District XI

Edition: Model Aviation - 2022/09
Page Numbers: 109

District XI

Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington

Hi all. Wow, yet another month has gone by.

This month has been busy for me with the 2022 District XI Northwest Jamboree, a fun-fly and auction, and finally, the AMA National Fun Fly—all in one month!

The AMA Northwest Jamboree was held at Sanderson Field in Shelton, Washington. We had a poor weather forecast and high gas prices to deal with, but we still had a great event and good attendance.

People flew all different types of models—from micros to large, turbine-powered jets, and even some Control Line (CL) flying. I flew my Ringmaster for two flights, and it is still alive! (I didn’t even fall over but it was close!) Here is a picture of Associate Vice President (AVP) Mike Ingram getting one of his CL models ready to go.

Two people preparing a model airplane beside a red truck

Weaver Field, in Othello, Washington, hosted its annual auction and fun-fly. The event was also affected by high gas prices, but we all had a great time. The auction proceeds help keep the field maintained. It was great fun and I even bought some stuff (no surprise there)!

Model airplanes lined up outside a field building

The AMA National Fun Fly at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, was also a great event—nice weather, good attendance, and lots of flying and fun. Again, it featured every type of aircraft and skill level. We had Free Flight, to Giant Scale World War I models, to turbine jets, to buddy-box training. There was certainly something for everyone. I look for this event to continue to grow!

AVP Joe Miller reported on the Western Oregon Control Line Flyers club that held a Lucky Hand Fun-Fly on July 2, 2022, at Bill Riegel Model Airpark in Salem, Oregon. The field is outside of the Salem Municipal Airport terminal.

Pilots could buy in and get a playing card for each time they flew. The best hand won half the pot. It is not about the getting the best hand; it’s about having fun and connecting with CL pilots from the Northwest.

There were 24 people in attendance and two circles from which to fly—one grass and the other paved. The pilots came from Salem, Portland, Eugene, and Roseburg, Oregon. This fun-fly has been going on for more than 20 years. Watching the CL Combat pilots put their airplanes through their paces was dizzying and hard to follow. The regular CL circle was tame in comparison.

No matter what you fly, get out and have fun.