May 2008 179
FLYING IS in full swing across the district.
Nearly every club has scheduled or ongoing
events and I receive daily invitations. Often I
cannot accept because of multiple activities
with more than 250 clubs in the district.
Don’t let that deter your from issuing the
invitation. I genuinely want to attend. Invite
your local associate vice president at the same
time you invite me. Maybe he can attend if I
can’t. I can assure you he wants to attend
events and will represent the AMA well.
As you are aware, AMA launched the Park
Pilot Program (PPP) in January. It is intended
to increase membership by helping new
modelers who desire to get into the hobby at
the electric entry level. The real hope is that
these new members will band together and
make PPP clubs that will develop flying fields
in municipal parks.
The Park Pilot magazine is very good and
offers a number of tips as well as contacts for
information and assistance. While the Park
Pilot members’ insurance is reduced for
personal protection, it still includes the same
insurance for the property/land owner(s) so
allowing them to fly on your established field
is okay.
It is a club’s prerogative to deny or allow
Park Pilots to fly. Their license is a different
color so it should be fairly easy to determine
who can fly what size airplane. I encourage
you to stop and visit with anyone flying in a
local school yard or park and give them a run
down on AMA and the Park Pilot Program. It
just might lead to a valuable friendship and a
new AMA member.
Tejas RC Association held the Winter Rally
of Giants at the Weslaco, Texas, municipal
airport February 29-March 2. The facility was
closed to full-scale aircraft for all three days.
More than 1,500 spectators visited and the
hospitality of the hosts was superior. Airport
manager George Garret attended both the
event and the supper on Saturday night and
promised to encourage the Airport
Commission to support the event for years to
come.
Club president Xavier Pruneda and his
family prepared food for the concession stand
all day and presented the superb rib eye steak
supper in the evening. Lieutenant Hector
Galvan of the Civil Air Patrol brought at least
18 cadets who stayed nearly all day Saturday.
Please participate in the survey in Model
Aviation or on the AMA Web site asking for
information and volunteers to help with staff
and committee activities. Our organization has
a lot of free talent and we plan to capitalize on
it when and where we can.
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
Associate Vice
Presidents
Lester L. Barry, Bethany OK;
(405) 789-5373
Bill Fulmer, Gretna LA;
(504) 392-3620
Jack Hogan, Chandler TX;
(903) 849-4193 (Evenings)
Mark S. Johnston, Albuquerque
NM; (505) 823-0158
Jim D. Marshall, Mission TX;
(956) 585-6446
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348
Doug Staines, Belton TX
(254) 780-3512
Ron Stanfield, Maumelle AR;
(501) 851-1697
Pat Willcox, Kingwood TX;
(281) 358-1750
Frequency Coordinator
North: Joe DuMond, Ft. Worth
TX; (817) 457-6685
South: Gene Kent, Tomball TX;
(281) 255-4805
AMA Display Coordinator
David Johns, Deer Park TX
(281) 476-4820
Safety Coordinator
Chuck Waller, Canyon Lake TX;
(210) 563-4246
District VIII Volunteers
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Civil Air Patrol cadets at the 2008 Winter Rally.
A large spectator turnout at the Winter Rally.
Bert Hahn and Jim Marshall. Flightline at the Winter Rally.
05amanews.qxp 3/21/2008 2:32 PM Page 179
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/05
Page Numbers: 179