President
Dave Mathewson mentioned in his December
2008 MA "President's Perspective"
column AMA's new endeavor. We are attending
statewide meetings of local officials in an
effort to educate and inform those who have
control over many potential flying sites of
the goals and mission of the Academy of
Model Aeronautics.
To date, AMA has participated in the Florida
League of Cities annual meeting in August,
Texas League of Cities in October, The
National Recreation and Park Association
held in Baltimore, Maryland, in October, and
the National League of Cities annual meeting
held in Orlando, Florida, in November.
To claim AMA had the most exciting booth
would be an understatement! Grouped with the
stoplight, park bench, water meter, lawn
equipment, EMS, and other expected vendor
booths at the conventions was the AMA booth.
We offered a flight simulator projecting an
airplane on the screen and helicopters and
small electric airplanes flying overhead.
Each time an aircraft was flown above the
booth dividers, a rush of attendees would
come to see where it had originated.
Once an official was in front of the booth,
a flight on the simulator was almost a
given. This provided insight into the skill
it takes to pilot a model airplane, and the
person gained a better appreciation of our
sport.
The recurring question was, "What are you
selling?" The positive response was that
we're not selling anything; we're just
looking for flying sites! This reply was
well received and we provided those
inquiring with AMA materials developed for
this effort.
Mentioning the $2.5 million primary
insurance we offer through our chartered
clubs for flying-site owners was very
popular with administrators. Apparently few
organizations seeking permission to use
public lands offer their own insurance
coverage.
Once it was established that we were not
into helicopter or airplane sales, and that
we were seeking flying sites for our
members, the AMA scored big in public
relations. We hope that will carry over when
a local group stands before a governing
board or park council seeking acceptance to
fly on public property.
We plan follow-ups from the Academy to
notify the clubs where a local official
stopped by the booth in addition to direct
mail letters to all. Building relationships
is a long-term process. Clubs that have gone
out of their way to involve elected
officials in activities and functions tend
to have fewer problems in the long run.
Tony Stillman, vice president of District V,
talks with a delegate
attending the National League of Cities
convention in Orlando FL.
AMA member Dean Cardoza (R) helped staff the
booth. Excitement
Above the Goal was the theme, featuring a
soccer goal with an
aircraft flying above, driving home the idea
that many sport
complexes could be used for flying model
aircraft.
Dean Cardoza looks on as Tony Stillman
instructs a man on
the flight simulator. In the background,
Jose Soto, District V
associate vice president, is telling the AMA
flying-site story.
Returning to Muncie, Indiana, from a visit
to Florida during the Thanksgiving holidays
brought home a point that has been discussed
in online forums, club meetings, and nearly
any gathering of modelers across the nation.
This had nothing to do with modeling.
A young person was counting back change to
me after I purchased something at the
airport in Atlanta. Something disturbed the
normal flow of the transaction and the
cashier didn't have the cash register to
indicate how much change I should receive.
With a panicked expression, the person ran
in search of a handheld calculator and
painfully entered in the amount I gave,
subtracted the purchase price, and arrived
at the amount of change I was due.
I'm showing I'm old school and a long-ago
product of the JCPenney company (read
between the lines—before computer cash
registers), and was taught in school and at
work to count back the change to the
customer. It's simple math: begin with the
cost of the item and count back the change
up to the amount tended for the purchase.
I have been told that the stores don't want
the clerks to use their minds and just do as
the registers tell them to do. What we have
is the loss of a skill set, which mirrors
our own problem with the loss of building
skills as one generation comes forward with
only the ARF skill set. I don't begin to
question the bonus of what ARFs and RTF
aircraft have done. They allow those who
have neither the time nor the skill set to
build a model the opportunity to become
involved in model aviation.
We all welcome them in that challenge and
joy of flight, but unlike my Atlanta
experience where a handheld calculator saved
the day, what's to become of that modeler
who doesn't have a clue about repairing that
model or properly maintaining it? It's
something to think about.
Maybe I'm looking for an answer in this
world of instant gratification. How do we
pass on those building skills to the next
generation?
MA
In the spirit of
flight.
Jim Cherry, Executive Director
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