District X Report - 2004/08
Leadership and community involvement
LEADERSHIP means community involvement, and the First WeedWacker Aero Squadron of Lakeside, California, takes its role as an AMA Gold Leader Club seriously.
Community involvement is a key component of serving as an AMA Leader Club. It helps promote the hobby and, perhaps more importantly, creates goodwill with community leaders and other service organizations. That relationship can pay huge dividends should the club ever need support in developing or retaining its flying site.
April 10 — Royal Rangers visit
On April 10, the First WeedWacker Aero Squadron hosted a group of 14 boys and girls from the Royal Rangers of Faith Chapel of La Mesa, California. The guests were treated to a day at the Cactus Park Model Airport and received hands-on buddy-box instruction in RC flying.
April 24 — Lakeside Western Days Parade
On April 24, the club participated in the Lakeside Western Days Parade, winning the first-place Community Entry Award.
May 1–2 — Wings Over Gillespie static display
On May 1–2, the Aero Squadron organized an aeromodeling static display at the Wings Over Gillespie air show. The annual Wings Over Gillespie show is a major community attraction, drawing 10,000–15,000 visitors each year. Many show-goers stopped by to chat about the hobby and the club's activities; club members passed out magazines to kids in hopes of seeding an interest in model aviation.
WeedWacker club members who supported this year's static display included:
- Art Flores
- Norm Langevin
- Walt Wilson, club president
- Ted O'Fallon
- Donn Stewart
This is a small portion of the club's ongoing community involvement. The Aero Squadron is also a very active participant in the San Diego County Association of Model Clubs, hosting many of the association's events and participating in nearly all of its community activities. The First WeedWacker Aero Squadron truly puts the "lead" in leadership and is an outstanding Gold Leader Club.
RCX 2004 (Anaheim, April 23–25)
Anaheim, California, hosted the RCX 2004 hobby show, April 23–25. This was the second year for the commercial enterprise and, by all measures, it was a huge success. Hats off to the promoters, Air Age Media and Vision Entertainment, for creating a truly professional hobby show aimed at introducing hobby enthusiasts and the general public to all aspects of RC modeling.
California-based Hobby People was a major exhibitor and this year's RCX retail sponsor.
AMA was a key exhibitor at the RCX show. Tom Schwyn, AMA's marketing director, drew a crowd while demonstrating his skills with a tethered indoor electric RC helicopter. Showing your AMA card at the door earned you a $5 discount—a 40% savings off the ticket price. Don't miss RCX 2005, slated for May 20–22.
Till next time ... Keep 'em safe and Keep 'em fly'n.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
