AMA News: District VIII-2007/04
First month as vice president
I am writing my third monthly column and I’m only one month into my term as vice president. I have been busy in this first month. The video on the website is up and running, the associate vice presidents' columns on the site are being read, and the safety column there is getting much attention as well.
New officer orientation and Muncie tour
I attended a new officer orientation in Muncie the first weekend in January. I don’t want to spend a lot of space describing that trip other than to say the staff members at AMA Headquarters were exceptional. They were prepared, briefed me professionally, and patiently answered the multitude of questions I presented. You should be proud of them and the work they do for our association. I want to publicly thank Jim Cherry and the staff. I look forward to working with them during the next several years.
I also toured the entire AMA facility at Muncie. I was awed at the size of the flying area and couldn’t find enough time to spend in the store and museum. That will have to be an extended trip at a later date. Get there if you can; you won’t be sorry!
AMA Convention (Ontario, California)
The second weekend in January I attended the AMA Convention in Ontario, California. This will be covered extensively elsewhere in the magazine. I enjoyed the convention, and my wife Linda enjoyed working all three days in the AMA store, selling AMA products and visiting with AMA members and the staff.
If you have a chance, you should plan to attend the convention in the future. I visited with at least a dozen District VIII members while I was there.
Executive Council meeting
I attended my first Executive Council meeting on January 15 and was impressed with the breadth of experience and knowledge on the council.
During the meeting Dr. Sandy Frank was presented the AMA Fellow award by Dave Brown. Only 84 have been awarded, and both Sandy and his father are recipients of this highest AMA honor. Congratulations again, Sandy!
Georgetown swap meet
The third weekend in January I attended the swap meet in Georgetown, Texas. The weather was rainy and cold, and the Pilot’s Choice Hangar—home of the Devil Dog B-25—was not well heated.
Despite that, attendance was good and everyone had a good time. It seemed as though most were leaving with more than they brought. (I guess not everyone could do that or we would have run out of items before everyone left.)
Because of the weather, the most popular booth was the concession stand/coffee service, ably tended by Katlynn and Faith as they earned money for their soccer team.
Volunteers make things run. Lonnie Beard staffed the raffle table, trying to make the swap meet a money-maker for the club. He was cheerful and sold a lot of tickets. (Hey, I bought some but he never called!)
I hope they came out ahead on that; sometimes weather turns fundraisers into losing propositions.
West Side Club flying field visit (Oklahoma City)
I also visited the West Side Club flying field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was cold and windy and no one was braving the conditions.
It looks like a very nice facility except for the pesky gophers that decorated the runway with holes. Maybe next time I go up there we can fly some.
Closing
Have fun and be safe! See you on the flightline.
Jim Rice
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
