Executive Vice President - 2010/07

THE LAST TIME we “spoke,” I wanted to
share my trip to Arizona where I attended the
Electric Flight Expo, and California where I
saw Torrey Pines and the RCX show.
Electric Flight Expo: Up early the next
morning after visiting the Commemorative
Air Force Museum, I was off to the
University of Phoenix stadium, which is also
known as home to the Phoenix Cardinals
football team, for the Electric Flight Expo.
To give you an idea of the size of this
facility, it is 160,000 square feet of
contiguous exhibit space, 20,000 square feet
of meeting room space with two highresolution
video scoreboards. The facility
encompasses 1.7 million square feet of
space! I have never seen anything like this
for an indoor RC event.
I went in on Thursday to help the local
club, the Sun Lakes Radio Control Club, set
up the booth. This club is rebuilding after
losing its flying site, but with energy and
positive attitude, it will be bigger and better
than ever!
My good friend, Wes De Cou, had
already carried in the boxes of magazines
and AMA “give-aways” for me, thus we
spent the afternoon meeting local club
members. Club spark plug, Joe Ralston, is
an outstanding ambassador for model
aviation and he made me feel at home the
minute I entered the booth.
Tim Thompson, the club president, has
youth on his side and he will prove to be an
effective leader for the club and AMA. Jack
Burnside is the heartbeat and organizer of
the Electric Flight Expo. Jack’s energy and
creativity are second to none, and what I
really admire is his focus on fun!
Jack had organized activities throughout
the three days of the event which included
bomb drops, pylon racing, aerobatic
competition for helicopters and fixed-wing
aircraft, and even a fun event for WW I
airplanes where pilots would fly through a
makeshift barn!
These events were great fun and had the
crowd involved and entertained. I made
many new friends, passed out magazines,
and even signed up some new AMA
members! I am looking forward to seeing
the Electric Flight Expo grow bigger
and better next year.
My bride and I left on Sunday for
Nevada and California to do some
“touristy stuff” and visit family.
Midweek, we arrived at Torrey
Pines near San Diego, California,
where AMA glider icon, Greg
Fogel, gave us the grand tour.
We’ll pick up here next time because I
want to bring you up-to-date on some
exciting news that transpired at our April
Executive Council (EC) meeting.
The AMA Flying Site Coordinator
position has been redefined. As several
surveys have shown, acquiring and
maintaining our flying sites is the numberone
issue on our minds.
In an effort to increase the efficiency of
this task, AMA Executive Director Jim
Cherry combined the previous two positions
to focus one individual on quick assistance
to clubs and most importantly, become
more proactive rather than reactive.
For weeks in March and April, I served
on a job-search committee to interview and
select from the many well-qualified
applicants, a candidate to successfully fill
this critically important job. I encourage
you to join me in congratulating Tony
Stillman as our new Flying Site
Coordinator.
I have served on the EC with Tony for
several years and I’m confident that he will
do an outstanding job for us. Because this is
a staff position, Tony must vacate his
position as District V Vice President.
Our bylaws dictate that each member of
the EC must identify an individual to take
his or her place in the event we vacate our
position before the normal end of the term.
This appointee would serve on the board in
the interim until the next election cycle,
which is this fall.
Look for the announcement in MA and
be sure to vote! Tony has selected Jose Soto
to fill his position.
Keep in touch, have fun, and don’t forget to
“slather up” with sunscreen!
Executive Vice President
Mark Smith; [email protected]
Mark Smith
Executive Vice
President
14632 W. 50th St.,
Shawnee KS 66216
Tel.: (913) 568-4347
July 2010 153
Look at the fun folks had at the Electric Flight Expo.
Tim Thompson, Joe Ralston, and Jack Burnside at the
Electric Flight Expo.
Outgoing District V Vice President Tony Stillman (R) shakes hands with his
replacement on the Executive Council, Jose Soto.
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