In the air - 2012/06

AMPS Awards Academic
Scholarship
On Saturday, March 17,
2012, the Aero Modelers of
Perrine (Miami) Academic
Scholarship Committee
(AMPS) selected Dianelys
Espinosa as the fi rst recipient
of the club’s $1,000 AMPS
Scholarship. Dianelys will
be attending Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University in Daytona
Beach, Florida. She will begin her
studies in Aeronautical Engineering
this coming fall, while also playing
college softball.
Dianelys is expected to graduate
from G. Holmes Braddock Senior
High School with a 5.0 GPA, many
honors, and advanced-placement
courses, in addition to an impressive
number of community service
hours. She has been involved with
several organizations such as Youth
Against Domestic Violence, Special
Olympics, and Interact. Her record
as a softball player is as extensive as her
academic credentials and has taken her
as far as Colorado and North Carolina.
Three fi nalists were selected from all
the applications received. The selection
committee met with the graduating
seniors and each student made a brief
presentation followed by a questionand-
answer session. Vicar Hernandez,
AMPS president, commented that
the committee’s job was not easy
because each applicant had an
excellent academic record and engaging
personality.
The Aero Modelers of Perrine was
founded in 1959 and is dedicated to
the promotion and education of model
aviation. In an effort to continue its
community service tradition, the AMPS
AMA Thanks Its
Lifetime Supporters!
The Academy recently welcomed
Life Members Russell Gohl, Minot
ND; Francis J. Kennedy, Poquoson
VA, and Ronald Mock, Melbourne FL.
For information about becoming
a Life Member, contact AMA
Headquarters at (800) 435-9262.
—AMA Membership Department
Membership news and updates
intheA ir
has established an annual academic
scholarship that is intended to help a
Miami-Dade County graduating senior
pursue a college degree in math or
science, with special consideration given
to students in the aviation/aeronautics
fi eld.
To learn more about the Aero
Modelers of Perrine, visit the club’s
website at www.amps-rc.com.
—Vicar Hernandez
Recycling Batteries
Have your batteries lost the ability
to charge, fl own their last fl ight, or
failed midair? If so, don’t toss them
in the trash. Help preserve our planet
for future modelers and recycle your
batteries for free!
from AMA Headquarters Air
Top: AMPS president, Vicar Hernandez,
congratulates Dianelys Espinosa on becoming the
• rst recipient of the $1,000 Aero Modelers of Perrine
Academic Scholarship.
Bottom: The three • nalists were (L-R) Michael
Castaño, Dianelys Espinosa, and Elvis Payano.
Call2Recycle, a
rechargeable battery and
cellular phone collection
program, accepts NiMH,
Li-Ion, LiPo, and Ni-Cd
batteries weighing up to
11 pounds at more than
30,000 collection centers
across the US and Canada.
Simply visit the program’s
website, www.call2recycle.org, and
enter a ZIP code to fi nd a collection
center near you. If you don’t have
Internet access, call (877) 273-2925.
Drop-off centers are located at
corporate offi ces, healthcare facilities,
manufacturers, military bases, and
at major retailers such as The Home
Depot, Lowe’s, Staples, RadioShack,
and Best Buy.
All batteries intended to be
recycled must be individually bagged
to ensure that the terminals cannot
touch. Puffed battery packs can be
recycled, as long as the structural
integrity has been maintained, the
terminals are protected, and the
packs are bagged, said Kellen Jahn,
marketing specialist for Call2Recycle.
Other batteries not used by model
airplanes, such as Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn)
and Small Sealed Lead (SSLA/Pb), also
can be dropped off at the collection
centers. Recyclable Ni-Zn batteries are
commonly found in cordless power
tools, lawn and garden tools, fl ashlights,
and cordless telephones. Mobility
scooters, fi re emergency devices, and
emergency exit signs use SSLA/Pb
batteries.
The recycled batteries are used to
create materials, such as new batteries
and stainless steel products.
The program is operated by the
Rechargeable Battery Recycling
Corporation (RBRC), and funded
through the rechargeable
battery and portable
electronic
product
industry, which
pays a licensing
fee to use
Call2Recycle’s
battery recycling
seals.
—Rachelle Haughn
Copy Editor
Bill
Hershberger
way in March 2012, at the age of 95.
Inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s 1927
 ight across the Atlantic Ocean, Bill
became an avid modeler. In 1944, he
designed a single-tube receiver and a
transmitter used to convert a FF model
to RC.
Following World War II, Bill became
a technical of cer with the Voice of
America, serving in Africa, the Middle
East, and Europe. Returning from
Europe in 1955, he was stationed
near Washington D.C. and became
a welcomed
contributor to the
relatively new RC
hobby.
In 1984,
Bill joined the
AMA Frequency
Committee that
was focusing on the transition of
RC frequencies from wideband to
narrowband. Bill devised the procedure
to evaluate the performance of RC
transmitters; his work became the
foundation of AMA’s Gold Sticker
Program.
In 1992, an FCC proposal threatened
the use of the 72 MHz frequencies for
RC models. AMA expressed opposition
and was invited by the FCC to conduct
testing to provide empirical data to
support the AMA’s position.
A report, Experimental Evaluation
of 72 MHz and Mobile Operation
on RC Model Aircraft, by William
O. Hershberger, George Steiner, and
Warren Plohr, con rmed that a 10 kHz
separation between frequencies was
necessary to avoid harm to the RC
hobby. The FCC retained the 10 kHz
separation requested by AMA.
In recognition of his contributions, Bill
was awarded an AMA Fellowship, and
in 2009 was inducted into the Model
Aviation Hall of Fame.
To see his full biography, visit www.
modelaircraft.org.
—Chris Brooks
Public Relations and Development
Director
Unknown Helicopter
This helicopter, shown below, has
been in the National Model Aviation
Museum since before 1998. That is all
we know about it. If you have more
information, please contact Maria
VanVreede at [email protected]
or call (765) 287-1256, extension 508.
Thank you!
—National Model Aviation
Museum St
Aviation Hall of Fame, died March 2, 2012. He
was instrumental in the FCC’s approval of a
10 kHz separation between frequencies. This
photo was taken in 2010.