District XI Report - 2010/06

2010 National Aeromodeling Championships
Indoor Free Flight
May 26-30
Johnson City TN
Outdoor Nats
July 5-August 12
Muncie IN
Visit www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats.aspx
for more information!
146 MODEL AVIATION
HERE IN the Pacific Northwest, we were
blessed with a mild winter—or in some
cases no winter at all! As a result, we had
the opportunity to get in much more flying
than usual.
Our field, which is an old airstrip, was
without the usual snow cover and as a result
got much more use and the mild
temperatures lured greater numbers to the
field.
Many of us took time out to cross the
state for the Expo in Monroe, Washington,
as I reported last month. The lack of snow
made driving the mountain passes less of a
challenge.
This past weekend was the Toledo R/C
Expo and a few of us took in this worldclass
event. The Toledo Weak Signals club
has hosted this event for many years and,
like fine wine, it just gets better with age.
I take my hat off to the Weak Signals!
For a group to put on an event such as this
for so many years has to be a record of some
kind.
Many of us use this event as a place to
gather with friends from all over the
country—friends we get all too few chances
to see as often as we would like.
I have, on several occasions, purchased a
large airplane or two. Traveling by air as I
do would be a problem if it were not for
some wonderful friends from Alabama.
Their “freight service” has, on several
occasions, made it possible for me to get my
treasures home by way of the Deep South.
Thanks Jim, Tommy, and Mike!
The show is about one very important
thing and that is the friends we make—
friends from all across the country and even
some from abroad. The best part of this
hobby is about friends—the flying is
secondary!
That’s all, folks!
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]
Web site: www.amadistrict11.org
District XI Volunteers
“In pursuit, I contacted Melissa Friedland
who, supported by Michael B. Cook, then
the Director for Superficial Remediation
Technology Innovation, recognized the great
win-win opportunity that could result from
the reuse of EPA Superfund sites for model
aircraft flying fields.
“This led to the issue of a MOU between
EPA and the AMA that was signed on
February 10, 2005, creating an alliance
between the EPA and AMA. This
partnership links communities with
Superfund sites to the expertise of the AMA
evaluating sites for potential reuse as flying
fields.
“Under the MOU, the Academy offers
no-cost services to participating Superfund
communities to examine and facilitate the
integration of Superfund sites with
aeromodeling activities. Those services
include mowing and maintaining the
landscape surfaces on the portions of
Superfund sites that the Academy members
are using.
“EPA provides the Academy with
appropriate publicly available information
about the Superfund cleanup process and the
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative that the
Academy may use to facilitate interaction
with communities at identified sites, to
consider aeromodeling activities as a
possible suitable future use at appropriate
locations.
“EPA provides publicly available
information to the Academy about
Superfund sites that have physical
characteristics identified by the Academy as
suitable for aeromodeling and provides
appropriate contact information for EPA,
state, and local representatives of the sites.
“Having the MOU with EPA helps to
open doors in communities, because they
can recognize that EPA is supportive of use
of their sites for flying and ensure that the
sites are safe for flying—a credit to the local
community.
“Another important piece of information
is that all Academy members are required to
participate in AMA’s full insurance policy.
This alleviates liability concerns by the
landowner.
“Overall, this partnership has proved
worthy of EPA’s support and is mutually
beneficial. AMA commends the EPA for its
initiative recognizing the value of recycling
idle properties into a usable purpose and
thus is beneficial to the local community
and the nation.
“AMA invites other federal agencies to
address cycling idle properties into usable
flying sites as demonstrated by EPA. I end
with great appreciation for the expressed
actions taken by EPA. Thank you.”
Flying Site Assistance
Continued from page 134
06amanews_11amanews.qxd 4/22/2010 11:36 AM Page 146