District X

District X—Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah

Lawrence Tougas
Vice President

ama.district10@gmail.com
Box 276, Fairfield CA 94533
Tel.: (707) 480-2053; www.ama10.org

Happy New Year everyone. Reflecting on 2015, I have many fond memories in modeling. I competed in the Nats finishing second; saw Team USA win the gold at the F3A World Championships in Switzerland; made many new friends attending events throughout the district; survived a midair in good shape; and managed to make it through 2015 without dumb-thumbing one of my airplanes, so I’ll take that as a win. I am looking forward to a great 2016 and wish you all of the best.

I want to again remind you about the AMA Expo, which will be January 8-10, 2016, at the Ontario, California, Convention Center. Chuck Bower and I will be having a combined District X and XI membership meeting on Saturday, January 9, at 1 p.m. in Room 100 A/B.

Everyone who attends the meeting will get a free raffle ticket and a chance to win a JR XG14. This is a true 14-channel radio and a joy to use. It will include a JR DMSS receiver. The meeting is in the middle of the day so rest your feet, find out the latest district news, and maybe you’ll take home a great radio. See you there.

JR XG14 radio transmitter — You can win this JR XG14 radio by attending the combined District X and XI meeting at AMA Expo.

You can win this JR XG14 radio by attending the combined District X and XI meeting at AMA Expo.

For the last eight years, the first weekend in October has been set aside for a worldwide fun-fly of Control Line models. Specifically, it is reserved for Sterling Ringmasters or a variant based on the original Ringmaster. The event is the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon. This year’s goal was to make 3,250 flights by all participants. This was surpassed when 684 pilots put up a total of 3,487 Ringmaster flights. I received reports from two club events here in District X—the Las Vegas Circle Burners (LVCB), and the Central Arizona Control Line Club (CACLC).

In a flurry of activity, the LVCB put in 131 flights on Sunday with Joey Mathison making 101 of them. He flew 3-minute flights and did mostly Lazy Eights with the wind to his back. What made this possible was his pit crew. The model landed, and Steven MacBride, Don Ballante, Charles Fata, and Bill Ervin raced to the airplane—one with fuel, one with a battery, and a third with the starter. It took them 15 seconds to get the model back in the air. By 11 a.m., Joey had 100 flights in. Here are my favorite photos from both events.

Abby Aken and her father at a control-line flying event — CACLC member Abby Aken and her father, Mike, contributed to the Ringmaster sortie count.

CACLC member Abby Aken and her father, Mike, contributed to the Ringmaster sortie count.

LVCB members, friends, and families.

Man holding his young daughter at a flying field — LVCB member Dane Martin flying with his daughter, Daviny.

LVCB member Dane Martin flying with his daughter, Daviny.

Group of Ringmaster pilots gathered with model airplanes — Ringmaster pilots from the CACLC gathered for a group shot.

Ringmaster pilots from the CACLC gathered for a group shot.

Man launching a model airplane — Steve MacBride launches Reuben MacBride’s RM S-1 into the air.

Steve MacBride launches Reuben MacBride’s RM S-1 into the air.

Four members of Joey Mathison’s pit crew — Joey Mathison’s pit crew (L-R): Don Bellante, Bill Ervin, Steve MacBride, and Charles Fata.

Joey Mathison’s pit crew (L-R): Don Bellante, Bill Ervin, Steve MacBride, and Charles Fata.

Thank you to Reuben MacBride and Jim Mohan for their contributions to this month’s column. Until next month I wish you all happy landings.