District VIII
Contact
- Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 118 E. Wright Blvd., Universal City, TX 78148
- Tel.: (210) 213-0299 (evenings)
- Website: www.AMA-Dist-8.org
For a complete listing of district officers, please see the District VIII web site.
States in District VIII
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Texas
Guthrie, Oklahoma — OK Sooner Squadron Jumbo Fly-In
I literally blew into Guthrie, Oklahoma, for the OK Sooner Squadron’s Jumbo Fly-In in June. The tailwinds from San Antonio, Texas, were about 30 mph and I got the best gas mileage my old Suburban ever got!
The wind didn’t get any better for the event. Contest Director (CD) Jim Ellis predicted little to no flying and he was nearly right. Winds gusted over 40 mph during the meet, but about half a dozen pilots took to the skies anyway. It was a shame that the weather didn’t cooperate because the field was beautifully groomed. There were attendees from as far away as Iowa City and the good old Oklahoma hospitality was plentiful. Burgers prepared by club president Mike Harvey were superb. I flew four flights without incident, but I have to say they were pretty exciting.
I really enjoyed watching Mike and Sean McMurtry put their International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) airplanes through their paces. The wind seemed to bother them less than it did me—must be the piloting skills!
Pictures from the event were taken.
Albuquerque IMAC Challenge
Mark Johnston, Associate Vice President (AVP) for New Mexico, and Jeramy Melton provided a report and pictures from the 2008 Albuquerque IMAC Challenge. Seventeen pilots from four states competed and fought their way through some very tough "Unknown" sequences to determine the winners. Mark presented Jeramy with a Dirty Dozen Certificate for his efforts organizing and serving as Contest Director (CD) for the event.
Houma, Louisiana — Cajun Black Sheep Squadron
Bill Fulmer, AVP for Louisiana, reports that the Cajun Black Sheep Squadron in Houma, Louisiana, had a great and safe event that was professionally managed by Lamar Cooley. The Houma Courier had a film crew and reporter taking pictures and notes.
Seguin, Texas — Free Flight (FF) events
I attended two entertaining free-flight (FF) events in Seguin, Texas. The summer winds and thermals made things interesting. I was able to observe a couple of flights by Mike Fedor and Marvin Mace, but my camera was in for repairs because it failed the swim test while I was on vacation.
The skills and enthusiasm of the FF community are without equal—what great fellowship combined with intense competition! I had forgotten that they speak a language all their own. I am motivated to build a sport FF airplane that might compete on the local level.
Notes
- Remember to invite your local AVP to your events. The district is large and gas prices are up, so if we can cover the district in a smarter manner, we need to do so.
Have fun and fly safely! See you on the flightline.
— Jim Rice
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
