District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President
I have a lot to share this month, so let me get right to it!
Leadership changes at AMA
Dave Mathewson is AMA’s new executive director. The search committee reviewed more than a hundred résumés looking for the right person to lead the staff through some of the roughest times we have faced. The one person who stood out above all others was Dave.
He has experience with association management, knowledge of the current issues facing AMA in the near future, and the personality to build a cohesive relationship between staff and the Executive Council. He was also ready to retire from and close his own business, so the timing all came together — except it removed a charismatic and dynamic leader from the president’s position, leaving huge shoes to fill.
Thanks to Joyce Hager for taking charge, moving important jobs along, and once again ensuring that the AMA staff remained focused during the transition period. She is a fountain of knowledge and an invaluable employee.
Mark Smith has assumed the presidential duties pending a special election to fill the position for the remaining two years of Dave’s term. Although Mark had moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to slow down and retire, he has accepted the mission, and I am confident he will continue the good efforts started with Dave at the helm. Thanks for stepping up, Mark!
75th Anniversary and District VIII celebration
AMA’s 75th Anniversary Celebration in Muncie, Indiana, is this month. I hope to see many of you there. If you can’t make it to Muncie, mark your calendars for the District VIII celebration, which will be combined with the 11th Annual Memorial Fly-In I conduct in memory of my dad.
- Dates: September 30–October 2
- Location: Kingsbury, Texas
- Notes: Mark Smith and Dave Mathewson have committed to attend; Hoot Gibson has it penciled in on his calendar; all district associate vice presidents and some AMA Headquarters staff plan to be there.
- We already have a lot of donations. It should be a superb event! See the flyer on the District VIII website or the event calendar on the AMA website for details.
27th Annual Big Bird
Jack Matlock and I attended the 27th Annual Big Bird event at the Tri-County Barnstormers' field in New Waverly, Texas. The last time I was there it rained and we nearly got washed away, so we didn’t fly at all. This time, on the way over, we nearly blew sideways on the highway with 20–30 mph winds.
Saturday dawned with light, steady winds and overcast skies. Twenty-six pilots signed up and we did some flying before the winds picked up around noon. The event was well organized and there were some beautiful airplanes.
The highlight for me was a troop of Scouts from Huntsville who were present to observe and learn. When they heard I was going to discuss FAA issues with interested parties, they all came to the tent to hear about AMA. Before I started the FAA discussion, I spent about 45 minutes talking to them and answering questions about AMA, learning to fly, and what to buy. They were curious and I had fun with them.
FAA meeting
By the time this is on the streets, we will have had another face-to-face meeting with the FAA. I hope to have good things to report from that meeting!
Have fun and fly safely! See you on the flightline.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
