Executive Vice President Report - 2009/10
Hi, folks! This month I’d like to spend some time writing about one of my favorite pastimes: float flying. Let me begin with a report by flying buddy Darrell Watts, here in the Kansas City area.
“The third annual Heart of America Float Fly, June 6–7, 2009: ‘Blow ye winds in the morning, blow ye winds hi ho ...’ and blow it did! Except for about a 20-minute respite after a brief morning shower, the winds were 20-plus mph all day with gusts up to approximately 30. On Sunday the winds were ‘only’ 15 mph and numerous flights took place.
“We had front-page coverage in the local paper’s weekend edition and numerous people showed up to watch. We had a nice static display on Saturday and spent significant time visiting with them.
“On Sunday the spectators enjoyed the flying as we pilots tried to keep at least one model in the air at all times. We also got over a half-page follow-up article. This kind of coverage is very good for our hobby.
“We were able to expose our hobby to a lot of spectators both in person and in our news coverage. The park management is still pleased with our operation and is looking forward to our return next year.
“So-o-o-o, all in all I think we can call the Heart of America Float Fly another successful event.”
Frankenmaster and a Mud Dauber Surprise
As I was getting ready to attend this float fly, I pulled down my trusty old Frankenmaster, which is composed of three wrecked Seamasters—hence the name. The wing was donated by another good friend, Don Arth, who had stored it in his barn.
As I removed the wing from the basement, I noticed something big rattling around inside. It was the size of a golf ball, and lo and behold, after I cut open a wing bay, I found an old mud dauber nest. The nest must have come loose over the winter months, and luckily I was able to patch it up at home. I flew it successfully at the Heart of America event.
Industry Relations and the Marketing Committee
As part of my responsibilities as your executive vice president, I am the primary conduit with the modeling industry. Recently, Mark Cleveland visited the property that is used by Hobby Lobby International in Brentwood, Tennessee. After looking over the property, Mark decided to purchase the business.
Mark is not a modeler, but he has the innovative spirit to bring new, fresh, creative ideas to our hobby. At Mark’s invitation, I flew down to Nashville to spend a couple of days with him and subsequently invited him to join our Marketing Committee. Our committee recently met and Mark has already made significant contributions to AMA.
JR Aero Tow Event
The Marketing Committee usually meets in Champaign, Illinois, and by chance the JR Aero Tow event was in full swing that weekend. Wow—what an event. This is the Joe Nall of aero towing and the folks at Horizon know how to put on a first-class event. National champion Jim Frickey from the Kansas City area was there and stopped long enough for a picture.
That’s it for this month. Please remember to slather yourself with sunscreen and enjoy the fall!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
