AMA News
Academy of Model Aeronautics 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Focus on Education
Jack Frost AMA Education Coordinator Tel.: (765) 287-1256 Ext. 274 jackf@modelaircraft.org
This month I am featuring another Youth Education Stipend (YES Grant) program success story. This one is from the Whidbey Island Radio Control Society in Oak Harbor, Washington.
The president of the club and director of the project, Michael L. Mosbrooker, sent a letter to report how his club’s YES Grant funds were used. Here are some excerpts from that letter.
“Enclosed is the initial and the final report on the use of Youth Education Stipend (YES) program funds provided to the Whidbey Island Radio Control Society to support the modeling education of seventh and eighth graders in Oak Harbor, Washington. We believe that this program has been, and will continue to be, beneficial to the youth in this community in terms of getting more young people interested in our hobby.
“The principal of the school, with whom we worked during the past school year, has asked if we can do the same thing next year. He is leaving and we will have to make sure that his successor has the same view and if so, we will be talking to you about a phase two package.
“Whidbey Island Radio Control Society (WIRCS) Junior Modeler Education Program for Years 2000–2001: The WIRCS youth education program for the school year 2000–2001 is complete and most objectives were met. We worked with five seventh- and eighth-grade students from the Oak Harbor Christian School. All of these students were selected by the school for this elective program and all were honor students.
“The school furnished us a classroom, access to desks, and most important, a vacuum cleaner for cleanup. All five students were first introduced to the theory of flight, built and flew a hand-launched glider, and then a Delta Dart.
“After these two aircraft were built and flown by all students, they built a small, rubber-powered aircraft as a team effort. The third aircraft selected featured all printed parts and was an excellent teaching vehicle for construction techniques, although a bit difficult to build. This aircraft was completed by the end of the first semester in January although it was not flown until much later when the weather was conducive to outside activity. Each student kept the first two aircraft and the third aircraft was presented to Larry Vander Leest, the principal, in appreciation for use of the school facility.
“The final phases of the program was to be the construction and flight of an RC trainer. We lost one of our students to another elective so the RC phase went ahead with four students.
“We received a YES grant of $1,000 in February 2001, which was used to procure the necessary equipment. Since this phase of the program had already commenced by the time the grant was available, the first expenditure of grant money was to reimburse club members’ out-of-pocket expenses for equipment already purchased in anticipation of the grant.
“During the first semester of the program, all work was accomplished during one class period of about 50 minutes each week. This time included setup and cleanup. When work on the RC trainer started, it became quickly apparent that this amount of time each week would not get the airplane finished in time to fly it before the end of the school year.
“The class period we were allocated was the next to last in the school day and it was followed by a short last period. The school instructor who ‘owned’ our classroom allowed us to merely move things aside for the last period and then we continued for another hour. This extra hour also served as a measure of the dedication of the YES students as, of course, it was not mandatory but more like homework.
“There was no school on one of our instruction days and we arranged to meet in a private facility and all four students showed up, which again gave us a good feeling about the dedication of the students.
“The RC trainer was completed on May 23, after one of the instructors spent about an hour finishing the radio installation. The initial test flight was performed on May 26 and the plane flew well with only minor trim adjustments. Linkages were then adjusted to put the trims back to center and the airplane was declared ready for student flight.
“All four students, by then having become AMA and club members, were brought to the club flying site on May 30, June 6, and June 13. Each student received about 25 minutes of dual instruction on each of the three days and all were doing their own takeoffs but no landings by the end of that time.
“Instructors did all setup for each session and the students cleaned up afterward. Lots of oil on an airplane after nearly two hours of flight. We used two instructors alternating and the airplane was idle while one was refueling and restarting between students.
“One of the students had to make arrangements with one of us so we could get the airplane there. They had to arrange their own transportation.
“Only one of the students showed up regularly on Tuesday evenings or other times by mutual agreement and he soloed about three weeks later, by then assembling, starting, and cleaning up the airplane on his own.
“We would have liked to solo all of the students so this objective was not met. We have been advertising that the airplane is now available for flight instruction for any students who have not yet completed high school.
“No takers to this point, but when the club has a large all-bird fly-in on Labor Day weekend, we will offer dual instruction to interested youngsters in the audience using the YES airplane to the extent that we can conduct this activity without interfering with everyone else. This will be introductory flying, probably about five minutes per individual, depending on the number of students who accept our offer.”
Congratulations to The Whidbey Island Radio Control Society! Your efforts are recognized by your organization, your peers, and most importantly, by your students. Keep up the good work!
If you would like further information on YES Grants, contact Jack Frost at AMA Headquarters.
AMA News
Findings—Preserving—Maintaining
AS I MENTIONED in my last article, there is a great story behind the successful flying site acquisition by a club in Llano County, Texas. Jeff Ellis of the Highland Lakes Flyers Club provides most of the text for this article.
If you are in need of a flying site, read on. There are some “nuggets” for all of us here. Jeff’s article lists several points I feel were key to the success of the venture.
“On October 4, 2001, the flying site leases by the Highland Lakes Flyers Club at Wartz Dam in Marble Falls, Texas were closed due to security concerns by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Shortly afterward our lease was canceled, and we found ourselves in the search of a suitable new site.
“One longtime member with contacts at our local newspaper arranged for an article to be written and two club members were interviewed by telephone. The tone of the article was 100% positive and emphasized the family-oriented nature of aeromodelling and our concerted effort to involve the youth of our area in our hobby. A front page story, complete with a color photo of our longtime members and a few of his planes, got us some very positive exposure and resulted in a couple of leads on potential new sites.
“We went after all of those leads and had several offers to pursue, including one at a closed county landfill near Kingsland, Texas. Meanwhile, our club secretary had initiated contact with our local county commissioners and took him on our situation. He found a receptive county commissioner interested in putting an unused closed public landfill to a better and higher use.
“We explored various options regarding the pursuit of an outright purchase or long-term lease. We held a general meeting for the entire membership and appointed a Flying Site Acquisition task force to coordinate our efforts. Several meetings with our receptive commissioner followed. We learned that the landfill had been closed in 1991 and inspected by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) in 1997 and was found to be in compliance with all current regulations.
“We also learned that the county was not permitted to sell the property sooner than 30 years after closing the landfill. The option of an outright purchase was gone, but the 30-year waiting period made it much easier for the county officials to consider a long-term lease to our club.
“During this initial phase of our quest, our receptive commissioner had mentioned our request for consideration to the county judge and other commissioners. To our delight, they were receptive, but wanted more information from us before proceeding.
“We contacted Wes De Cou at AMA’s Flying Site Assistance office and he gladly supplied a complete package of materials, including a pro forma lease agreement, and information about other clubs in Texas that are currently flying on closed public landfill property.
“We adjusted the terms of the lease agreement to our liking and the task force reviewed it. We then took the initiative and submitted our proposed lease to our commissioner. He in turn submitted it to the county attorney with a request for a response, with any changes to be returned in 10 days or sooner. This would assure us a place on the Commissioners’ Court agenda December 10.
“The county attorney requested several changes, none of them onerous, and all were quickly and satisfactorily worked out. We settled on a 10-year lease at $10 per year, payable in one lump sum. We also received an option to renew for an additional five years at the end of this lease.
“At the Commissioner’s Court on December 10 we were number 13 on the agenda (I know what you’re thinking) but were moved up to number four in view of the large number of our members attending the court. We made brief remarks on the purpose and goals of our club, the fact that we have 45 regular members and eight junior youth members learning to build and fly, and presented to the AMA liability insurance program for site owners and members.
“There were a couple of questions regarding at what altitude we flew, etc. Then the county judge asked for a motion. Our commissioner friend made a motion to lease, as revised and noted by the county; his motion was immediately seconded. The judge called for a vote, and we were delighted to see a unanimous vote in favor of the lease.
“The county judge and our club’s vice president then signed the lease. We were paid $100 to cover the full term of the lease, thanks to the out for the consideration, and left to celebrate with coffee at a nearby restaurant.
“Let me summarize the key elements in our pursuit and success in finding a new flying site:
“1) We found the closed landfill site and determined it would be suitable for our flying operations.
“2) We found the commissioner with jurisdiction in the precinct where the site was located. We presented our case and asked for his help. We found him very receptive and he became our advocate in the county system and got things done internally. He will remain our advocate if we are responsible in our development and use of the site.
“3) We made every effort to address the safety and responsibility issues concerning our use of the site, with particular emphasis on adhering to TNRCC requirements concerning the protective ‘cap’ on the landfill, i.e., no permanent structure built nor excavating of any kind in the ‘cap’ area. Also, the AMA liability insurance program was an invaluable benefit in terms of general liability coverage for the county.
“4) We agreed to work closely with the county officials involved in all site development projects prior to commencement of such projects. Our relationship will be one of collaboration, accommodation, and cooperation. We have much to protect, and this relationship is central to effectively developing this site.
“It is our wish that this brief overview can be of some help to AMA clubs that may find themselves in similar circumstances. We have already received many messages of congratulations and some requests for information. We will respond to all of these with the hope of a positive outcome in the future. We are deeply appreciative of all the help we received. Thank you!”
My congratulations to the Highland Lakes Flyers Club, and as a personal thank you to Jeff Ellis for taking considerable time to chronicle the achievements of this club on this effort.
From the Mailbag: Occasionally I look back through the mailbag to see if there’s an example of useful public relations activities that have benefits to our chartered clubs. Such an activity was described in an E-mail I received from Doug Jones of Carrollton TX. The note was originally sent to District VIII Vice President, Sandy Frank.
“The North Dallas R/C Club would like to extend to you an invitation to attend our Aviation Merit Badge Day August 18 from 8 a.m. until noon. We will be hosting 30-40 Scouts from Troop 870 here in Carrollton. The day will be divided into a group school teaching several of the Aviation Merit Badge requirements, demonstration flying of several types of aircraft, and an opportunity for each Scout to get stick time on a trainer.
“We will also be feeding the kids (and the helpers, etc.) a hot dog lunch. I am a District Registered Merit Badge Counselor for the Aviation Merit Badge here in the North District, and will be hosting the ground school portion of the event.”
Activities such as this, coupled with a short item in the local newspaper or a spot on the local evening television news, do wonders to show our family-oriented, educational sport in a favorable light. If we want to stay involved, we ought to get involved!
AMA News
I STILL do not have the annual audit in my hands and you really can't expect to have one done this quickly; therefore, there will be no financial statement information presented to you at this time. For those of you who are breathlessly waiting to get the new statement, as soon as the information is available to me, I will be covering you up with reports.
The Smithsonian model airplane exhibition called "On Miniature Wings" just came to this area. It was exhibited in the Museum of History in Raleigh, North Carolina for several months.
The Raleigh Durham Radio Control (RDRC) club agreed to exhibit some of their airplanes on a Saturday and Sunday. This was well participated in by the membership and there were approximately 20 airplanes shown. The club members seemed to have a good time with their portion of the exhibit and it was extremely well received by the museum visitors.
To give you some idea of the interest in this hobby/sport, the museum's headcount of visitors attending the exhibit was more than 1,700.
Because the public likes what we do and enjoys seeing the models, it is to our advantage to get as much public exposure as possible. When we need local support to accomplish certain things such as help with flying fields or to address a noise problem, the more people we can say are model airplane builders, the more weight that carries with the public officials. Every club needs to be as large as is comfortable and then expand to start another club.
The city of Fayetteville, North Carolina is sponsoring a five-day celebration in 2003. While details are sketchy, one thing I am looking forward to is the city's plan to have a 1903 Wright Flyer come into the area and land.
The RDRC club has been asked to conduct exhibition flying each day during certain hours. If any of you are interested in doing this, check with museums in your area. Many of them would be happy to have the help and it would give our organization more exposure.
I suggest that you be very careful about signing up for multiple days, particularly multiple days of flight training. It is a good idea to check with Carl Maroney at AMA Headquarters about insurance requirements, etc.
Chuck Foreman, District IV Vice President, can give you a lot of valuable information regarding problems you might encounter should you want to give people stick time on the buddy box.
I have a couple of quotes I would like to share with you. The first is attributed to Henry Ford, "Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
The second quote is "Knowledge possessed and not used is worse than no knowledge at all."
As usual, A-B-C: Always Be Courteous. Until later ...
NORTHERN CONNECTICUT Radio Control Club Auction
NORTHERN CONNECTICUT Radio Control Club Auction: Bob Wallace, the Associate Vice President in Connecticut, sent the following material to me. Bob does a superb job of presenting his material and it is appreciated.
"The Northern Connecticut Radio Control Club (NCRCC) held its annual auction on February 10 at the Vernon Center Middle School in Vernon, Connecticut. This auction is widely regarded as being the best-organized, well-managed, most successful, and well-attended Radio Control (RC) auction in District I, and this year's auction was certainly no exception.
"What started many years ago as a relatively small auction in an equally small rented hall has steadily evolved into the premier event of its type in the Northeastern part of the country.
"The NCRCC has been required to relocate its annual auction several times, always to larger facilities as its popularity increased. Long ago, it became necessary to utilize Saturday registration in order to accommodate the large number of individuals seeking to register auction items.
"The Vernon Center Middle School has proven to be the ideal site for this event. It is easily accessible from I-84 interstate highway, has ample parking, a large area for the display of auction items, a Swap Shop, a wide range of reasonably priced refreshments, and a very large modern auditorium with tiered-type seating for the auction that runs nonstop for more than six hours with three auctioneers.
"'Whether you're buying or selling,' the NCRCC's auction is the place to do it.
"'The date has already been established for NCRCC's 2003 auction. It will be at the same facility on February 9, so why not mark that date on your calendar?'"
District II Report
New Jersey/ New York/ Europe
Dave Mathweson Vice President
7271 State Fair Blvd., Baldwinsville NY 13027 Tel.: (315) 727-4275 FAX: (315) 635-1039 E-mail: d-mathweson@mindspring.com Web page: http://www.amadistrictii.org
Notice: For listing of all district volunteer workers consult the previous magazine issue or the above Web address.
IS YOUR club an AMA Leader Club? Becoming a Leader Club is a great way to encourage camaraderie within your group while working together to reach the goals required for membership.
Becoming a Leader Club means that your club is providing a safe atmosphere in which your members can enjoy our sport. It also shows that your club is making an effort to contribute something to your community, while promoting model aviation to your neighbors.
There are three levels of Leader Clubs; Gold, Silver, and Bronze. AMA has established a list of 14 goals for a club to reach Leader Club status. Five of these goals are required and the additional number of other goals accomplished determines what level of membership your club attains.
When a club qualifies for Leader Club status, it receives a certificate from AMA Headquarters, a gold, silver, or bronze-finished pin for each member of the club in the first year, and recognition in both Model Aviation and on the AMA Web site. An outline of the program can be found on the AMA Web site at http://www.modelaircraft.org under PDF Documents, or you can contact me for more information.
The Finger Lakes Air Pirates (FLAPs) became one of our newest Leader Clubs in District II when they recently qualified for the Silver level award. Early last December I went to Geneva NY to the FLAPs' weekly breakfast meeting to recognize their accomplishment.
The FLAPs are to be congratulated for meeting the requirements for Silver level in their first attempt, especially considering the fact that they are a relatively small club. It was evident that the FLAPs officers have instilled an enthusiasm in the group that makes me think it won't be long until they reach Gold level status.
The Finger Lakes Air Pirates, one of District II's newest Leader Clubs.
It's "mall show" season here in District II. While some of us are brave enough to continue to fly during the winter months, most of us turn to mall shows and auctions to satisfy our modeling appetites.
Associate Vice President Gary Fitch sent the following article.
"On March 2, 2002 the Harris Hill Lift Over Drag RC (HHL0D) Club and the Corning Tri-Rivers RC Modelers combined their resources to put on a show at the Arnot Mall.
"Gary Kollhoff, president of the Corning Tri-Rivers club and seventh grade science teacher at the Corning Free Academy, provided an impressive working display where his students demonstrated construction techniques on an Ernie Heyworth design, Pap-E foamcore Electric trainer.
"Gary has teamed up with the Curtiss Museum of Hammondsport in sponsoring this program that has lead to the construction of roughly 13 Pap-Es this year.
"Gary has been running these programs for many years, introducing his students to model aviation.
"Brian Morse, a full-scale Boeing 767 pilot for Continental Airlines, showed his fan-tastic F-16 with a Dynamax fan powered by an O.S. .91 two-stroke. Brian's uncle, Vern Morse, showed his gorgeous 1/5-scale P-39 powered by a Moki 1.80. Vern covered this aircraft with .005-inch printer's aluminum.
"There were dozens of other aircraft on display, including several indoor and outdoor rubber-powered aircraft. The primary focus was to talk with children and young people about aviation.
"Darrell Tenny, president of HHL0D and coordinator of this mall show, teamed with his son, Dan Tenny, to put on a great show!"
Bill Fisher sent the following about his club's recent mall show.
"Last weekend the North Country Flying Tigers had their third annual mall show at the Aviation Mall in Queensbury. Mall traffic was light due to beautiful weather (we should have been flying), but we had a lot of interest and comments.
"We had a flight simulator set up and a VCR with last year's Saratoga Warbirds Fly-in playing for the crowd.
"At least half our club members participated and we had more than 20 aircraft on display ranging from a partially constructed trainer to a Yellow Aircraft Zero in primer waiting for all the details. Some ARFs, some scratch-builts, and some kits filled out the display."
Spring is right around the corner. See you next time.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
