District VIII—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
2014 Celebration of Flight (Kingsbury, TX)
On September 25–26, 2014, we held our annual District VIII Celebration of Flight in Kingsbury, Texas, sponsored by the Tri-City Flyers. The club did a great job with the event again this year. There was a little rain on Saturday, but we still got plenty of flying in on both days. Nine District VIII associate vice presidents were in attendance, as well as AMA President Bob Brown and Rich Hanson, Dave Mathewson, and Ilona Maine from AMA Headquarters.
Memorial and Awards
During the lunchtime memorial on Saturday, Jim Rice conducted the honors and led a moment of silence, then made a flight afterward with Dave Mathewson.
Earlier in the year I nominated Jim Rice for the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame with help from his family and a few others. During the meeting, Dave, Bob, Rich, and I presented Jim with the award.
Gaines Smith received a MAD award presented by Bill Holland. Although one event was rained out, 20 pilots still came out to visit.
Many people worked hard on the Celebration of Flight, so I presented the Tri-City Flyers with an award for their efforts.
More photos from the event can be seen in the digital edition.
Membership Meeting and Barbecue
On Saturday evening we held the District VIII membership meeting. Rich updated everyone on the latest news regarding the FAA situation. After the meeting, a barbecue was provided by District VIII and cooked by Red Ritch’s Raiders BBQ Team.
I want to thank everyone for coming to the event and for supporting both the Tri-City Flyers and the District VIII Celebration of Flight. I would also like to thank Red Ritch’s Raiders BBQ Team for cooking the Saturday night feast again this year — it is something everyone enjoys!
Volunteers and Coordinator Opening
I am looking for a new Control Line/Free Flight contest coordinator for the district. If you, or someone you know, is interested in the position, please contact me to discuss it.
Other Events
Tony Breyen attended the Richardson RC Club’s event on Sunday, October 26, 2014, in Princeton, Texas. The charity event benefitted:
- Wounded Warrior Project
- Allen Community Outreach
- Branch Volunteer Fire Department
It was a wonderful day with a fantastic turnout!
Camp AMA Scholarship
District VIII will sponsor a youth’s tuition to attend Camp AMA this year. To apply, write a 1,000-word essay answering the following question:
"Why do you want to go to Camp AMA and how would you use the experience to promote aeromodeling to others in your community?"
Submission requirements:
- Essays must be received by close of business on March 31, 2015.
- Email essays to [email protected]
- Or mail essays to: AMA, attn: Jessy Symmes
Hope to see you all at the field!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
