he past several weeks have been busy
and I have a number of good things to
tell you about this month.
I attended a luncheon in Washington D.C.
where AMA’s Education Committee
chairperson, Dr. Gordon Schimmel, was
presented with the 2009 Mervin K. Strickler Jr.
Aerospace Education Leadership Award by the
National Coalition for Aviation Education
(NCAE) for his work with AMA’s education
outreach programs. Recipients are selected
based on significant contributions or
noteworthy achievements they have made in
the aviation- and aerospace-education fields.
While in Washington I also had the
opportunity to attend a meeting of the
Leadership Conference on Aviation and Space
Education (LCASE), hosted by NCAE. Dr.
Schimmel represented AMA at LCASE, which
was also attended by representatives from
throughout the aviation community.
The intent of this year’s conference was to
define a vision for the future for aerospace
education and how NCAE and its member
groups could position the organization to meet
those needs. Participating in opportunities like
LCASE provides AMA a great deal of insight
into the issues facing the aviation-education
community. We use the information gained to
help further improve and refine our education
outreach programs to ensure they meet AMA’s
ongoing needs.
On October 30, 2009, AMA members Terry
Rensberger and Scott Thompson, from the
South Bend Radio Control Club (SBRCC),
accompanied by Dr. Robert Nelson, professor
of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at
Notre Dame University, visited the
International Aeromodeling Center and the
National Model Aviation Museum.
While there, on behalf of SBRCC, they
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Mathewson
T
AMA has a long history of advancing education
through aviation.
Mission Statement
The Academy of Model Aeronautics is a world-class association of modelers organized for the purpose of
promotion, development, education, advancement, and safeguarding of modeling activities.
The Academy provides leadership, organization, competition, communication, protection, representation,
recognition, education and scientific/technical development to modelers.
presented AMA Museum Director Michael
Smith with a commemorative patch the club
designed that flew aboard the Space Shuttle on
a recent mission. The Shuttle was piloted by
Kevin Ford, a Notre Dame graduate. Scott and
Terry work with Dr. Nelson at Notre Dame to
assist students through a design, build, and fly
program.
AMA is honored that the SBRCC felt our
museum was an appropriate place to house this
artifact and we will display it proudly.
On the same day, AMA held a dedication
ceremony and grand opening of the new
Claude McCullough Education Facility at the
International Aeromodeling Center. The
facility, built entirely through member
donations including a significant donation
from the estate of former AMA president
Claude McCullough, will present new
opportunities for AMA to expand its
educational outreach efforts.
Many local dignitaries attended the
dedication including the Honorable Sharon
McShurley, mayor of the city of Muncie, and
Dr. Eric King, superintendent of Muncie
Community Schools. The facility will be used
to introduce and educate, through model
aviation, school-age children, college students,
and adults.
AMA has a long history of advancing
education through aviation. This new facility
will allow us to expand those efforts.
In early November, AMA was invited to
participate in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (AOPA) Annual Summit held in
Tampa, Florida. Taking part in the convention
allowed us to meet and visit with a number of
AMA members who stopped by our booth
while attending the convention.
We also spoke with countless AOPA
members and other aviation enthusiasts. The
common theme among nearly all who stopped
by was “I used to do this (fly model
airplanes),” or “I want to try this someday.”
We had an area set up to fly some small
electric models across from our booth and
several former modelers who stopped to watch
remarked about how much things have
changed from the modeling they remembered.
In addition to the convention center, there
were outdoor activities held at the nearby Peter
O. Knight Airport. These activities included a
large aircraft display, vendor booths, and an
opportunity for visitors to take an introductory
flight in a light airplane.
AOPA provided AMA a large hangar
where AMA District V Vice President Tony
Stillman and one of AMA’s local chartered
clubs, the Tampa RC Aircraft Club (TRAC),
organized indoor flying demonstrations
throughout the convention.
The Southern Aces Airshow Team
provided a number of RC flight simulators, and
Dr. Gordon Schimmel, with the help of dozens
of members of TRAC, organized an AMA
Make-and-Take event that introduced kids
(and some adults) to model aviation.
High winds throughout the weekend
canceled the outdoor RC flying demonstrations
that had been planned. All of the AOPA staff
members were incredibly accommodating,
which made AMA’s attendance a positive and
valuable experience for our organization.
The AMA Expo, in Ontario, California, is
coming soon. The Expo will be held at the
Ontario Convention Center on January 8-10,
2010. Many new and exciting features have
been added to this year’s event.
For the first time, the Expo will feature a
number of speakers who will share stories
about their careers and how model aviation
played a role in choosing their career paths.
Planned speakers include Hoot Gibson, former
Space Shuttle astronaut and member of the
Astronauts Hall of Fame; Jon Sharp, pilot,
designer, and builder of the Nemesis NXT
Racer; Captain Tom Huff, Navy test pilot and
Naval Test Wing Commander; Dan Kreigh,
senior structural engineer at Scaled
Composites; and AMA Hall of Fame member
Burt Rutan, designer and builder of
SpaceShipOne, the first private, manned
vehicle to fly into space and return.
If you attend the Expo, stop by the AMA
booth and say hello. MA
See you next time.
Dave Mathewson
AMA president
president@modelaircraft.org
January 2010 5
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