AMA News District VIII - 2010/02
Elections and leadership
ELECTIONS are over and it seems you are stuck with me for three more years! Thanks for the support and the vote of confidence by those who took the time to vote. There is a lot facing AMA and I am eager to help develop our future.
While I'm writing about elections, most clubs change their leadership around the beginning of the year. I want to thank all of the volunteers who ran club activities and the CDs who ran events for the last year, and I welcome any new volunteer leadership as well. We are an organization that could not exist without its great volunteer force — from the president, Dave Mathewson, down to club-level officers and workers.
Have fun and fly safely. See you on the flightline.
Winter fund-raisers: Toys for Tots and Blue Santa
With winter come many fund-raisers across the district in support of Toys for Tots or Blue Santa projects. Todd Brueggeman, president of Houston Sport Flyers, reports that the club’s Toys for Tots event registered 68 pilots with many spectators in attendance.
At the end of the day the club members donated two huge boxes full of toys and $746 in cash to the Marines. The Marines provided the club with a nice plaque that will be presented to the county from whom the club leases its flying site so that it can be displayed.
Randolph Air Force Base Airshow
The Randolph Air Force Base Airshow, a biannual event, was again supported by the Tri City Flyers (TCF). A static display included 61 aircraft ranging from 40%-scale International Miniature Aerobatics Club (IMAC) airplanes to indoor electric helicopters and airplanes.
Flying at show center was extended both days this year because low ceilings and showers inhibited full-scale flying. Scheduled for only two hours combined for both days, the club flew three different sessions, totaling almost four hours.
When the show was supposed to open on Sunday, the air boss called and asked TCF to come back to show center and give the crowd something to watch. They flew for an hour and a half until the weather lifted for full-scale flying.
Greg Ermatinger, the Air Boss for models, kept the sky full of airplanes. Andy "The Lip" Clapp used the airshow PA to entertain between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators.
As the pilots and airplanes were chauffeured back to the hangar, the crowd gave them a huge round of applause. Indoor flying was nearly continuous in the hangar and the two simulators got quite a workout as well.
Thanks to three local hobby shops, drawing prizes were awarded to people who completed contact sheets at the display. Hundreds of contacts were provided to AMA for potential new members.
What a great show!
Acadian R/C Club (ARCC)
The Acadian R/C Club (ARCC) of Maurice, Louisiana, has been around for 45 years and runs many fund-raising events. In fact, club members donated more than $5,200 to Saint Jude Children’s Hospital last year.
This year’s Big Bird was nearly rained out but still attracted 34 pilots. Kenny Verret received the Making a Difference (MAD) award from Pete Boudreaux, the associate vice president in Louisiana. ARCC president Jerry Walters said that Kenny volunteers for everything and is always on hand.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
