Hey Fliers! I hope you are having a great December, and Santa brings you what you want this year! I have been seeing plenty of hobby related sales popping up in the last few days, and there should still be some good ones from Thunder Power and Horizon on the way for those of you that still have some hobby budget remaining!
As most of you know, Jim and I have swapped our elected positions on the board of directors for 2017. I appreciate your trust as I start the year as club president! The main thing I would like to say is that the change should be transparent. We agree on 99% of every item we discuss. The club will remain member focused and will continue to invest in YOU when it comes to monthly events, and special series events that occur throughout the year. If you have been on the fence about participating I encourage you to get a wing, racing drone, or glider and join us in 2017 – There is a lot of fun to be had, and more than a little crap talk!
Talking about giving back to the members is the perfect segue into the holiday banquet. Remember, this is a bonus to 2016 members and our way of saying “Thank You!” for the teamwork and cooperation you displayed this past year. To re-state some items from last months newsletter, the club holiday banquet is set to occur on 14 Jan. at the Admiral Kidd club. This is on a Naval base in Point Loma, but Non-military people can attend as long as we get your name on their access list for the evening of the event. Like last year, we will be accepting a 5 dollar deposit to reserve your seats and get everyone who attends a ticket for the raffle. You will be able to either pay your deposit via the family/friend feature of PayPal, or with cash to any board member. Reservations will close on December 28th or when we hit 150 guests. I have to have the security forms completed and delivered by the 29th. There will be no late adds, if your name is not on the list – showing up with a slime will not get you in. As I write this, there are only around 40 seats available, so you should get on it in the next day or so. Also, I have received a few mails from people stating they plan to attend, but still have not sent their RSVP funds. Your names are not added until you pay. I was stiffed last year by people asking me to pay for them stating they would pay me back at the banquet, then they did not attend. That will not be an option this year. Remember we will have at least $1300.00 worth of raffle prizes and everyone gets a ticket!
We have had quite a few membership renewals already and I thank those of you who got an early start instead of pushing the lssue. If you know you will be flying next year, why wait? Have you renewed your AMA yet? Even if your current AMA membership does not expire until later in the year, I encourage you to renew now so you are covered for the entire year to let us send you a badge for the entire year instead of a special one that expires mid-year. Remember, AMA Youth memberships are Free, and additional family memberships are $10.00 for youngsters that want to give it a try. There is no meeting at the field this month, but we would like to have “Badge day” at the field on the 31st of December between 9 AM and 12 PM for those who have renewed their membership. If you come down and pick it up you can save the club some postage, and get a slice or 2 of Costco pizza. Isabel and Paul will be on site for those who are unable to renew online and need to do it with a live person. As long as you have renewed your AMA, they can accept cash, checks, or credit cards.
At January’s board of directors meeting we will be finalizing our clubs event calendar for 2017. A lot of old favorites will return with maybe one or two surprises thrown in to keep it interesting. Again, we will attempt to keep our fun-fly events to 2 hours on meeting days so we do not take out the whole day. We will also start the new season of racing for the Popwings and Multirotors, as well as the return of Electroglide. January 14th (yes, banquet day) will be the first Popwing race and last years 1st-4th place winners will be at the field to discuss their set-ups and suggestions on what worked for them last year. Sharing this way stands to make it more fun for everyone, so please take advantage of this!
A couple more Items of interest for Jan, The AMA EXPO will be held between Jan 6th and 8th in Ontario, and the Chula Vista club on Dairy Mart road is having a swap meet on 21 Jan. Usually there is nothing between September and March, so if you attend, tell them Thank you for setting it up.
Finally, If you have a grievance at the field involving another member, please use the procedures outlined in the club bylaws. This way you have some time to think of what you want to say, put it in writing in an intelligent manner, and have us understand what you are trying to say.
Also, prior club member Mike Royer recently passed away, Please pass condolences to his family and friends.
Have a great Month!!
Brad
