District X
As your District X vice president, I believe it is part of my job to get to know our district, our clubs, and our members as best I possibly can. Because of that — and requests from members and clubs — I decided to take my first official trip through parts of the district. This article is about that first trip. As I traveled, I learned it was even more important to the membership than I originally thought.
I have traveled to many clubs and attended many events over the years, as many of you know, but even with all that travel we have more than 400 clubs in our district, and I have many more to get to know.
Trip overview
I left my home on March 10, 2010, and spent a couple of days in Central California attending one event. I then went to Las Vegas for a week and Los Angeles/San Diego for another week, visiting some 20 clubs in all and attending the RCX show in Pomona, California.
Although I put more than 2,000 miles on my motor home, it was worth it. I got to hear firsthand what was important to a lot of our AMA members.
I don't have space here to elaborate on all the clubs I visited or write about many of the members I met, but I can share a bit about the experience.
Travel and flying
I wanted to go as a pilot. Although I usually travel with an airplane trailer full of airplanes, I decided it would be easier to take all smaller electrics, so I took eight models.
As I traveled, I flew at some of the clubs — some more than others. I spent the first day in Los Angeles flying with the Santa Fe Dam Modelers. It was a welcome, relaxing day after a long week in Las Vegas.
I also got to fly several airplanes offered by various members, especially good friend Jim Feldman. Thanks, Jim!
Club visits and AVP support
To be a smart traveler, I took advantage of a few of our hard-working associate vice presidents (AVPs) and asked them which clubs I should visit in their areas.
- Greg Clemensen (Las Vegas): Scheduled visits to eight clubs — the days and times were well organized. Although weather affected the schedule, I still ended up going to every club he had planned.
- Jerry Neuberger (San Diego): Took me to every club in the San Diego area from Torrey Pines to Chula Vista, right on the Mexican border. I was surprised when he said, "You know that's Tijuana right there, don't you?" To be honest, I had no idea.
- Tim Attaway: I knew it was Tim's home field but had not realized how close to Mexico it is.
- Bill Malvey (Los Angeles): I met Bill at a glider event where he was flying, and the following day he took me to several clubs in the Los Angeles area.
- Jon Wilson (AVP/webmaster): Jon and I are making a number of changes to the district web site.
Newsletter and website
A better description of the trip will be in your District X newsletter coming out May 1. Please e-mail me or visit the district web site at www.AMA10.org. You can find the newsletter there and see many of the other changes Jon Wilson and I are making.
Next steps
I will be meeting members in other parts of our district as soon as I can, because I know it is important to you, the membership.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
