Author: Lawrence Tougas
Edition: Model Aviation - 2014/12
Page Numbers: 146

District X—Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah

Lawrence Tougas

Vice President

December is upon us, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, or Festivus, I want to wish you and your family a happy holiday season. It’s a time to reflect on the year that has passed. I’ve had a great year, both professionally and personally. I’m very grateful to all of the clubs and individual modelers I’ve worked with. I have enjoyed every event I’ve been invited to and am looking forward to 2015.

AMA Expo 2015

The AMA Expo 2015 will be held January 9–11. To find out what we’ve planned for the event, go to www.amaexpo.com.

District X membership meeting

One event I hope you’ll make time for is the annual District X membership meeting. We’ll be holding it on Saturday, January 10 at 1 p.m. in room 100 A/B. I hope to see you there.

Thanks to the generosity of Hobbico, I’m going to have a free drawing for a new Futaba 14SGA. That’s a top-of-the-line $600, 14-channel radio that one lucky attendee will take home, but you have to be at the meeting to be in the drawing, so set aside the time from 1 to 2.

I’m also excited to announce that we’ve recently signed a new contract with the Ontario Convention Center that will keep the Expo in District X through 2018.

National Model Aviation Day

National Model Aviation Day was another huge success for the AMA and the charity it benefitted, the Wounded Warrior Project. Nationwide, we raised more than $86,000, with more than $8,000 raised in our district to date.

Tulare Condors / Exeter Thunderhawks event

I had the great privilege of attending the Tulare Condors/Exeter Thunderhawks event. The clubs put on a heck of a show at the Condors’ field, which is located at the International Agri Center in Tulare, California. The clubs hosted more than 300 guests and put on demonstrations of fixed- and rotary-wing models, as well as rocketry. Please enjoy some of my favorite photos of the event.

AVP transition

Greg Clemensen, our associate vice president (AVP) in Las Vegas, has decided to pass the reins to a successor. Greg has been an AVP for more than seven years. He not only covered Las Vegas but made it a point to drive long distances to represent the AMA in southern Utah.

In addition to his AMA work, Greg raises money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation by running triathlons. I want to express my heartfelt thanks for a job well done.

Greg’s successor is Eric Henderson. Eric began building model aircraft when he was five years old, leading to his teenage years flying free flight (FF) and control-line (CL) models. He entered the world of RC more than 40 years ago on the craggy slopes of England, Scotland, and Wales.

Eric has been a reviewer and columnist for aeromodeling magazines and websites since 1982. He has covered computer radios, engines, indoor flying, and aerobatics—he was a Scale Aerobatics and Precision Aerobatics competitor for more than 25 years—and is currently specializing in electric ducted-fan (EDF) jet operation and promotion.

Administratively, Eric has served as a club officer in more than 20 clubs. He was an AMA AVP in District II and served as president of the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics for four years. Eric is dedicated to publicizing and growing our hobby. Please help me welcome him aboard.

Until next month, happy landings.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.