District VIII Report - 2003/10
Arkansas / Louisiana / New Mexico / Oklahoma / Texas
Contact
Dr. Sandy Frank Vice President
105 N. Brazos St. Weatherford, TX 76086-3207 Tel./Fax: (817) 599-7131 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.AMA-Dist-8.org
For a listing of district-level volunteer workers, please consult the previous issue of this publication or the above web site.
Southwestern Aeromodelling Conference — New Date: October 3–4, 2003
Please note the new date for the Southwestern Aeromodelling Conference: October 3–4, 2003. All AMA members are cordially invited to attend.
Keynote speakers:
- Wes DeCou, AMA Flying Site Assistance Coordinator
- Carl Maroney, Special Services Director
Schedule highlights:
- Friday, October 3, 2003 — Keynote speakers: 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.; trade show opens to the public immediately afterward.
- Saturday — Seminars, workshops, and symposiums (times vary). A club newsletter editors' seminar is scheduled for Saturday at approximately noon.
- A safety seminar for model aircraft will be offered (time to be announced).
Event features:
- A major regional modeling trade show
- Swap meet and modeling auction
- Static display of models
- The region's largest indoor flying activity
- Networking opportunities with national and international enthusiasts
Admission:
- $5 per day (all profits will go to AMA projects)
This event is organized by District VIII volunteer workers. Mark your calendar and plan to attend — it promises to be an excellent experience for model aircraft enthusiasts.
Volunteer Message
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is the glue that bonds model aircraft enthusiasts together.
If it isn't broken, then don't fix it. AMA is an organization of, by, and for model aircraft enthusiasts, and it depends heavily on volunteers at national, regional, and local levels. There is an office staff at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, handling clerical and administrative tasks, but it is the activities of literally hundreds of volunteer workers that make AMA programs and activities function.
Examples of volunteer roles:
- District vice presidents (VPs) — your representatives to the AMA Executive Council
- Associate vice presidents (AVPs)
- Contest coordinators
- District webmasters
- Contest Board members
- District librarians
- Educational coordinators
- Public relations/display coordinators
- Contest directors
Several people have asked why not simply reshuffle or arbitrarily change these individuals. My typical response is: "If it isn't broken, then don't fix it." Arbitrarily replacing volunteers who give their time and effort to support our modeling activities — just because someone wants new blood or a personal role — would be a poor way to thank those volunteers.
If you have a complaint about any service rendered by a volunteer worker associated with the AMA, please bring it to my attention. If you would like to volunteer to perform an activity or service that would benefit model aviation, please contact me. There are many opportunities and many tasks still to be confronted by our volunteers.
Again: to change people and programs just for the sake of change is not advisable. If it isn't broken, then don't fix it.
S.M.A.L.L. 2003 — North Little Rock, AR (May 30–June 1)
May 30–June 1 in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the North Little Rock Sky Tigers hosted the 13th annual S.M.A.L.L. (Small Model Airplane Lovers League) 2003.
- Contest director: Ron Stanfield, District VIII AVP (telephone: (501) 891-1697)
- Event restrictions: Limited to .26- or smaller-displacement engines; electrics were welcome.
- Additional activities: Indoor flying on Friday evening.
This event was cosponsored by a major modeling publication. There were more than 100 registered pilots; because of the nature of the event, each entrant brought several models, and at times there were several hundred models on the flight line.
Photos
The following photos are from the North Little Rock event.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
