The weather
is warming up and you should be finishing all
of those winter building projects.
For the
first time in my flying/building career, I am
so far behind that I cannot justify buying one
more thing until I finish some of the other
projects that are calling my name every time I
go into the workroom. When did the airplane
that I couldn't keep my hands off of for so
long become the stepchild of the workbench?
For many, April is the beginning of the flying
season as the days get warm enough to make it
fun and not an endurance contest.
At AMA
Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, some of the
staff will be attending the annual Weak
Signals Toledo Show in Toledo, Ohio, April
4-6. We plan to have representatives at the
National Retail Hobby Shop Association (NRHSA)
show in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 22-25, and at
the Electric Flight Expo in Phoenix, Arizona,
April 25-27.
If you have been out of the
country for a while and are not aware of the
new AMA Park Pilot Program, I encourage you to
visit
www.parkflyer.org. Acquaint yourself with
this exciting new program designed to get
thousands of new fliers acquainted with safe
flying and the AMA.
We held the first
Executive Council (EC) meeting of 2008 under
the leadership of the new president, Dave Mathewson. As a part of the new
administration, Dave submitted a revised plan
for AMA committees in 2008.
As one aspect of
the committee-building process, the Academy is
conducting a poll of members who are
interested in serving on an AMA committee. The
form to submit your name for consideration is
on page 49 of this issue of MA. Mail the form
to AMA or check out the Web-based poll and
apply electronically. A roster of open
committees and their mission statements is
available for review along with the polls.
With a membership of more than 150,000, we
cannot guarantee that everyone who submits his
or her name for consideration will be asked to
serve. We expect that many more will volunteer
than can be accommodated. Some committees
following a bylaws' mandate already have their
membership determined.
As far as I am aware,
this is the first time a membership-wide
invitation has been offered, so if you have
some expertise in a field or endeavor outlined
in one of the committee's mission statements,
please take time to respond and you may find
yourself in a position to help shape AMA's
future.
We also plan to poll the membership
concerning members' governmental and
legislative horsepower. We will be seeking AMA
members who are well connected with federal
elected officials and staff.
The Academy is
preparing itself for interaction with these
legislators. We know there is strength in
numbers and often getting access to these
lawmakers—without having to go the
hired-lobbyist route—depends on who you know.
If you are on the "short list" of a
congressman or woman, let us know. It is one
of those things in life that we hope we never
have to use, but often by the time you need
connections, it is too late to find out who
knows whom on Capitol Hill.
"You know
you're a
modeler when ... " has continued to amaze me!
Stanley Jablonski starts us out with: "You
don't have the time to iron wrinkles out of a
shirt, but you will spend an evening ironing
MonoKote."
Bob Kirkpatrick: "You would rather
watch the batteries in your new radio charge
than spend "romantic" time with your wife.
(And I wonder why many wives don't come out to
the flying field.)"
Andy Koschmann of Valley
Aeromodelers in Appleton, Wisconsin, thinks
you know you're a modeler when:
"You keep
debonder next to the Band-Aids in the medicine
cabinet.
"You consider CA a necessary part of
your first aid kit.
"You know what CA stands
for.
"You don't understand how anyone could
not know what CA is.
"You go to the local
hobby shop to socialize with friends. "You buy
industrial-grade power tools to cut balsa and
lite ply.
"You get a new plane, radio, or
engine and have "show-and-tell time" at the
next club meeting, just like you did when you
were in kindergarten.
"You are disappointed
when all the presents are unwrapped Christmas
morning and there is nothing under the tree to
support your modeling needs.
"Your wife is
embarrassed to take you to social events
because she knows you will talk to everyone
about airplanes until you find someone that
actually cares."
Finally, not in the vein of
"You know you're a modeler when ... " but just
as funny is from Ron Hill in Pensacola,
Florida:
"There are three prices that you pay
for a model airplane:
"1) The price that you
actually paid for it
"2) The price you told
your wife you paid for it
"3) The price you
pay when your wife finds out what you actually
paid for it"
MA
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry, Executive Director
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