AMA News Executive Vice President - 2010/03

March 2010 143
HI FOLKS! In case any of you are
wondering if the Park Pilot Program
increases membership, here’s proof. Greg
Clemensen, District X associate vice
president, pioneered the Vegas Aces club,
and sent me the following letter.
“Thank you for renewing your Vegas
Aces club membership for 2010. You are
probably already aware the club now has 46
members (although the official AMA
records may not reflect that yet). This is an
amazing size for a club that is not even two
years old.
“The club had its first fun-fly. There
were 57 registered pilots. The club net
[earnings], after expenses, was more than
$1,300. I had a blast and am already
working on next year’s event.
“The club just finished a successful food
drive for the Salvation Army.
“On December 5th the Vegas Aces, in
partnership with the Clark County Aviation
Association (full-scale aircraft), is hosting
an open house at the North Las Vegas
Airport. This will be like having a mall
show with model aircraft on display next to
full-scale aircraft.
“It is a fantastic way to showcase the
synergy of model aviation together with
full-scale aviation. We will have model
aircraft on display inside the hangar and
flight simulators. I will have the AMA tabletop
booth set up. There will be an
opportunity to promote membership in the
AMA together with the club.
“On December 19th the Vegas Aces,
along with several other area clubs, are
having a fun-fly to benefit the Marines’
Toys for Tots charity. It will be at Bennett
field. Admission to fly will be an unwrapped
toy for a child.
“So as you can see, the Vegas Aces is a
movin’ and a shakin’. It is a tremendously
vibrant club.”
Artist Pat Acton completed this Apache helicopter
in 2004 using 26,000 matchsticks.
Executive Vice President
Mark Smith; [email protected]
Mark Smith
Executive Vice
President
14632 W. 50th St.,
Shawnee KS 66216
Tel.: (913) 568-4347
The Park Pilot Program
is alive and well in Vegas!
Matchstick Marvels Museum: On October 11, my bride and I
visited some friends in West Des Moines, Iowa, and they took us
on a short drive to Gladbrook where we visited the Matchstick
Marvels museum. I was blown away! What a great way to spend
your winters in Iowa. Be sure to visit the Web site at www.match
stickmarvels.com/matchstickmain.html.
My wife, Ruth, poses with the Space Shuttle
Challenger, completed in 1997, so you can see its
size. The creation employed 200,000 matchsticks.
Above: The Wright brothers’ Flyer was
built in 1994 from 10,000 matchsticks.
Left: A work in progress. JRR Tolkien’s
Minas Tirith is expected to be
completed sometime this year. So far,
Pat has used roughly 400,000
matchsticks in its construction.
The P-51 is the only painted model in the museum. Using 15,000 matchsticks, it
was completed in 1992.
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