March 2010 151
THE MARCH WINDS should be blowing
pretty hard while you read this. Flying time
is just around the corner and swap meets are
filling our shops with new (at least new to
us) creations to use in our attempt to fool
Mother Nature’s theory about gravitational
pull.
Give yourself an above-average chance
of success with thorough preflight
inspections and a complete check of all of
your ground-support systems including
batteries, chargers, and fueling systems.
I am writing this on Christmas Day
between breakfast and grandkids hitting the
door to open presents. All four of them are
getting electric helicopters of one kind or
another.
What makes me write about this is that I
want to make a New Year’s resolution and
ask all of you to do the same. I want to
introduce modeling to at least one new
person every month. I just signed my 12-
year-old granddaughter, Kinley, up for her
AMA membership.
She tried to buddy box a few years ago
but just didn’t have the motivation. This
month, she has asked to go indoor flying
with me twice and has soloed both an
airplane and a helicopter. She has a smile on
her face when she is flying and when she is
asking me if she can go … What a thrill for
both of us!
Kinley will be 13 before this prints and
will soon discover other things in life that
are truly more important than flying;
however, I won’t forget these days and
neither will she. If she loses interest, maybe
she will come back at a later time in her life.
I reviewed my various inputs over the year
and here is a great event that I have missed
for the last three years because of conflict
with Executive Council meetings.
I plan to attend this year’s Heatwave in
the Heartland in Tulsa unless something
unforeseen comes up. Jack Rogers, president
of Tulsa Glue Dobbers, reported that the
2009 event attracted 89 pilots from 10 states
and more than 3,000 spectators over its
three-day duration.
The club does a great job of advertising
and attracting the public.
This is a partial view of the flightline,
showing the aircraft and shelter for the
public bleachers.
Grant Wilson is handing out some of the
300-plus gliders given to kids.
The 60% giant Cub at show center was a
crowd pleaser.
Jimmy Marshall, associate vice president
for South Texas, reports the first Fall
Airshow for the Tejas RC Association, at the
club’s New San Juan flying, site was a great
success.
The club was recognized by the city
fathers for having turned a rough-andtumble
landfill into an amazing and
beautiful flying field for the community.
Jim presents Making A Difference
certificates to Xavier Pruneda, Rick
Michelena, and Cliff Collier.
The noontime line up shows off the aircraft
and the nice field.
Have fun and fly safely. See you on the
flightline.
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Jim Rice
Vice President
118 E. Wright Blvd.,
Universal City TX 78148
Tel.: (210) 213-0299
(evenings)
www.AMA-Dist-8.org
Associate Vice Presidents
Lester L. Barry, Bethany OK;
(405) 789-5373
Pete Boudreaux, Franklin LA;
(337) 836-5478
Jack Hogan, Chandler TX;
(903) 849-4193 (Evenings)
Mark S. Johnston, Albuquerque
NM; (505) 823-0158
Jim D. Marshall, Mission TX;
(956) 585-6446
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348
Randy Ritch, Magnolia TX;
(281) 701-3121
Doug Staines, Belton TX;
(254) 780-3512
Ron Stanfield, Maumelle AR;
(501) 851-1697
Pat Willcox, Kingwood TX;
(281) 358-1750
Frequency Coordinator
Gene Kent, Tomball TX;
(281) 255-4805
Safety Coordinator
David Oates, Texarkana TX;
(903) 826-7919; davidoates@
sherrodservices.com
AMA Display Coordinator
David Johns, Deer Park TX;
(281) 476-4820
RC Contest Coordinator
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348;
[email protected]
CL/FF Contest Coordinator
Bill Lee, Chandler TX;
(903) 852-5599; [email protected]
District VIII Volunteers
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Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/03
Page Numbers: 151
