District XI-2011/09

EVERY YEAR I receive requests for
information about the Salmon Arm British
Columbia Float-Fly. This event is the first
full weekend in September. The location is
Sandy Point Beach Campground, 2100
Sandy Point Rd., Salmon Arm, B.C. Canada.
The largest float fly event in the Pacific
Northwest, hosted by the Shuswap Lake
Aero Modelers (SLAM), takes place on the
calm and picturesque waters of Shuswap
Lake at Sandy Point Resort, 5 kilometers
west of Salmon Arm, B.C.
Registration begins on September 6 and
flying continues throughout the week until
Sunday, September 11, when awards and
raffle prizes will be presented. A retrieval
boat will be provided and frequency board
will be set up for the duration of the event.
Other features include pilots’ draws,
bonfires, a pie sale, 50/50 drawings, and a
free corn roast with camping and
concessions on-site. The splash-down fee for
the week is $15.
More than 90 pilots “flew their floats
off” in 2010, so don’t miss out on the action
this year. For information, contact CD
Robert Reading at [email protected].
I’ll share a few of my pictures from last
year’s event. To see more, visit
www.teamtracon.com. The spring event is
always the first full weekend of June.
This past spring our club had two events,
much like an open house. This is something
we do a couple times of year and we do
breakfast for all. This is fun for the whole
family and guests from other clubs.
Too often clubs do not interact with other
clubs and this is a huge mistake. I recall a
case where a club lost its field, but was
invited to fly with another club until they
could get back on their feet. This resulted in
much goodwill and some members joined
the other club as well.
Sometime we forget that we are all in the
same boat. I have seen clubs do fundraisers
for other clubs and turn out to repair fields
that have been damaged by storms. Next
time you plan a fun day, invite other area
fliers. I think you will be pleasantly
surprised with the outcome.
While on the topic of public relations,
invite your neighbors, the non-fliers, to your
field for a day. Get to know them; get them
and their families on a buddy box and show
them what the hobby is all about. I have
seen this work wonders for all concerned.
Years ago we had an AMA Air Show
Team. We flew at a sod farm as part of a
town festival. Years later we lost our field
but were invited to use a portion of the sod
farm until we could get relocated.
So what part of public relations don’t
you understand? Without it, you might be up
the creek!
Keep flying and keep smiling.
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]
Website: www.amadistrict11.org
District XI Volunteers
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