District XI
Outgoing VP — Bruce Nelson
As in all things, there is a time to retire. I made that decision last fall and talked to several of my AVPs about it. Some indicated that they were considering retiring as well.
I had asked Mike Mosbrooker if he might consider running for office. Mike said he didn't think so because he was doing some traveling and enjoying it. Sometime later, I asked Brian Batch if he was willing to run and he said he would think about it. As it worked out, Brian and Mike both agreed to run for office. This is a win-win situation, and I feel we ended up with two good candidates.
I would like to thank all of my AVPs for their help and advice, along with Bill Smith, our contest coordinator. These people keep things running.
As for me, I will see you at the flying field. —Bruce
Incoming VP — Mike Mosbrooker
My name is Mike Mosbrooker and I want to begin my first column as District XI vice president by thanking you for electing me to this office. I will do everything necessary to justify the confidence you have placed in me. And whether you voted for me or not, thank you for voting! You did vote, didn't you?
Next, I want to thank Bruce Nelson, our outgoing District XI VP, for showing me the way. If I summarized how Bruce represented the district, I would say that his style represented "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I am not sure how long Bruce was at the helm, but portions of this district were called territories when he started. I don't expect to match his longevity, but I hope to continue his management style.
I look forward to meeting as many people in the district as possible, but I am being realistic when I say that it is a big district (I am told it's the largest geographically in the AMA), and I may not get to see all of you.
Please attempt to get to know your AVP, whichever one is closest to you, and tell him or her what is on your mind—but please be nice. You also have my email address (my preferred way of communication) and I will read and acknowledge whatever you send me.
As I write this, the expected date for the FAA to publish its rule related to unmanned aerial vehicles for public comment is early in 2012. You will be asked to provide comments to the FAA and to your government representatives. Please do so! Hopefully, your representative will remember what the majority wants when it comes time for a final decision. Please write when asked or you might want to use the paper to make a paper airplane because that is what we all may be flying if we don't get our position across.
My position, which is shared by many, is that model aviation as defined and governed by the AMA should be conducted in accordance with AMA safety rules, while commercial UAV enterprises are more suited to the rules applicable to manned aircraft.
A Random Note — Hobby Shops
I hope you are in the general proximity of a hobby shop that is at least half as good as the one I am privileged to enjoy (Performance R/C, in Burlington, Washington, run by the capable Suzy Thornton). Please take the time to express your appreciation to the proprietor at your favorite hobby shop as soon as possible. You'll never know how good it is until it's gone.
I still remember the first shop I visited in California, run by Bill Sorenson. I've lost track of Bill and he's probably not in the business anymore (he would be roughly 120 years old by now). Bill took the time to explain anything to me and the rest of the kids, although we didn't have any money. It's belated but thanks, Bill.
Contributing to the Column
By now, you're probably tired of reading philosophy and platitudes from me. So, what you need to do is send me some material that will be of interest to many of us. I will then edit what you send, mostly to make it fit into the space I am allowed, and you will see it in MA (Model Aviation). Please include photographs.
- Picture files should be roughly 300 KB in size. I can work with larger files, but I cannot make the desired size out of something smaller.
- My total column space is roughly 5,000 characters.
- One picture is the equivalent of approximately 450 characters.
I don't like to be referred to a website someplace and be told to use the material there. That would mean I would have to do work and that would interfere with my building and flying. Can't have that, can we?
Until next month, remember to land with the wheels on the bottom.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
