District IX Report - 2009/11

November 2009 171
ASSOCIATE vice presidents (AVPs), are
the valuable conduits that link local clubs to
AMA. I am proud to announce that Zac
Heskin is our new AVP representing the
North Dakota area.
Zac is 23 years old and resides in
Garrison, North Dakota. Zac is replacing
Troy Lapp who has done a great job over the
last several years. A few words from Zac:
“I’m 23 years old and from Garrison,
North Dakota, and I started flying about
eight years ago. I really don’t count it
because I burned a gallon or two of fuel
during that time.
“I got back in to the hobby last August
when I thought I should try flying
helicopters. That’s when I gave Troy Lapp a
call and it’s been nothing but burning gas
and glow fuel since. I now fly a Trex 700
and a couple of 50 cc gas airplanes.
“In both the helis and planes I fly 3-D
and am starting to get into Pattern. I’m on
my fourth case of heli fuel for the year and
am almost to the point of finishing my 10th
gallon of gas.
“I’m having am absolute blast in the
hobby and am meeting tons of new people
everyday. I’m gearing up right now for the
Black Hills Air Rally and plan on doing a
write-up on the event. Troy will be down
there also. It should be a great weekend.”
Zac Heskin, North Dakota AVP, proudly
displaying his new Extra 300.
Jim Stulken, president of the Grand Island
Modelers Club in Nebraska, sent me this
picture of the new Ford tractor and finishing
mower purchased with club donations to
help with field maintenance. A sampling of
the proud members surround the vehicle.
Ray Boyd, an active Colorado flier,
submitted the following:
“Colorado is blessed by having two
outstanding organizations that promote
glider modeling: the Rocky Mountain
Soaring Association, which flies radio
controlled gliders, and the Magnificent
Mountain Men, who fly FF models.
“The Rocky Mountain Soaring
Association (RMSA) has been Denver’s
foremost model sailplane club since 1976.
They are an AMA chartered club with over
80 members.
“They are proud to have among their
membership Skip Miller, who is one of the
US’s three-time world champions. They also
have as members US F3B speed record
holder, Jack Sasson; distance record holder,
Lennie Keer; and the noted soaring
columnist Byron Blakeslee.
“The Magnificent Mountain Men
(MMM) FF club is Colorado’s major
outdoor FF club. They promote the building
and flying of all sorts of free-flying model
airplanes whether an original design for
high-performance competition or kit models
for scale or sport.
“The Denver area has a companion club
called the Society of Antique Modelers
(SAM). The SAM club promotes building
and flying the FF model aircraft of the era
prior to World War II. The club also actively
participates in the US Team Selection
Program for the World Championships.
Several MMM members have represented
the United States in the World
Championships, and many have been
National Champions in their chosen events.”
Ellen Major and Bud Romash giving it a
“thumbs up” for the hand-launch flight.
Todd and Randy Reynolds getting ready to
fly.
Club Corner: Communication is the glue
that keeps clubs active and makes all of the
members feel involved. Regularly scheduled
club meetings are most important.
If possible, arrange to have a simple
bulletin board erected at your flying site.
Newsletters are always interesting and
informative to all, even those who no longer
get “on the sticks” but want to be included
in activities.
E-mail is a must these days, inexpensive
and relatively easy to use. Keep in mind that
not all members use computers or e-mail so
don’t forget about them. A phone call or a
simple note by “snail mail” will also work.
The clubs that actively promote that
feeling of being all inclusive and creating a
family atmosphere are the ones that will stay
healthy and prosper.
Jim Wallen
Vice President
7322 E. 82nd Way
Arvada CO 80003
Tel.: (303) 421-9061
www.amadistrict-ix.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Steve Culver, Omaha NE;
[email protected]
Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY;
[email protected]
Zac Heskin, Garrison ND;
[email protected]
Bruce Ream, Highlands Ranch
CO; [email protected]
Brenda Schuette, Auburn KS;
[email protected]
Mike Tallman, Wichita KS;
[email protected]
Jim Tiller, Rapid City SD;
[email protected]
Webmaster: Jim Shaw,
[email protected]
Contest Coordinator:
Mac Strader, Overland Park KS;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator: Steve
Mangles, Denver CO;
[email protected]
District IX Volunteers
District IX
Jim Wallen, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
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