the world-famous
Cosmosphere.
What? You’ve never heard of the
Cosmosphere? Neither had I until I asked
around and found out it is one of the bestkept
secrets in Kansas! This small town of
approximately 50,000 hosts a Space Camp
and Space Museum that contains more
Russian space artifacts than the
Smithsonian!
To give you an idea of how magnificent
it is, the actual Apollo 13 along with the
Liberty Bell space capsules are there plus
much, much more space memorabilia.
There’s even an IMAX theater there! Can
you tell I was impressed?
The fun didn’t stop there. On Sunday, I
joined the club members at their field for a
day of flying, fellowship, and food. What a
great time and thanks to all for a super
weekend!
Jim Harris and Gordon Warnken, officers of
the Hutch Bunch.
Shawnee Mission RC Club: My home club
held its annual Citywide Fly-In which was
well attended even though the weather was
a bit foul. Our president, Shane Sterneker,
reported the following:
“For those of you who couldn’t make it
to the Citywide this month, boy did you
miss out on some fun. The morning started
off a little cold and rainy, but a little later
on, it warmed up and turned out to be a
beautiful day.
The food was excellent (Rich Cansler:
el supremo cocinero) and there many
wonderful prizes to win—especially the
hats!”
SMRCC Citywide men who made the event
happen: Rich Canslor, Rich Waeltermann,
and Shane Sternecker.
That’s it for this month. Next month, I’ll
fill you in on some additional trips I made
around the district. Until then, have fun and
keep in touch! Mark
Mark Smith
Vice President
14632 W. 50th St.,
Shawnee KS 66216
Tel.: (913) 248-9191
www.amadistrict-ix.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY;
[email protected]
Troy Lapp, Bismarck ND;
[email protected]
Ward Neesen, Omaha NE
[email protected]
Brenda Schuette, Auburn KS;
[email protected]
Mike Tallman, Wichita KS; miketallman@
webtv.net
Jim Tiller, Rapid City SD;
[email protected]
Jim Wallen, Arvada CO
[email protected]
Webmaster: Jim Shaw,
[email protected]
Contest Coordinator:
Judy Gerken, Denver CO;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator: Steve
Mangles, Denver CO;
[email protected]
District IX Volunteers
February 2008 185
District IX
Mark Smith, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming