Author: Tony Stillman
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/03
Page Numbers: 156

District V Report - 2005/03

Districts

  • Alabama
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Mississippi
  • Puerto Rico
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • U.S. Virgin Islands

Contact / Vice President

Tony Stillman Vice President

A complete list of district officers will be published in the April edition of this column.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Tony Stillman and I am your new District V vice president. Thank you to everyone for your support during the last election.

My job as vice president is to attend the Executive Council (EC) meetings and make informed decisions that will benefit all modelers. I do not represent any one specific modeling interest but all types of modeling, from indoor free flight to giant-scale RC and everything in between.

I am writing this in early January, shortly after assuming the position. You will read this in late February and by then things will be underway.

Communication and Associate Vice Presidents (AVPs)

I am looking forward to improving communications between District V members and am in the process of selecting associate vice presidents (AVPs). As noted in my campaign statement, I am looking for people who actually want to do something for the AMA. The AVPs will be tasked with contacting every AMA club within their geographical area. I want them to meet with members of each club and create relationships so that club members will feel free to contact them about any issues that might come up. By the time you read this column, the task will be completed.

I will be hosting an open meeting of the District V membership and AVPs at the Southeastern Modelers' Show 2005 in Perry, Georgia. If you are going to be there, look us up on Friday night. The meeting will be at 9 p.m. in a meeting room onsite.

Events and Participation

We have a huge district with many major events held each year. It will be impossible for me personally to attend all of them; however, I will attend as many as I can. Keep in mind that I’m a modeler too, and I am active in the sport! I will be competing both regionally and nationally.

When I am not competing, I plan to attend events in the district—from local fly-ins and competitions to swap meets and club meetings. I will be active, and my AVPs will be attending events and meetings, taking pictures, and writing articles that you will read in upcoming issues of Model Aviation.

With the large number of events held in our district, there will not be room on a single page each month to include every report. I will select from the reports that are submitted and try to cover all types of events. These reports will be posted on the AMA District V website (www.amadistrictv.org), which will be updated nearly every day. If your event does not make it into the magazine, you will be able to read about it online.

The website will be one of the best ways to contact me and see what is going on in the district. There you will find EC meeting reports, event reports, and much more. I am working to add an official District V discussion list to the site where you can sign up and post to the discussion. This will be a great source for information pertaining to the district, as well as a place to get help with modeling issues. I hope to have many notable modelers from District V active on this discussion list to make their expertise available to you!

I am working with every AMA Special Interest Group (SIG) to create a “cabinet” to assist me when issues arise. Each SIG president will appoint the representatives.

Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc. (NFMI)

I attended the annual Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc. (NFMI) Christmas banquet in December. I had just received the AMA election results, and the club asked me to make a presentation to a great friend and modeler: Gordon Dey.

Gordon was the club’s president when I began flying in 1971, and he has always built wonderful scale models and many others of his own design. He even had a Flying Doghouse from the early 1970s!

Club president Bobby Franks asked me to present Gordon with a special plaque in recognition of his military service and his service to aeromodeling. President Bush and his wife, Laura, signed the plaque. It was a big surprise, as evident on Gordon’s face. You deserve it, Gordon!

The NFMI club has done many notable things, including:

  • Hosting two F3A RC Aerobatics World Championships
  • Hosting three different Team Selections (F3A twice and F3C once) to determine USA teams for the World Championships
  • Sponsoring numerous fly-ins and electric events
  • Helping with the SAM Champs when it was held at one of the club’s eight flying fields

The NFMI club is one of the older and larger clubs in the district, with roughly 275 members in 2004. Many of these members come from military backgrounds because the primary training facilities for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are located here. The large number of flying fields and warm winters make it a great place to fly.

The following pictures are from various NFMI events, including Scouts’ Day at Fritz Field.

Closing

I have much to do, so look for one of the AVPs or myself around the district this flying season!

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.