District VIII—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Mark Johnston
Vice President
By the time you read this, the FAA comment period may be over. I hope we did a good job with our comments so that some of the rules will be changed. Depending on what you read and who wrote it, the rules may not change at all. The FAA is a government entity influenced by Congress. It acts in the interests of the National Airspace System and public safety.
As a community-based organization, we, as members, should and must follow our safety code and rules to the letter. We need to be safe at all times, so doing anything that might be risky—such as high-speed maneuvers directly toward the pit area or crowd, whether during an event or on a weekend at the field—is not a good plan. Having fun in our hobby and being able to fly what we want and when we want is important. If you are out flying and something looks out of place, bring it to your club officers' attention.
Being hasty in making comments or changing rules is not in the best interests of a club and those involved. Please be mindful of everyone's opinions concerning how a club moves forward in these trying times. Please remember that as an AMA member you agreed to follow the safety code no matter where you fly.
Upcoming event
- On the weekend of September 27–28, the Tri-City Flyers will host the District VIII Celebration of Flight and Memorial at the Kingsbury AeroDrome outside Seguin, Texas. Most of the District VIII associate vice presidents, as well as some AMA staff, will be on hand to answer questions.
- On Saturday night there will be a general membership meeting and the famous Red Ritch and the Ritch's Raiders barbecue dinner for all AMA members in attendance. The club will have shirts and lunch available, and there will be a few pilot prizes to give away.
Recent events
- I attended the Albuquerque Soaring Association's discus-launch glider contest at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park. It was amazing to see the gliders launched about 200 feet into the air. There was a good turnout and nice weather for the event.
- On July 26, I attended the Albuquerque Radio Control Club Competition Fun-Fly and helped run the event. While I was there I took a couple of pictures that I want to share.
- On August 2, I attended a memorial event for the late Jim Wallen in Denver. Jim was District IX vice president for two terms and made a huge impact on the AMA Executive Council. AMA Executive Vice President Gary Fitch and I were there, and Susan Wallen was presented with the President's Award to honor Jim's contributions to AMA.
I hope to see you all at the field!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
