District VIII - 2008/09

164 MODEL AVIATION
I LITERALLY BLEW into Guthrie,
Oklahoma, for the OK Sooner Squadron’s
Jumbo Fly-In in June. The tailwinds from San
Antonio, Texas, were 30 mph and I got the
best gas mileage my old Suburban ever got!
The wind didn’t get any better for the
event. 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 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!
Following are pictures of the event.
Greg Ward flew his Yak well.
Jim Flannigan prepares for another flight.
Mike McMurtry (R) flies while Sean and I
watch.
The OK Sooner Squadron enjoyed the meet
despite the wind.
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.
Left: Ralph Lang
placed first in
Advanced while 12-
year-old Spencer
Nordquist (below)
placed second in
Sportsman.
Bill Hempel and Len Alessi flew Unlimited and
judged other classes.
Hempel’s pit crew readies his 50% model
airplane for the next round.
Mark presented Jeramy with a Dirty
Dozen Certificate for his efforts organizing
and CDing the event.
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.
Mark Bellanger (L), club president, and
Freddie Hebert (R), vice president, do a great
job of promoting AMA with local modelers
and the public.
I attended two entertaining FF events in
Seguin, Texas, and 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.
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
Jim Rice
Vice President
118 E. Wright
Blvd., Universal
City TX 78148
Tel.: (210) 213-
0299 (evenings)
www.AMA-Dist-
8.org
For a complete listing of
district officers, please see
the District VII1 Web site.
District VIII
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
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