District XI - 2010/10

EVERY YEAR I get questions about he
date of the Salmon Arm British Columbia
Float Fly. This year the event was
September 3-5. Many of us usually go up
as much as a week early. This is a great
event and our friends to the north are great
hosts.
The event will be over by the time you
read this, but I’ll have more about the
float-fly in a later column!
The Wenatchee Red Apple Flyers in East
Wenatchee, Washington, will host a great
float-fly at Lake Entiat on September 25-26.
Dean Nichols is the CD and his telephone
number is (509) 888-2449. Visit the club’s
Web site at www.redappleflyers.org for
more information and information on
reservations at the park for camping.
AMA provides a number of benefits and
programs to assist and recognize clubs. I’d
like to highlight a few.
This year, the Fly-A-Ways RC Club
was the recipient of an AMA Flying Site
Development/Improvement Grant in the
amount of $1221.90 to go toward the
development of the club’s new flying site.
Eighteen clubs around the country received
similar grants, but the Fly-A-Ways club
was the only club in our district to receive
one.
If your club could use funds to help
develop or establish a flying site, look into
one of these grants. An AMA Flying Site
Development/Improvement Grant, if
approved, will provide up to 10% of the
total cost of the project. The maximum
grant award is $5,000 for a $50,000 or
higher project.
Grant applications should be sent to
your district vice president on or before
March 1, 2011. The district vice president
will review and approve the application
and forward it to AMA Headquarters for
arrival on or before March 15, 2011.
Grants awarded will be announced
approximately May 1 for each calendar
year. Your project is expected to be
completed within 12 months, and the grant
award amount is expected to be dispersed
within 12 months of receipt.
The application is Document #712 on the
AMA Web site (www.modelaircraft.org/
documents.aspx).
Another benefit to AMA chartered clubs
is the Club Disaster Assistance Program.
In 2005, the AMA Executive Council
approved this program which is designed
to grant immediate financial assistance to
AMA chartered clubs that have flying sites
damaged by a natural disaster such as a
hurricane, earthquake, or firestorm.
The grant is intended to assist clubs in
clearing debris and such so that the field is
once again accessible and usable by club
members. It is not designed to pay for
repairs to structures or facilities, except to
make the facility and runway adequate for
flying.
Your club must provide adequate
pictures and information for your
application to qualify.
So if your club flying site sustains
damage as a result of a natural disaster,
you may qualify for this grant. The
application is designed to be streamlined to
allow for quick payments to help club
members get back to flying.
The grant is limited to $500 per club
and must be applied for by sending your
application to:
Academy of Model Aeronautics
c/o Joyce Hager
Flying Site Disaster Grant
5161 E. Memorial Dr.
Muncie IN 47302
In order to recognize the leadership of the
best model clubs, the Academy established
the AMA Leader Club Awards. These
awards can be earned by any AMA
chartered club, by meeting certain
standards of community service and
activity.
There are three levels of AMA Leader
Clubs: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Once a
club meets the minimum criteria, it
qualifies for different levels based on
performance.
AMA has established 14 goals for
Leader Club status. Five of these goals are
required. A club that meets the required
five goals, plus three of the electives,
qualifies as a Bronze-level Leader Club.
Meeting the required five goals plus six
electives qualifies the club for the Silver
level. The ultimate recognition, Gold level,
requires that all goals be met.
Each goal must be documented. In the
event an elective does not pertain to your
club’s operation, an explanation included
with your club’s application is all that is
necessary for inclusion in the program.
(For example, a soaring club that uses only
winches or hi-starts does not have to deal
with sound limitations at its field and an
FF club would not be faced with frequency
concerns.)
The application and a list of the 14
goals is available on the AMA Web site in
the Documents section at www.model
aircraft.org/files/708.pdf.
Each year I get questions about getting
help locating flying sites on government
land. The best advice I can give is to first
get involved with the community—kind of
like the camel getting his nose under the
tent.
You will have to give to the community
before you can expect to get support. I
have seen this work time and time again.
The club I belong to has a great working
relationship with its community. This
relationship started many years ago, and
we are still reaping the benefits. It’s all
about taking that first step.
That’s all, folks!
District XI
Bruce Nelson, District XI Vice President; [email protected]
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Bruce Nelson
Vice President
807 E. Vicksburg St.,
Spokane WA 99208
Phone: (509) 467 8348
[email protected]
Associate Vice
Presidents
Rick Allison, Issaquah WA;
[email protected]
Darrell Anderson, Great Falls MT;
[email protected]
Bryan Batch, Spokane WA
[email protected]
Al Culver, Wilder ID;
[email protected]
Bruce Harlow, Myrtle Creek OR;
[email protected]
Jerry Holcomb, Vancouver WA;
[email protected]
Gene LaFond, Wenatchee WA;
[email protected]
Reeves Lippincott, Wasilla AK;
[email protected]
Mike Mosbrooker, Oak Harbor
WA; [email protected]
Claude Tanner, Boise ID;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator
Phil Tallman, Medical Lake WA;
(509) 299-5102;
[email protected]
District RC Coordinator
W.T. (Bill) Smith, Seattle WA;
[email protected]
Web site: www.amadistrict11.org
District XI Volunteers
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