Thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve the Academy of Model Aeronautics and District XI. I see the challenges of the coming years to be exciting, frustrating, and rewarding. Hmmm, that sounds like the last airplane I built—the excitement of opening the box and planning the build, studying the plans, checking the parts, then the frustration of it taking longer to build than you expect, and finally the reward of taking it to the flying field to show off your handiwork!
As interim vice president, I’ve learned the job is about communication—lots of emails, keeping up with what’s happening in the district, nationwide phone calls, and meetings, local and with the Executive Council members. At the end of the day I realize how lucky I am to talk this much modeling!
Keith Dubendorf, Tom Berry, and Chuck Bower.
The 2015 North West Model Hobby Expo will be February 6, 7, and 8 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. The NW Model Hobby Expo is in its 38th year of gathering the modelers in the Northwest in February.
It’s a reason to get together with friends and talk modeling. There’s nothing like walking the swap meet with an old friend looking at all the deals on something you might need. Then check out the Scale Static Display, the boat pond, the indoor flying area, and the car track.
District XI will have a booth again this year, so come by and chat. Find out about the drawing that will be held at the district meeting Saturday afternoon. Many of the district associate vice presidents will be in and out of the booth to talk to, so come by to say hi.
The indoor flying season here in District XI is a great way to keep those flying skills when it’s cold and windy outside. Keith Dubendorf has organized indoor flying on Whidbey Island at the church he attends. Two nights a month we gather to fly fixed-wing aircraft and all kinds of multirotors and even air swimmers and blimps.
In the right place at the right time … I was asked to be an advisor to the University of Washington Aeronautical Engineering senior class airplane design program a few years ago.
Approximately 30 students have two quarters to design an aircraft to research a current problem in aviation. They do a computer-drawn design, then run computer testing of their design. They have a wind tunnel model built and then run several hundred runs in the wind tunnel to prove their design. Finally they build a flying model of their design. It’s a very ambitious undertaking for 26 weeks of class.
One of my favorites is this 2011 strut-based, high-aspect-wing, 737-type of project.
See you at the 2015 NW Model Hobby Expo.[dingbat]