District IV—Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia
Jay Marsh
Vice President
jaymarsh@ama-d4.org
3227 Pine Needles Rd., High Point NC 27265
Tel.: (336) 687-0973; www.amadistrict-iv.org
www.facebook.com/amadistrictIV
Thank you to the Hampton Roads RC club members in Suffolk, Virginia, for inviting me to speak at their annual club dinner banquet in April, celebrating 38 years as an AMA chartered club, and the club’s fly-in the following day. Although the weather didn’t cooperate, with a drizzle and cool temperatures, it was fun and it is a great group to be with.
I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful young man, Josh McCreary, at the gathering. He is a talented and accomplished International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) flier, who aspires to be a commercial pilot. He could be a strong candidate for an AMA scholarship.
It’s working! By doubling the number of associate vice presidents (AVPs) in our district, we are receiving invitations from clubs and we are attending events and meeting members.
If you attended Joe Nall Week this year, you saw what a great group of volunteers we have in District IV with the AVPs, coordinators, contest board, and the new Communications Committee. We filled the space with District IV staff. I encourage you to contact us and share what is going on with your club, and we will attend.
On the subject of Joe Nall, it was announced there that the new District IV website is live. If you haven’t visited it, then you are missing out. Go to www.amadistrict-iv.org for an amazing modeling experience from 15 authors on a variety of topics.
The site will continue to grow with many features coming. If you don’t see your particular activity, then let our webmaster, Jack Upchurch (webmaster@ama-d4.org), know and help find an author to report on it.
The following was submitted by Sandi Barnes with the Winston-Salem RC Club.
The Winston-Salem RC Club, in Mocksville, North Carolina, welcomed the IMAC family on April 18-19, 2015, for what might have been the first contest of the season for many of the 23 registered pilots.
All eyes were on the weather forecast with the probability of Mother Nature scattering a little rain on the venue Sunday. To ensure the competition was a valid IMAC event, Contest Director Phil Vance proposed to the pilots and judges to focus on completing four Known sequences and one Unknown sequence before the end of Saturday.
With this direction, the pilot names were drawn for flight order, the judges took their chairs, and the airplanes made their way into the partly cloudy skies. It was a great day of flying, fellowship, and competition. Other than a few minor mechanical incidents, there were no catastrophes to speak of.
Winston-Salem RC Club members were on-site and proved once again to be gracious hosts, grilling cheeseburgers and hot dogs for the spectators and pilots. As predicted, the afternoon sky eventually turned gray with scattered showers, and flight sequences were interrupted. After a 30- to 45-minute delay, flying resumed and the required sequences were completed.
Mother Nature did not allow any flights to take place on Sunday. Instead, scores were tallied and winners were recognized in the rain, under the shelter, as one big family. What a wonderful way to spend a weekend.
You can attend the Mocksville Fall IMAC Contest, August 29-30, 2015.
Go fly and have fun safely.
