District IX—Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Jim Tiller
Vice President
<REDACTED>
A combination of circumstances and serendipity brought me to the first-ever Drone Summit at New Mexico’s Spaceport America last November. AMA Technical Director Tony Stillman and I were involved in the original meetings with the Spaceport officials, and I was asked to coordinate a fixed-wing demo as an extra attraction for the weekend event that included a MultiGP Drone Race, a Drone Cinematography Challenge, speaker seminars, and onsite vendors.
With the help of Lawrence Harville, AMA District VIII vice president (VP), we called for volunteers from New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona for help presenting an RC fixed-wing showcase. More than 20 demonstration fliers got involved with only a few months to prepare. Although it is not unusual, it is always heartwarming to see this kind of cooperation from our AMA members. Thanks to all who made this adventure so successful.
The best part for me was flying from the Spaceport’s 12,000-foot runway. Yes that’s right—2.2 miles. Now Richard Branson and I have something in common. We both landed at Spaceport America.
Fifteen-year-old Ryan Geyer of the El Paso Radio Controllers was one of our demo pilots at Spaceport America.
District IX’s Tony Bjerke (center), along with Teng Ma and Gary Crouse, placed first in the team event at the Spaceport America Drone Summit. Contest director and North Dakota AVP Brandon Koch is on the right. Photo courtesy of Spaceport America.
Brandon Koch, District IX North Dakota associate vice president (AVP), and Tony Bjerke directed the Drone Summit MultiGP races. They pulled off a dynamite event in the New Mexico desert with Shaun “Nytfury” Taylor walking away with first place after two days of intense competition.
You can go to the AMA, District IX, and Spaceport America websites, and Facebook pages to see more about this event.
I was privileged to be a part of the Lifetime Achievement award presentation for an old friend, Blaine Kearney, of Audubon, Iowa. District VII Wisconsin AVP Marc “Doc” Shelstrom orchestrated this award for Blaine for a lifetime of service to aeromodeling.
Doc Shelstrom was one of countless RC pilots trained under Blaine’s patient instruction. At that time, I was raising my family in southwest Iowa and was a newcomer to RC. I am proud to say I was lucky enough to have Blaine as a mentor. Blaine was never too busy to use his time and talents to give the next guy a leg up. Congratulations, Blaine, and I was glad to see you again.
(L-R): District IX VP Jim Tiller, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Blaine Kearney, and Doc Shelstrom at the September award presentation in Audubon IA.
While in Iowa, I stopped by the Harvest Huck hosted by the Des Moines Modelaires. This is a great annual event and a lot of the pilots are regulars at District IX events.
Below is a picture of 10-year-old Noah Vierling and his father, Duane, with their MXS. Noah left a lasting impression on everyone while flying in the noon demos. What a future this outstanding young pilot has. It’s a real treat to watch these two enjoy our hobby together.
Associate Vice Presidents: Paul Frankum, <REDACTED>; Troy Hamm, <REDACTED>; David Koch, <REDACTED>; Rick McCaskill, <REDACTED>; Tom Neff, <REDACTED>; Josh Nelson, <REDACTED>; Ed Paasch, <REDACTED>; Arend Schuurman, <REDACTED>.
Sanctioned Event Coordinator: Troy Hamm, <REDACTED>.
