I have been remiss in getting a statement up on the web under the President's Thoughts tab so this one covers a number of topics. I have compiled a some what random list and hope that it finds you well at the start of the 2010 calendar year.
Looking back on the last year:
2009 represented by 2nd year in this hobby and my first as the President of the
From the January banquet to the last meeting of 2009 I can also say it was a dynamic year. From the discussions and planning around fun flys, the 2nd Annual Heli show, and the late start on the August show it seems like it was a hectic year. In the end it was fun though.
The 2nd annual Mid American Fun Fly was a HUGE success and looks to be even bigger this year. Clearly this is our marquis event and our biggest fund raiser. I'm call all members to step up and help the club be successful again this year!
I really enjoyed meeting fellow modelers at our August show as well as the Flying Pilgrims show. I plan to attend some other club functions this year to harbor friendship and team building with the other clubs. Hopefully you can as well.
Changes
- There is a new safety code this year published by the AMA. We'll get it added to the website but you can view it at any time in the Model Aviation magazine from last month or on line at the AMA website
- The newsletter is available on our website.
- We will discuss ways to improve our annual banquet so that more members can attend. This year's attendance was, to say the least, disappointing.
- We had a change in our Field Marshall mid year as most likely everyone knows. Bobby Harmon had to step down due to personal reasons and Bill Gillespie stepped in. BTW – it looks like Bobby may be coming back to join the club. Some members have graciously agreed to pay for his club membership once he has renewed his AMA. Nice gesture!
Parking
- Abide by the park requirements. No parking on the grass. Drop off and pick up only. Violation not only risks you getting a ticket but us losing the field. No further discussion is required.
- We will be working with the park to address air show exceptions as discussed last year. I will be appointing someone to lead that if Stan is unable.
Field General information and Rules
- Please make sure that you are in compliance with the field rules. It is for the benefit of all involved.
- Don't hesitate to remind fellow pilots who may have had a repeated lapse in memory. Do so in a calm and professional manner.
- Please remember to help keep the field clean by picking up trash if you see it on the ground.
- We’ll be doing some repair/replacement on the north bench. Look for more information later.
- I will be asking the field improvement committee being led by Don Allen to get together again so that we can continue discussions from last year and prepare suggestions for the club to consider and vote on.
Training/Instructors
- We are losing one of our instructors and will be in need of a replacement. I will be investigating the necessary steps to be signed off as an instructor. If there are other interested parties please come forward. Thanks.
- A number of surrounding clubs are offering training using their club planes (just like what we have). The club needs to consider this as well.
- Introductory experience - the club should consider promoting this and implementing it next year. Yes, we may not have many takers but I believe it is worth it. That is how I got here. I know of at least two people who would have benefitted from this had we done it.
Electric and IMAA Guideline Air Shows:
- The club voted to have these and we'll be discussing them in this month's club meeting. We need the membership to do a couple of things:
o Volunteer and help!
o Attend and fly!
o Promote it.
o Have fun at the event and pray for good weather
- We need to finalize the dates to make sure we have not conflicts (we might!)
Membership/ Park Flyer Program
- We were at 101 members last year. Good news considering the tough times. You can all help by promoting the club and hobby so please do so or continue to do so if you have been. If you have not renewed your AMA and club membership please do so.
- Prior discussions on the park pilot program were held a while ago. This came up again recently and is something the club needs to adopt this program in my opinion. They will have AMA Park Pilot membership as a pre-requisite. They will have to pay full club membership. They will have less AMA coverage but appropriate for the restrictions on their AMA membership. Specifically planes at 2 lbs or less, 60 mph max speed, and quiet propulsion.
- Enforcement will require some diligence by the membership. For example if we know we have park pilot members but they start flying faster planes or non-quiet propulsion planes then they must show full AMA membership. In my opinion this is no different than the enforcement of the field rules we all are or need and should be doing now.
Keep flying. Keep promoting the hobby. Keep having fun. Be safe. Keep up the friendship.
Sincerely,
Mark Blair
