District XI—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Mike Mosbrooker, Vice President
[email protected] 533 Birch St., Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Tel.: (360) 679-9139 www.amadistrict-xi.org
A local club to which I belong has an event called Builder's Night at its April membership meeting each year. I have been an active participant for many years and I do not do this simply to kill time—I do it to win!
This year I brought in my freshly finished Mini Antic. I was optimistic about my chances until Leonard Good brought in his model of a 1913 French Sommer monoplane, complete with operational wing warping. I knew I was in trouble.
Not only was the model well built, it featured technology not often seen in a model. The airplane is relatively heavy (approximately 7 pounds), has a 3S 2300 LiPo battery set as far forward as possible, and has a 46-inch wingspan covered with an iron-on covering that is sufficiently loose to accommodate the wing warping.
Wing warping is accomplished using one servo and several pulleys and bellcranks. The model was built from plans from AeroModeller magazine. Such innovation is often seen in models dreamed up by Leonard. He is a retired school teacher and model builder who introduced model aviation to many, many of his students throughout the years.
The hardest part of this contest is the longstanding rule that the model must never have been flown. I don't know about you, but when I complete a model I want to know if it will fly—and I want to know it now. No one ever said that life was easy!
I am on the committee that awards grants to clubs wanting to improve their flying facilities. There is a specific budget for this each year and the amount of the grant can be up to 10% of the total project cost. The word is out, so there are more applicants than money. Who wins? The answer is the club with the most-deserving project as evidenced by a well-prepared request that is submitted on time.
Key points for successful grant requests:
- Provide a clear description of the project and its benefits.
- Document actual costs with receipts.
- Back estimated costs with an estimate from a recognized source.
- Show evidence that club labor has been or will be used to advance the project (some committee members look for this).
Site grants are no different than any other request for funding that I know of; you have to clearly state your case. Let's get busy and see more of this money in District XI!
Leader Member is the highest level of membership within the AMA. The goal is to have at least one in every club. This member is the go-to person when someone is seeking assistance or information. Does your club have a Leader Member? Does your club have individuals who should be Leader Members? Information on how to become one is on the AMA website (www.modelaircraft.org) or you can contact me or your nearest associate vice president for help.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
