District VIII Report - 2010/06

June 2010 143
AS THE ARMY, Fort Sam Houston (the
birthplace of military flight), and San
Antonio, Texas, celebrated the 100th
anniversary of military aviation, the San
Antonio Prop Busters (SAPB) club was
contacted to participate in a day of
celebration at the Institute of Texan
Cultures, which is a museum in San
Antonio. Through its collections, exhibits,
and programs, the facility serves as a forum
for the understanding and appreciation of
Texas and Texans.
The idea was to have a static display of
military aircraft, a flight simulator for
visitors to experience RC flight and flight
demonstrations. Charles Strang, SAPB
president, handled the static and simulator
issues but requested assistance from the
local indoor club, Texas RC Indoor Club
(TRIC) to conduct indoor or park flyer
programs. Rick Doucette, TRIC president,
joined Charles for a visit to the museum and
determined that indoor was the best idea.
On March 6, 2010, several Prop Busters
and TRIC members spent the day
displaying, flying, and talking to folks about
modeling.
(L-R) Jerry Giles, Charles Strang, and
“Crash” Siegal with some of the aircraft
displayed.
TRIC members were tired of flying after
six hours with only four pilots keeping
airplanes in the air continuously.
TRIC pilots Leo Eide, Rick Doucette, Andy
Clapp, and Jim Rice with the two ladies who
organized our participation.
Fort Worth Thunderbirds’ members Gene
Lord, Jason Meadows, and Gary Nelson
participated in the worldwide project known
as Globe Trotter in February. The project,
being orchestrated by WattFlyer, has been
more than three years in the making.
The idea is to fly an electric model
airplane by shipping it from pilot to pilot
around the world. The aircraft, known as
Wiggy, is pretty resilient and user-friendly.
Gene (L) and Jason pose with Wiggy. I think
Gary was the photographer.
I went to the project’s Web site
(www.wattflyer.com) and researched some
of the effort. It is quite an undertaking and
an honor for these folks to participate.
A great pilot and good friend got married
this week! Jason Danhakl, a former San
Antonio resident who now resides in
Illinois, returned to San Antonio to get
married. His wedding party was full of
modelers and many attendees were also
fellow pilots.
I have to tell you I have seen Jason more
comfortable landing a dead-stick, out-oftrim,
tail-heavy airplane than he appeared to
be at the altar … just kidding! Since he is
well known around the country, I thought I
would include a picture of Jason and his
beautiful bride, Lauren, in the column.
Jason and Lauren Danhakl at the reception.
Dave Mathewson, AMA president, Rich
Hanson, AMA Government and Regulatory
Affairs, and I visited with Rick Prosek, the
new manager of the Unmanned Aircraft
Program Office at the FAA and members of
his staff in Washington DC in March.
We are still trying to nail down what is
acceptable to them and fair and equitable to
modelers. There is still a lot of work to be
done but we are hopeful some mutually
acceptable positions can be found!
Have fun and fly safely. See you on the
flightline.
District VIII
Jim Rice, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
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
Pete Boudreaux, Franklin LA;
(337) 836-5478
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
Randy Ritch, Magnolia TX;
(281) 701-3121
Doug Staines, Belton TX;
(254) 780-3512
Ron Stanfield, Maumelle AR;
(501) 851-1697
Pat Willcox, Kingwood TX;
(281) 358-1750
Frequency Coordinator
Gene Kent, Tomball TX;
(281) 255-4805
Safety Coordinator
David Oates, Texarkana TX;
(903) 826-7919; davidoates@
sherrodservices.com
AMA Display Coordinator
David Johns, Deer Park TX;
(281) 476-4820
RC Contest Coordinator
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348;
[email protected]
CL/FF Contest Coordinator
Bill Lee, Chandler TX;
(903) 852-5599; [email protected]
District VIII Volunteers
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