The end of an era ...

 I originally intended to use the remainder of this column to write about the direction I hope to see AMA take in the next several years; however, after reviewing the results of this past election, I want to focus on that this month.

     The lack of participation by our membership in the election process should tell us that the system is broken. This is not anything new. Looking back over the past decade or so, an obvious trend has developed.

     The number of our members who vote in either their district elections or in AMA national elections has consistently declined. We need to find a way to reverse this trend. We will create a task force to address this problem and find ways to fix it. Several options may help.

     In years past AMA provided postage-paid return ballots used in the voting process. Two years ago we stopped doing that because of the unusually high cost of sending and receiving business reply mail. I'd like to see us revisit this option.

     Technology has developed to a point where AMA needs to investigate the viability of electronic voting, either through the Internet or possibly by using an 800 number to cast a vote. I suspect that a greater number of members would vote and that a majority would take advantage of these electronic options, which would help offset the cost of those members who still prefer or need to use paper ballots.

     Early last year AMA conducted an online membership survey. Members were asked if they participated in the AMA election process and if not, why. A large majority indicated that the reason they didn't vote was because they knew little or nothing about any of the candidates running for office. That's a valid argument.

     Candidates running for an AMA district position are provided space in one issue of MA limited to 1,560 characters—not words—to outline their platform. Candidates in national elections are limited to 3,060 characters.

     This is inadequate and doesn't provide the opportunity for any candidate to present enough information that would allow a member to make an informed decision. We need to provide candidates in district elections at least a half page in our association's publication and candidates in national elections a full page.

     Web sites provide nearly unlimited space that candidates could use to expand on their thoughts and present a clearer image of their intentions if elected. The "Members Only" section of the AMA Web site is the ideal tool that candidates could use to reach out to our membership.

     There are several other options being discussed. While it's not clear that we can have a revised process in place for this year's elections, it will be something looked at as a priority.

The Radio Control Aerobatics (F3A) World Championships was held in Sauce Viejo, Argentina, November 8-18, 2007. Sponsored by the Argentine Airmodelling Federation, 82 of the world's best pilots representing 32 countries participated.

     Quique Somenzini, Jason Shulman, and Andrew Jesky, along with team manager Al Glenn, represented the United States. At the conclusion of the competition, the United States team took second place and the silver medal, a mere eight points behind France.

     In individual standings Quique Somenzini captured the gold medal, finishing first. Jason Shulman was fourth, and Andrew Jesky, who was participating in his first World Championships, finished eighth.

     On behalf of AMA I want to thank and extend my congratulations to the entire team for an outstanding job representing the United States and our entire aeromodeling community.

See you next time ... MA