Hi Folks! Can you imagine that 2004 is finally here? I had been waiting for this year for several years now, as this was the year that I had planned to retire in, and sure enough, my last working day for the federal government was the 31st of December 2003 - free at last (except for the every other day phone calls that start with "but what about this?"
   The AMA convention this year was bigger and better than in the past, partly because the Ontario Convention Center is much larger than the Pasadena Convention Center. To give you an example, we had slightly more space than we did last year, and there were two additional conferences going on at the same time, both of which were larger than ours (I had a hard time getting Shari out of the Hot Tubs and Grills convention - she kept sneaking back over!). Jerry and Sandy West, Shari and I, Tom and Tommy Fenn, and Meyer Gutman attended from Mesquite Modelers. While there I managed to meet and shake the hand of the one and only Dave Brown, and I was quite impressed with his record of accomplishments. I also met with the fine folks from Desert Aircraft, plus many, many other great fine presenters that make the convention worth attending.
   On the 13th of January, Tom Fenn and I met with the good folks at Parks and Leisure Services, including their President Dennis Harrington, Director John Startt III, Ms. Carole Dockter and Tomas Gallegos from the City Council. The purpose of this meeting was to formally propose the Bollin Field Maintenance agreement to the City (presented to the Club at the January Club meeting), plus to ask the City for some immediate relief from the unclean porta potti. John Start said that he would engage the porta potti folks. You may have noted that the trash barrels are being emptied regularly (it's a good thing we voted not to set fires in them anymore). John Start's orange suited "helpers" have been on the job (see, this is just another good reason to behave).
   Now, on to a more serious matter, safety. Once again this month we have had a member hurt while starting his aircraft. Thankfully, we had a very responsive crew at the field that day, but I understand that our compadre spent about five hours in the emergency room.

   The flying season remains at full swing and the flight line can sometimes be busy, making it even more important to be a safe pilot. I would like to list some important safety rules that I have seen violated most frequently at the flying fields I have visited over the years.
   First, a point about airplane setup. It is important that the pilot be able to shut down the engine from the transmitter. As a general rule, the throttle trim should be set to shut the engine off when pulled all the way back with the throttle stick at idle. Without even considering your own safety, think of what could happen if an unattended child or pet was curious about your model while it is on the ground. This will also eliminate two other safety hazards: Stopping the engine by grabbing the spinner and stopping the engine by tossing a rag into the prop. I cringe whenever I see one of these techniques being used.
   Additional safety items from this article in next newsletter.
   Fly Safe,      Bill

   The next meeting of the MMRCC is scheduled for February 5, 2004 at 7:00 P.M. The meeting will be held at the Northrop Grumman facility Personnel are required to sign-in and sign out for security purposes.

   This meeting is very important. A new dues structure will be discussed. Additional dues are required to fund the incorporation of the club and the safety fence rework. These items were discussed at the last meeting and must be finalized at this meeting. Please attend the meeting and be heard as these and future items are a direct concern to every member of the club.
   See you at the meeting.  Will