District VIII Report - 2009/12
Happy holidays
Happy holidays to everyone! I complete my first term in office with this issue of MA and can truly say it has been an experience like no other in my life. I have made hundreds of new friends, traveled to places I had never seen before, and have been involved in discussions or actions I never dreamed I would face. In all, I have enjoyed the time and look forward to many more exhilarating and interesting experiences as I continue to serve our organization as a volunteer.
Volunteers at the New Mexico Municipal League booth
Four volunteers in New Mexico helped AMA's Ben Flesher and me as we staffed the New Mexico Municipal League of Cities booth in Albuquerque in September:
- Associate Vice President (AVP) Mark Johnston
- Carlos Reyes
- Pat Tritle
- Ken Morris
They talked with city managers, council members, mayors, and law enforcement officials about the advantages of having an AMA club field in their city, encouraging municipal officials to open their doors when approached by modelers and clubs. We were a big attraction at the convention, and these volunteers really helped with the process. All received Making a Difference (MAD) award certificates for their efforts.
New Mexico Safety Coordinator
Let me announce the state's new safety coordinator: Brian Regan. He is already hard at work, helping Mark Johnston with modeling activities in the state. An avid builder who prefers kits to ARFs, Brian has been a club safety officer for several years.
Oklahoma Safety Coordinator
Oklahoma has a state safety coordinator as well. Steve Keesey is on board with AVP Les Barry. Steve is a scale modeler and contest director (CD) and has been a club safety officer for more than seven years. His real job is with the FAA as its FAASTeam (FAA Safety Team) program manager.
B-17 Gathering and Scale Big Bird, Monaville, Texas
Jack Matlock, Andy Clapp, Shorty, and I traveled to Monaville, Texas, for the 21st annual B-17 Gathering and Scale Big Bird event. Nick Stratos did another outstanding job as contest director, with nearly 200 registered pilots and more than 400 airplanes. BB Weber added more scenery to the field, cleared trees, and helped make the field better than ever. What a great event — you have to attend if you are remotely in the area in the future!
Hill Country Aeromodelers Electric Fly-In, Austin, Texas
We also trekked to Austin the same weekend for the Hill Country Aeromodelers' first Electric Fly-In, organized and run by George Parks. Roughly 60 pilots, flying everything from indoor electrics to giant-scale models, had a great time. The biggest problem was parking the hundreds of spectators who attended the event — a great problem to have! The field was in excellent shape and the hospitality was outstanding. Several seminars throughout the day kept modelers and spectators up to date on many topics. I hope it becomes an annual event.
Have fun and fly safely. See you on the flightline.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
