District IX - 2006/07
Contact
Mark Smith, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
It's a given that we all want to secure and maintain our flying sites. One of the primary means to help ensure that we will be able to fly at our field is to actively participate in community events and generally be viewed as a good citizen. This month I want to highlight a couple of clubs that are shining examples of how this is accomplished. The Arvada Associated Modelers, located in Arvada, Colorado, has started a program focused on youth, and the Jayhawk Modelmasters built a beautiful float for the Saint Patrick's Day parade.
Arvada Associated Modelers — Youth outreach
Larry Hansen, the vice president of the Arvada Associated Modelers (AAM), sent in this report about the local Civil Air Patrol (CAP) squadron and rockets.
As some of you may have noticed, one of the local CAP squadrons has been firing rockets into the air west of our West Field pilot stations on Saturday mornings. These exciting young cadets have been invited to use our facilities for their "quest for flight" as part of our club's Youth Outreach Program.
As part of the mission to promote our hobby, youth outreach programs have been strongly recommended by AMA to all charter clubs across the country. Young people are the future of our hobby. Without them RC modeling will someday wither and die.
To that end, AAM is working with a local CAP squadron to involve them in RC aeromodeling. These young people, who are currently testing their skills at rocketry, plan to begin to build a trainer airplane with radio and engine, for and by each of the cadets in the squadron. Upon completion of this project, to a man they plan to join AAM and AMA so that they will have a place to fly their newly built RC models.
We anticipate additional interest to be generated in our club with the siblings, friends, and relatives of these vivacious youngsters. Here is a group of people who already have a great interest in aviation and RC modeling just falls into line with that interest.
Once these cadets have been guided into our hobby and club, AAM plans to try to get other CAP squadrons interested in our hobby, our club, and AMA.
If you see some of these young people at the West Field, say hello to them and welcome them to our facility. Take a look at their rockets and ask them about the plans they have for flying. They'll be glad you did and later when these enthusiastic young fliers join our organization, they can help us all grow into the future we want and need.
Jayhawk Modelmasters' float
Here is another example of how we can create high exposure for our hobby. The following pictures show this beautiful float that the Lawrence, Kansas, club drove in the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade. As you can tell, much time, care, and pride went into this float. Great job, Jayhawks!
Recent activities
This last month has been busy for me. I spent a great weekend in the Omaha, Nebraska, area. On Friday evening I was invited by club president Steve Culver to speak about AMA at the Omahawks' monthly meeting. On Saturday, turbine enthusiast Ward Neesen arranged an open meeting at Bud's Hobby Shop. I've got to tell you, Bud Kilnoski is a neat guy and one super hobby shop owner! Bud sprang for free coffee and donuts for the modelers, which brought in around 40 people. Larry Johnson, AMA's insurance broker, and I made a short presentation and then we had an open question-and-answer session. The hospitality was second to none. Thanks Omaha-area modelers and I look forward to flying with you this summer!
That's it for this month. Until next month, have fun and keep in touch!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
