PRE-PERRY SWAP MEET
Saturday February 24th - should be started by about 9:00 a.m.  There was a pretty good crowd out last year so if you're not out pretty early to get a table, you may want to bring your own.

EVENTS FOR 2007
2nd Annual Spring Pattern Challenge for 2007 is scheduled for April 21, 22.
Warbird event for 2007 is scheduled for the weekend of September 8th & 9th.
3D event, will be a 2 day event in mid to late October.  More later.

GMA TREASURY
The club money market account continues to earn interest every month.  As we continue at our current site, there are occasionally projects that are considered as improvements for our great facility, and we may ask for financial assistance from members.  Some might question "why not take it out of the treasury?".  The answer to that is that the money market account is primarily intended as a contingency fund.  When the GMA relocated from the Trammel Road site to our current site, we were able to accomplish a good portion of the building and improvements from a contingency fund of about $43,000.00.  We hope to build that money market account so that our next move will have a healthy fund with which to get us re-started.

JERRY RAY AND FAMILY------>>

HONOR ROLL
The GMA moved to our current site in September, 2003.  In 2004, in an effort to raise some money for finishing and improving the site, members were offered a free years membership... if they would pay for 6 years.  Perhaps it is about time to again express thanks to these folks that played a big part in getting the club underway with their generosity.  So, Thank You Tom Antle, Bob Brogdon, Carroll Cannon, Chip Hayes, Bob Hewlett, Jim Hoffman, Jay Krowicki, Steve Meadows, Hicks Milner, Walt Mitchell, Mike Nemesh, Chuck Patel, Dave Roberts, Spalding White, Don Whittaker.

HALL OF FAME
GMA Member Jerry Smith has been inducted into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame.  Congratulations Jerry.

SAFETY & GMA GUIDELINES
All members are no doubt familiar with the AMA's published rules for flying radio controlled aircraft.  One of those rules concerns flying after consuming alcoholic beverages.  All GMA members must abide by those AMA rules, and any others that the GMA publishes.  Flying after consuming alcoholic beverages could result in loss of GMA membership as well as AMA membership.

YOUR NEXT MEMBERSHIP DUES COULD BE FREE
Check details and participate in the safety quiz at http://www.gmarc.com/flashquiz
And if you don't have a computer, or don't have internet access, you might find it worth while to ask a friend to let you use theirs to participate in this quiz.

GMA FAMILY DAY
Scheduled this year for Sunday May 27.  As always, this a payback, the club furnishing all food and drinks and hoping again to provide some entertainment for the youngsters.  We're also trying to see if the full scale aerobatic guys are available to put on a show for us.  More details as we get closer to this date.

FLIGHT DIRECTION ARROW
We are going to try this procedure in an effort to assure we are all using the wind to our best advantage.  The large arrow mounted near the center of the safety fences should always be used to indicate the direction of take off and landings.  With the wind frequently changing, we need to be alert to position the arrow to point in the correct direction.  If preparing to take off and you notice that the wind has changed, you should re-position the arrow and call out to all flyers currently in the air that you have done so.

SAFETY OFFICERS
Thanks to Ben Adams, Chris Dover, Lou Melancon, Richard Schwenk for accepting the position of Safety Officer with the GMA.  The GMA Board and Safety Officers are not policemen.  They will be striving to assure that all members are aware of the safety rules and guidelines and may at times remind a member of some areas where they may not be aware of the rule or  have forgotten them.
First Aid Kit+
The Red Cross on the refrigerator door (thanks Fred Glance) is a reminder of where our first aid supplies are stored.

FREQUENCY BOARD
The new board is designed to accommodate cards for members flying Spread Spectrum radios.  These new radios of course do not require a channel control card.  However, to assist other members to verify that all radio users are in fact club members, whenever flying with a Spread Spectrum radio, place your club membership card on the board in one of the blank slots.

Thanks to Mike Nemesh for building the frequency board and the fligh direction arrow with his CNC router.

NEW PILOT STATIONS
Safety fences and pilot stations are now installed at each end of the shelter.  These should provide a more organized area for helicopter and small electric flying.  They should also serve as a barrier to keep small children from wandering into that flight area.  On crowded days where some folks might need to park off the gravel parking area, be sure to avoid these flight areas.

VISITORS
On April 14, a group from "Keep Forsyth County Beautiful" will be parking down near the river on the south end of our site.  There will probably be 10 to 20 vehicles.  This group is going to travel down the Etowah River cleaning it up.