Author: Jim Wallen


Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/02
Page Numbers: 148

District IX—Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming

Jim Wallen Vice President

Distinguished Service Award

One of the most prestigious awards given by the AMA is the Distinguished Service Award. It was an honor and a pleasure to present this award to Travis McGinnis at his local club meeting in District IX.

Travis has held various positions in the AMA. He most recently chaired the AMA Education Committee, which initiated the award. Congratulations again to Travis!

Float Flying

Float flying has always been a rewarding facet of our hobby and it seems to be picking up in District IX. Long Lake in Arvada, Colorado, has been a popular hangout for float fliers. Although the lake is more of a pond and can present some challenges, the pilots always thoroughly enjoy their experiences there.

Airpark Elite and New Field

One of the district's associate vice presidents is Tom Neff, who is also president of Airpark Elite. This club has been a leader in teaching youngsters how to fly.

The club ran into bad luck at its flying site when a new owner refused to let them fly there any longer. We all know that a flying site is the glue that holds clubs together.

Tom was able to locate property for a new field, and with AMA's help, started construction. The runway is roughly 60% completed and the club is trying to locate funding for a 2-inch asphalt overlay that will cost approximately $35,000. Members are currently flying off the compacted roto-mill material. That works, but it is a little rough.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.