It's
been a busy month. The annual Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In is
one of the premier modeling events in the country. The
fly-in continues to grow, this year drawing more than 600
pilots and thousands of spectators to Triple Tree Aerodrome
in Woodruff, South Carolina.
As has been tradition for the
last several years, AMA was again offered the opportunity to
hold a general membership meeting on Thursday evening during
the fly-in. Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions,
something I've been told is rare during the Nall, turnout
for the meeting was exceptional.
Several AMA vice presidents
and committee chairpersons were on hand to discuss projects
and programs that AMA will be developing during the coming
year. At the end of the prepared agenda the floor was opened
for questions from the audience.
I'd be remiss if I didn't
take this opportunity to thank Pat Hartness for his generous
hospitality, Kirby and Carol McKinney for their hard work in
organizing the post-meeting cookout, and all of the members
of the Confederate Air Farce (no, that's not a misprint) who
pitched in setting up seating and the sound system, and
staffed the grills during the cookout.
The following week I
was in Las Vegas, Nevada, to meet with members of one of
AMA's newest chartered clubs and our first dedicated Park
Pilot Program club: the Vegas Aces. Using AMA's new How to
Start a Park Flying Site package, the Aces worked with the
local school district and gained access to a sports field
adjacent to one of the community's elementary schools.
Because of its flying site location and community outreach
program, the club's membership more than doubled during its
first few weeks in existence. What the Vegas Aces have done
is exactly what AMA envisioned when we created our new Park
Pilot Program. Smaller, slower, and quieter park flyer
models are bringing model aviation back into some of our
more urban areas making it easier and more convenient to
become involved in aeromodeling.
The Vegas Aces story and
how the members accomplished what they've done in their
community were documented in the July issue of MA.
Next was
a trip to La Salle, Michigan, to attend the Toledo Weak
Signals' dedication of the club's recent field-improvement
project. Many of you will recognize the Weak Signals as the
club that hosts the trade show in Toledo, Ohio, every April.
The club's field is just past the Ohio border in Michigan
and is a first-class facility that includes a paved runway,
covered pit area, and a large clubhouse complete with power
and water. All of this is on more than 100 acres that the
club owns. What made this site possible is the dedication
and hard work of the club's members coupled with strong
leadership of its officers.
While I was there I also had the
opportunity to present the AMA Fellowship Award to Joe Vislay for his 25 years of work as an AMA associate vice
president in District III. Joe has been a longtime supporter
of AMA and in addition to his work in the district he also
serves on the AMA Nats Management Team, spending much of his
time in Muncie every summer working at and supporting AMA's
National Aeromodeling Championships.
As soon as I finish
this column and fire it off to our MA editors I'll be
heading to Muncie, Indiana, to attend the annual Extreme
Flight Championships (XFC). This is the second year the
event will be held at the International Aeromodeling Center.
The XFC is a high-profile, intense, aerobatic competition
for both RC helicopters and fixed-wing models featuring some
of the best pilots in the world. The value I see in this
event is that it is exactly the type of flying that lends
itself to television exposure.
The vast majority of flights
are choreographed to music, have an upbeat and enthusiastic
style, and are flown directly in front of the spectators at
"stage center." This all makes for the perfect combination
that I think would attract the attention of anyone who has
even a casual interest in model aviation.
One of the issues
AMA has begun to focus on is doing more to promote model
aviation. Building the credibility of aeromodeling will pay
dividends when we go to our communities looking for support—especially
when it comes to acquiring a new or keeping an existing
flying site.
To help we have partnered with JWalcher
Communications from San Diego, California. JWalcher
Communications is a public and media relations company
comprising marketing and community relations professionals
with experience in developing successful strategic
communication campaigns.
AMA's Marketing Committee will be
working with the JWalcher staff to spread the word about the
value of model aviation as an educational tool as well as
being an exciting recreational activity appropriate for the
whole family. I see some good prospects here and look
forward to the results of our working together. MA
See you next time ...
Dave Mathewson, AMA president
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