View From HQ
There is never enough time, but every journey begins with that first step.
The flying site is calming down now that the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are falling. The Nats are history and all the trophies are hanging on a wall or sitting on a mantel somewhere.
The memories and photos are all we have to remind us of the summer of 2008. One of these great experiences was the AMA Host/Hostess program and some new friends I made.
Richard and Marilyn Ferguson from Tampa, Florida, were June’s “keepers of the AMA National Flying Site,” and Errol and Claudette Link from Kansas were May’s couple. George and Jo Joy from Arizona held down the fort during the month of July. As of this writing, we are waiting for Ron and Kay Tibbetts from Cincinnati, Ohio, to show up and take care of the site during August.
These people volunteer an entire month to help watch over the Muncie flying site. Providing their own lodging in the form of RVs, the Academy gives them on-site transportation, the recognizable AMA blue Host and Hostess T-shirts, and some well-deserved pats on the back.
While I’m writing about this program, the phrase “there are no strangers in the world, just friends we haven’t met yet” comes to mind. At the beginning of the month, strangers arrive on site and by the end of the month we’re saying goodbye to our friends.
Keeping an eye on 1,100 acres on a 24/7 basis is fraught with experiences and rewards. If you want some great stories about the AMA National Flying Site, take one of the couples out for dinner sometime.
Each morning as we tackle the E-mails, we receive at least two or three “I lost my membership card. Please send me another one” requests.
Having generated one of these E-mails myself by leaving my membership card on another flying site that was too far from home to make a return trip, one of my flying buddies gave me some good advice. Simply stated, he said: “Scan your AMA card into the computer when you first get it in December. Then print out a dozen of them and put them in your flight box. You can leave the duplicates all over the place and still have the original safe at home.”
I never had to call the AMA again for a lost card.
It’s election time at the AMA with one nationwide position, that of executive vice president, open and several district vice president races on the ballot. I encourage you to read the campaign statements that will be included in your membership renewal notices. Ask questions and make an informed decision about whom to support.
I continue to be amazed at the low response rate for AMA elections. It is important to the future of the Academy that the membership becomes involved in this election process.
Sadly, this July we lost a longtime staff member and her husband in a motorcycle accident. Jeannie Howard had worked in the Membership Department since the AMA moved from Reston, Virginia, to Muncie, Indiana. She was a part of the AMA family and team, and she will be missed.
As we approach the holiday season and Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s time to look back at 2008. Did you do what you wanted to during the year? Did you build that airplane or master that helicopter? Were you able to help out with the club or help a newbie?
It’s not too late. You still have time to make that difference, whether it’s your personal project or helping another. There is never enough time, but every journey begins with that first step.
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry Executive Director jcherry@modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
