District XI—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Chuck Bower
Vice President
cbower@whidbey.com
6075 S. Coles Rd., Langley WA 98260
Tel.: (360) 632-9211; www.amadistrict-xi.org
This is my last column as the District XI vice president. It’s been a great privilege to represent Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska to the AMA.
It wasn’t an easy adjustment to think in terms of district representation at the national level. Most of us identify with a club or Special Interest Group and they become our flying buddies. As a part of the AMA Executive Council, they became my flying buddies. I found myself surrounded by some of the best members AMA has—volunteers who give their time to advance modeling and the AMA, a lot of time.
In the military, I learned the importance of cross-training. Mentoring my replacement ensured our survival. In our clubs, it’s good to share the workload, by recognizing someone who can do the job and encourage him or her. Club officers, contest directors, associate vice presidents (AVPs), and district vice presidents all need to mentor and support the next person.
I plan to continue my work with AMA as a District XI AVP and will remain on several AMA committees that I am passionate about. I’ve met some wonderful modelers and I hope to stay in touch with them.
I’m looking forward to more building time. I’m behind on projects and looking forward to scraping some of the rust off of my flying skills. In closing, I leave you with three of my favorite things to do. Two involve education, and the other is recognizing the hard work of a member.
I was honored to present the Carl and Beth Goldberg Vital People Award, which is given to an AMA member who goes above and beyond to support and promote modeling. This year, Bob Bloom, from Missoula, Montana, received this prestigious award that is given annually to only one member per district. Congratulations to Bob from District XI.
Alayna Hooper and her father, Bill, prepare for flights that won her second place in both the mass launch and the four-round high-time contest of the AMA Alpha at the Finn Hill Middle School, in Kirkland, Washington. Bill finished third in the competition.
David Hample and Carly Braker pose with the project airplane from the University of Washington Senior Aircraft Design Class of 2017. I have volunteered with the class for 12 years as our local club’s test flight supervisor and safety officer.
This class has often been a subject of my monthly columns over my term as vice president. Starting in January, the class is given a problem around which to design an aircraft. Computer design and testing is followed by wind-tunnel testing before building the Research UAV, which is ready for test flying by June. It’s been rewarding to be a part of this program throughout the years.
Thanks for your all of your support, and one last time—fuel them, charge them, wind them, and keep flying!
Associate Vice Presidents: Chuck Bower, Langley WA; (360) 632-9211; cbower@whidbey.com; Michael Ingram, Wenatchee WA; (208) 573-5542; firercer@cs.com; Jay Schoening, Lynden WA; (360) 220-0407; jjschoening@msn.com; Robert Stephens, Anchorage AK; (907) 440-0478; rfstephens@hotmail.com; Jay Strickland, Central Point OR; (541) 830-7976; strickdog@q.com; FF/CL Event Sanction Coordinator: Mike Hazel, P.O. Box 505, Lyons OR 97358; zzclspeed@aol.com. RC Event Sanction Coordinator: Michael Ingram, Wenatchee WA 98802; (208) 573-5542 firercer@cs.com.
