AMA's Yearly Membership Meeting is Coming Soon!

     The Academy's annual membership meeting will be held the evening of Thursday May 14 at the Joe Nall Fly-In, which has hosted the gathering in the past.
     The meeting will feature an update to the membership from AMA President Dave Mathewson, and an evening meal will be provided. All members should plan to attend so that they can meet their organization's leaders and discuss issues affecting the Academy.
     The dates for the Joe Nall Fly-In are May 13-16; it is held each year at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina. MA

—AMA Headquarters

Special Museum Hours for Nats and F3C World Champs

     The National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana, will be open extended hours during the Nats and the F3C Helicopter World Championships, giving competitors and visitors more of a chance to stop in and visit.
     The event dates will be June 29-August 11. The hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
     A number of new exhibits and aircraft will be on display, so take advantage of this chance to learn about your aeromodeling heritage. We hope to see you then! MA

—Michael Smith
Museum Director

Preorder 2009 Nats Apparel at New, Low Prices!

     The museum store and Nats Headquarters will carry Nats apparel and caps during the contest, but you can place an order by telephone to ensure that you get the size and style you want. Your order will be ready for you in the museum store when you arrive at AMA Headquarters for the Nats.
     Men's T-shirts in white or ash colors are only $10 this year, and men's white polo shirts are only $15. We are offering ladies' tank tops in ash or yellow for $7, and youth T-shirts in ash or white are only $6!
     The telephone number for ordering is (800) I-FLY-AMA, extension 212. See you at the Nats! MA

—Cloud 9 Museum Store Staff

"Behind the Scenes" AMA Museum Tours

     The National Model Aviation Museum will feature special "Behind the Scenes" tours this summer during both the Nats and the F3C Helicopter World Championships.
     Learn about the processes that the museum staff goes through when receiving and caring for donations. Tour the Artifact Collections Storage and Archive Storage, and get up-close looks at airplanes and artifacts that are not currently on display.
     Each tour group will be small, to promote one-on-one questions and answers. A wealth of aviation history is waiting to be discovered; don't miss out on this opportunity for fun and education.
      The tours will be held Mondays and Fridays only, from June 29-August 7. They will begin at 3 p.m., and the cost is $10 per person. MA

—Michael Smith
Museum Directo

Help Preserve Aeromodeling's Past

     The preservation of model aviation history is a priority of the National Model Aviation Museum, and that heritage includes model aircraft plans.
     Do you have a collection of plans from kits or magazines? We are looking to expand the Academy's collection of 18,000 and fill in what we are missing.
     If you are interested in making a donation, please contact Robert Winchester, the AMA Plans Service coordinator, at (765) 287-1256, extension 507, or robertw@modelaircraft.org. If you want to keep your original plans, we will be happy to copy and return them to you.
     Please verify our needs with Robert before mailing any plans. Thank you for your help in making our archives complete. MA

—National Model Aviation Museum Staff

Also in this month's In the Air section in Model Aviation:

• Aeromodeling Loses an Industry Pioneer

• You Drive the AMA's Membership!

• 25 Years Ago in MA: May 1984

• Museum Hosts Student Aviation Art Contest

• Y-Fly 2008