District XI
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Hi all. It that time again. This is a hard article to write. In District XI, there is not much going on at this time in a normal year, and now, with COVID-19 restrictions, not even swap meets or indoor flying are taking place. I will do my best to give you something.
I did get out to a New Year’s fun-fly event with the Barons Model Club in Spokane, Washington. There was a bunch of snow, but moderate temperatures, so there was a good turnout for this annual event. Twelve to 15 pilots braved the elements and got in their first flights of the year. Here is a picture of the pits.
When I was preparing to leave for the fun-fly and loading my E-flite Carbon Cub, I remembered to check the battery connector in the airplane to see if I had the right connections for the batteries that I had charged. I did not and made a mental note to grab the correct adapter.
The next time I thought about the situation was when I was roughly halfway to the field. I mention this because I’m trying to figure out the best way to be sure it doesn’t happen again! I’m thinking about a checklist, but I would like to hear what all of you do to make sure you have everything you need when you go to the field. Please send me an email with your suggestions. I’ll share a couple of them in a future column.
Gayla Dumont, secretary of the Desert Eagles Model Aircraft Flying Club in Idaho Falls, Idaho, sent this in:
The Desert Eagles Model Aircraft Flying Club hosted a fundraiser/open house on July 18, 2020, and raised a total of $1,112. The club donated $1,000 to benefit the Veterans Mobility Corp, an organization that provides wheelchairs to military veterans and their families.
Guests had the opportunity to purchase 10 paintball shots for $2 to fire them at SPAD airplanes in flight. A raffle for an Apprentice airplane, a $300 value, was also held.
Precautions were taken at the event, including social distancing, face masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing the paintball guns between use. Refreshments were served, and guests and club members had an elevated experience.
Let me talk a bit about Remote ID. I want to commend all of you who submitted comments about the proposed rule. Your actions made a big difference in the final rule! Although it was not exactly what we wanted, it is certainly much better than the initial proposal. Please continue to stay informed and involved with any future rulemaking.
I speak with members every day who say things such as, “We been flying for years, never had any issues, why should we need to change?” I don’t want to change either, but then I look at the rest of the world and it has changed so much. We must accept some changes to keep up with the rest of the world. Believe me when I tell you that AMA is doing its best to keep changes as small and simple as possible.
It is still building season. I hope you are all closer to finishing your projects. I’ve built a couple of great ARFs and continued to work on my Der Jager kit. I’m finishing the fourth wing panel and fixed several issues from last season, so I’m ready to get out and fly!
The AMA District XI Jamboree is still scheduled for June 11-13, 2021, in Wenatchee, Washington. Please plan to attend. Visit www.amanwjamboree.com for more details.
