Executive Vice President
Mark Smith; [email protected]
The last time we spoke, I mentioned a trip to Arizona where I attended the Electric Flight Expo, and California where I saw Torrey Pines and the RCX show.
Electric Flight Expo
After visiting the Commemorative Air Force Museum, I was off early the next morning to the University of Phoenix Stadium (home to the Phoenix Cardinals) for the Electric Flight Expo.
To give you an idea of the size of this facility:
- 160,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space
- 20,000 square feet of meeting room space with two high-resolution video scoreboards
- 1.7 million square feet of total facility space
I have never seen anything like this for an indoor RC event.
I arrived on Thursday to help the local Sun Lakes Radio Control Club set up the booth. The club is rebuilding after losing its flying site, but with energy and a 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 giveaways for me, so we spent the afternoon meeting local club members. Club spark plug Joe Ralston is an outstanding ambassador for model aviation and made me feel at home the minute I entered the booth. Tim Thompson, the club president, brings youth and energy and will prove to be an effective leader for the club and the AMA. Jack Burnside is the heartbeat and organizer of the Electric Flight Expo—his energy and creativity are second to none, and I really admire his focus on fun.
Jack organized activities throughout the three days of the event, including:
- bomb drops
- pylon racing
- aerobatic competition for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft
- a fun event for WWI airplanes where pilots flew 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’m looking forward to seeing the Electric Flight Expo grow bigger and better next year.
Torrey Pines and California
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, 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.
AMA Flying Site Coordinator
The AMA Flying Site Coordinator position has been redefined. As several surveys have shown, acquiring and maintaining our flying sites is the number-one 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, to be more proactive rather than reactive.
For weeks in March and April, I served on a job-search committee to interview and select from 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 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 a position before the normal end of the term. This appointee serves 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!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
