Dr. Sandy Frank Vice President 105 N. Brazos St., Weatherford TX 76086-3207 TelVFax: (817)599-7131 E-mail: [email protected] www.AMA-Dist-8.org Notice: For listing of all district volunteer workers consult the previous magazine issue or the above Web address. TO ALL AMA members and chartered clubs throughout the country: The following information is of critical importance. Recently, emergencies have occurred where providing complete and accurate directions to emergency medical services so that they can locate a model aircraft flying field and provide assistance in a critical situation has become a significant concern. With the proliferation of cellular telephones, the ability to contact 911 and EMS services is definitely increased and welcomed, but when there is incomplete location information available, critical minutes can be lost. Many model aircraft flying fields are located in isolated and "off-the-beaten-path" locations. Please permanently and indelibly post complete and accurate directions, locations, addresses, and/or information that can be provided to emergency personnel during a time of crisis at your flying field. Use either the formally accepted street address locations or accurate longitude and latitude coordinates that allow for global positional system (GPS) location of your flying field. With the possibility of accidental physical injury and the increasing incidence of emergency medical situations (such as an unexpected coronary condition), the above request to post accurate information is of the utmost importance, and yes, possibly a matter of life or death! Please consider posting accurate flying site location information as a high-priority item and institute it as soon as possible. AMA, the glue that bonds modelers together! The following is from the Henderson Field News, North Little Rock AR. written by the club president, Gerald Martika. (I do read all club newsletters that I receive, and this got my attention!) "Do you recall the last time you volunteered for anything? Do you remember the last time you thought, 'Gee, 1 wish someone would do things a little differently'?' Do you think just 'paying the dues' makes you a member of the group? "If your answer to any of these was no, then you should find a way to be a better member of that big bunch of people called the human race. If you answered yes to the third question, well just sit back and let 'them' do it all—whoever 'them' is. If the second question was a definite yes, then 'come on down!' We need all the help we can get. "We will be having a cleanup day before every major event at the field, and routine yard maintenance during the rest of the year. A member of the executive board will call and ask for your help. "Please, if all of us pitch in, these chores won't take up much of the day, and if the calls for volunteers are spaced out over the membership roster, everyone will have the opportunity to help. "Currently, we have approximately five members who seem to do most of the work. One of them, Steve Coffman (who has a full time regular job), always finds time to bring his mower, his truck, his gas, and a borrowed trailer out and keep the grass and the runway looking great. I also might add, he has been the bulldozer operator and the bush hog driver. For all of this, what would you charge after working all day? "1 am only using Steve as an example here. Many other hard-working people have put forth a major effort to bring this club to the point where we are now. "Please, when you read this, just ask yourself, 'Have I done my part here?' "The monthly meeting is scheduled for the seventh of May, at the same place. We have been meeting for a snack and some old-time fellowship at about 6 p.m., and then on with the meeting. We want you to be there with us, because this is your club. This is where you have your say in the club business. Don't let someone else have your vote and your say in how things are done." The Ft. Worth Planesmen Model Airplane Club (MAC) presented a novel event concept. They held a model airplane yard sale! It was a sale of hobby-related items, not a normal swap meet. Only club members were allowed to bring items to sell. The club paid for local newspaper advertising. Sun Everything goes! 76108 - 8123 E. Melrose: Radio control model airplane yard sale May 18th 9a-1p White Settlement Admission and parking were free. They held it at the home of Fred Wolfe, tel.: (817) 246-6777, in White Settlement TX. Many active modeling enthusiasts from throughout the region attended. This event had much of the public-relations aspects of an aeromodeling mall show where interested nonmodclcrs stopped by, sought information about becoming modelers, received directions to the club's flying field, and received information about the Ft. Worth Planesmen MAC. Willem Dykstra, editor of the Bay Port Aero Club newsletter, sent me the following: "Get your newsletter by E-mail! We are trying to reduce the cost of publishing by reducing the number of newsletters we have to copy and stamp for mailing. "All you need to read the newsletter is E-mail access. All you do when you receive the E-mail is double-click the attachment (which will be the newsletter) and you will see it in color! This is not a complicated thing. I hope many of you will take advantage of this. "If you have any questions, come to the meeting and we will talk about it." If you have any questions about how this program is working please contact him at: [email protected]. Sam Grice sent me an interesting and creative solution to a model aircraft club's problem of storage space at the flying field. "About two years ago, we at Fort Bend Radio Control Club in Rosenberg TX had a need for a way to securely store our mowing and other club equipment [at the flying field]. We had our share of vandalism and were anxious to find a fast, easy, and inexpensive solution to our problem. "I found that we could purchase a 20-foot, galvanized steel shipping container from a company that deals in surplus containers (normally carried on a flatbed trailer or are loaded onto a cargo container ship). We sought an inexpensive one that was slightly damaged or had outlived its design limits. "Being made of heavy steel with really heavy watertight doors made this a perfect solution for us. For SI ,200 plus S100 shipping to our field, we found ourselves the owners of a storage facility that will withstand any kind of weather and last decades without any maintenance whatever. "If you get a painted one it can be painted to match your other buildings or used as a large sign board. Also I have seen these containers turned into offices (all-weather clubhouse), and I am sure could be used for serving food by cutting windows in the sides (concessions stand). "The yellow pages lists several firms that deal in these containers. I am sure they are available in other parts of the country and in my opinion make a wonderful storage building." 'J" AMA, modelers sharing solutions with other modelers! •-"•• •-- ••.••••••••?••••••-•• Flying, fun, and fellowship! Dr. Sandy Frank, your representative to the AMA Executive Council.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/09
Page Numbers: 164
