District XI—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
2015 North West Model Hobby Expo — Monroe, Washington
The 2015 North West Model Hobby Expo in Monroe, Washington, was the 38th year of this long-running event. It moved to the Evergreen Fairgrounds from Puyallup, Washington, in 2007, where it had been since 1977.
Outside the rain came down, but inside there were smiles as visitors reunited with modeling friends they hadn’t seen since last summer’s flying season. The swap meet filled every corner of the pavilion building, including the entrance. I saw everything from old free-flight models to a turbine engine being sold.
I tip my hat to Ron Swift and Sandy DuVall for running this winter’s event for the modelers of the Northwest!
Static competition
The static competition was intense this year, and big, gorgeous models filled the display area. Mike Brewer’s C-47 won Best of Show. With a 140-inch wingspan, it was an average-sized airplane at this year’s event.
AMA District XI booth
The AMA District XI booth was a busy place all weekend. District XI associate vice presidents who worked the booth and answered questions included:
- Darrell Anderson (Great Falls, Montana)
- Bryan Wood (Boise, Idaho)
- Del Herring (Wenatchee, Washington)
- Mike Mosbrooker (Oak Harbor, Washington)
I’m proud to announce we had AMA Foundation Director of Development Mandee Mikulski in attendance. She took membership applications and renewals at the booth, sold hats and shirts, and provided answers to questions the rest of us didn’t have.
District XI membership meeting
The District XI membership meeting was held at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Letters from AMA President Bob Brown and Executive Director Dave Mathewson were read to the membership. Mandee gave a presentation on the AMA Foundation, and several Special Interest Group (SIG) representatives gave updates on their respective SIGs.
Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade Show — Puyallup
I was invited to participate in the Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade Show in Puyallup, Washington. Laureano Mier from the Pearson Field Education Center in Vancouver, Washington, requested an AMA presence at its booth. Laureano is a longtime AMA member and the director of Aviation Education Programs at Pearson.
The team from the education center had a large area for building gliders and a vertical wind tunnel to explore airflow. Many kids made paper cones to fly in the wind.
See you at the flying field.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
