District X Report
Richard Hanson Vice President
Associate vice presidents and staff members gathered at the AMA Convention in Pasadena, California, January 17–19. Members of the staff assisted in staffing the District X booth, met with modelers from around the district, and attended administrative and educational workshops.
The Scale Squadron of Southern California, AMA charter 1520, is one of several Orange County–based clubs that share the closed El Toro Marine base as part of the Orange County Association of Model Clubs. The Scale Squadron is a special-interest group of miniature aircraft enthusiasts dedicated to the art of Radio Control scale aviation and founders of the U.S. Scale Masters Championships.
The club meets the second Monday of every month in Fountain Valley, California, and is known for its educational programs, model-building workshops, and great speaker engagements. At the January Scale Squadron meeting, guest speaker and professional air-show pilot John Collver presented an intriguing insight into the world of air-show aviation.
Each year John tours the country with his restored T-6 Wardog, delighting thousands of aviation buffs with his choreographed aerial ballet.
Sam Wright opted to go with fiberglass over wood for his Scale Master P-40 project. According to Sam, the decision saved a lot of time and solved many of the problems involved in detailing the aircraft.
Modelers Rule
One of the most enjoyable aspects of being your District X vice president has been the privilege of visiting local clubs and meeting with individual modelers.
Though there are at times issues and concerns, I've always found aeromodelers to be welcoming, polite, and exceptionally cordial.
It is heartwarming to know that I am not alone in this experience, as evidenced in the following letter to the Hemet Model Masters' president, Ken Barton, from Ken Lawrence of El Cajon, California.
"I just wanted to pass on a great big thank you to your club, and to all of the members who were at your flying field today, for the wonderful welcome and assistance they gave me when I came out to the field with my in-laws so they could see RC (Radio Control) planes in action.
"I belong to the First Weedwacker Aerosquadron based in Lakeside, California, but my in-laws live in Sun City. They are elderly and cannot easily make the trip to the Weedwacker field, so I contacted your club about the possibility of bringing a plane up to your field where they could see some flying.
"Well, today I did just that and I just wanted your club to know how very much I was impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of all the club members who were at the field.
"Their welcome and assistance made for the best experience possible! Please pass on my thanks to these fine people.
"And, I must say your flying site itself is excellent! You can certainly be very proud of your field and the members of the Hemet Model Masters!
"My in-laws finally got to see what RC modeling was all about and they were quite impressed.
"So, thanks again for a great time. I'm sending a copy of this letter to our District X vice president, Richard Hanson, since I believe that AMA should hear of the fine way your club presents itself!"
Till next time... Keep 'em safe and keep 'em flyin'.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
