District XI Report - 2012/05

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www.ModelAviation.com MAY 2012 Model Aviation 147
In February, many modelers from
District XI gathered at the Northwest
Model and Hobby Expo at the
Washington State Fairgrounds in
Monroe. There was a huge swap
meet, a large group of vendors, as
well as demonstrations and contests
throughout the weekend, including
RC Acrobatic flying, battling robots
(Saturday), a model boat pond, model
trains, RC car races, and model tank
competitions.
This event was originally conceived
and put together by John Foglesong
and he was the dominant force in
making it happen until his untimely
death from cancer in 2011. Many
thanks to Justin Foglesong, Ron Swift,
and Sandy DuVall for carrying on for
John and helping make this event a
great success once again.
The weather was relatively kind
this year, which probably contributed
to one of the largest crowds ever.
Many of the swap meet participants
sold everything they had early. Many
of them took the cash they had
acquired and bought one or more of
the beautiful aircraft and numerous
accessories being sold by the various
vendors.
On Saturday afternoon, I invited
all District XI members to a short
meeting to update the status of several
initiatives and answer questions. Bruce
Nelson was thanked for his service as
long-time District XI vice president.
An update of the FAA rulemaking was
presented—right after Congress passed
a law that protects aeromodeling
from FAA regulations. More will have
happened on that subject by the time
you read this, I am sure.
A brief status on the automation of
sanction requests was presented. The
main work that still needs to be done
involves some additional computer
coding and resolution of the GPS
location-requirement issue. Until
recently, the automation process was
held up until accurate GPS coordinates
were available for all event venues.
Although it was a good idea in theory,
alternative solutions are now being
pursued.
The question was raised as to what
happened to the committees of 2011.
I explained that all committees were
disbanded and that they were in the
process of being reconstituted, in many
cases with “fresh blood.”
Finally, a representative of the Scale
community asked what it would take
to get material into Model Aviation.
It is quite simple. Send it to the
appropriate author/editor and it may
be printed as space, timing, quality,
and relevance permit.
The typical response from the
various authors is that material must
be timely. There is a long lead time for
magazine publication. The material
must be of general interest and be
accurate. The best approach is to
contact the person who puts together
the respective column and find out
what the timing looks like. Remember,
the author takes the heat when the
information is wrong, not the provider.
Saving the best for last, I spoke with
the event coordinators at the end of
the Northwest Model and Hobby Expo
and they indicated that they would be
holding it again in 2013. Good news,
for sure!
Associate Vice Presidents: Rick Allison, Issaquah WA; [email protected]; Darrell Anderson, Great Falls MT; [email protected]; Bryan Batch, Spokane
WA; bbhobbies@qwestoffi ce.net; Chuck Bower, Langley WA; [email protected]; Al Culver, Wilder ID; [email protected]; Bruce Harlow, Myrtle Creek OR;
[email protected]; Jerry Holcomb, Vancouver WA; jholcomb@pacifi er.com; Reeves Lippincott, Wasilla AK; [email protected]; Chris Rankin, Bend OR; (541)
330-5692; [email protected]. Frequency Coordinator: Phil Tallman, Medical Lake WA; [email protected]. RC Coordinator: Steve Cook, 500 E. 7th Ave.,
Apt. 10, Ellensburg WA 98926-3195; indrfl [email protected]. FF/CL Coordinator: Dick Salter, 3126 184th Ave., SE, Tenino WA 98589-9524; [email protected]. Webmaster: Chris
Rankin.
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
Some of the activities that took place during the Northwest Model and
Hobby Expo included a swap meet, model displays and judging, a boat
pond, tanks, and many vendors.