2007 Scholarship Recipients
Since 1970, the Academy of Model Aeronautics has provided scholarships to young men and women seeking to continue their education in colleges and universities. The primary awards are presented through the Charles Hampson Grant scholarships.
In 2007, six individuals received a portion of the $35,000 Charles Hampson Grant awards. These monies came from a variety of sources including gifts, memorials, and the AMA general fund.
- The top Charles Hampson Grant winner also receives an award provided by the Toledo Weak Signals from monies generated by the club's annual trade show and exposition. This year the Weak Signals contributed $2,500.
- The Sig award, a memorial in honor of the late Glenn Sigafoose presented by Hazel Sig-Hester and Sig Manufacturing Company, is given based on financial need and aeromodeling activity. This year's Sig scholarship was $3,500.
- The new Telford Scholarship, honoring the late Cliff Telford, is based on participation in competition activity in the AMA and FAI classifications, including national and world-class competition. This year the Telford award was $5,000.
This year, 14 applicants met the established criteria and were considered by the committee. Evaluated by a four-member committee, the applicants are rated in several major areas including grade average, test results, school and community activities, and modeling activities. High achievement in all categories is important for the maximum amount of scholarship awarded.
Again this year, the committee members were extremely close in their evaluations. Six students received awards and a total of $46,000 was awarded.
The students' planned majors include:
- Chemistry and mathematics
- Mechanical engineering
- Commercial aviation
- Architecture
- Business
Information regarding applications may be obtained from Jack Frost at AMA Headquarters or from the AMA Education website at http://www.modelaircraft.org/education.aspx.
Ryan Naccarato
Ryan Naccarato of Burbank, California, is the recipient of an $8,500 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship, a $5,000 Telford Scholarship, and a $2,500 Toledo Weak Signals Club award. He is receiving $16,000 from various scholarship programs.
Ryan graduated from John Burroughs High School with a cumulative GPA of 3.96 out of a possible 4.49.
As a Boy Scout, Ryan has volunteered many hours in his community, working at local parks, churches, museums, and wildlife reserves, and he recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He has taken part in Odyssey of the Mind, an international program providing creative problem-solving opportunities, and received first place regionally. Additionally, Ryan participated for two years in Mathematical Modeling, where teams use mathematical modeling to solve real-world problems.
Ryan is the son of Tony Naccarato Jr. and grandson of Addie Mae Naccarato, both well-known aeromodelers. He is a member of the Black Sheep Squadron (originally the Black Sheep Exhibitionists), founded by his father. As a member, Ryan has taught at schools and flown demonstrations at shows such as the AMA Convention. He enjoys flying all types of models from RC to hand-launched gliders (HLG) and especially free-flight (FF) models. "I fondly recall memories of chasing models around the desert on my motorcycle and timing them at events," Ryan wrote.
An avid competitor, Ryan has competed since 1995 in events including the United States FF Championships, the Navy Carrier Society's Carrier Championships, and the Black Sheep FF Championships. He holds two Indoor HLG national records (the first when he was 9 years old) and took two first places in CL Navy Carrier at the 2004 Nats.
While a full-time student, Ryan worked at his father's hobby shop, T & A Hobby Lobby, and spent summers as a CAD operator at a manufacturing company in Los Angeles.
Ryan plans to attend the University of California, Davis, intending to double major in chemistry and mathematics with the goal of becoming an anesthesiologist.
Congratulations and good luck at the University of California!
Nathan Rice
Nathan Rice of Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, is the recipient of a $7,500 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship. He graduated from Penns Valley Area Junior/High School as one of 11 valedictorians with a 4.0 GPA.
Nathan was involved in the National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, Technology Student Association (TSA), and the F1 in Schools program. Through TSA, Nathan competed in Flight Endurance and earned third place at the state level. He also competed in CAD Animation Engineering 3D and earned first place in the national competition in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the F1 in Schools competition, Nathan served as a design and manufacturing engineer on a five-person team. His team placed second and earned Judges' Choice at the state competition and placed fourth at the national level. "This was our school's first year in the program," Nathan wrote. "I think we did pretty good!"
Nathan played clarinet in the concert band, baritone sax in the jazz band, and has played piano since third grade. He volunteers annually for his church's Harrisburg Service Retreat and participates in many club demonstrations.
Joining AMA in 2003 after a demonstration by the State College Radio Control Club (SCRC), Nathan became hooked on RC flight. He is now part of SCRC and participates in demonstrations. A strong interest in helicopters led him to learn to fly his Century Hawk Sport 30. For his high school graduation project, Nathan assembled a Great Planes Ultra Sport 40 Plus from a kit and continues to fly it and other models; his favorite is a Miniature Aircraft X-Cell Pro graphite 60. He is building an airplane in CAD based on the Jack Barns Racer (featured in the September 2005 MA).
Nathan has worked in housing construction and as a CAD draftsman for Nittany Engineering & Associates, LLC.
He plans to attend Pennsylvania State University in the architecture program (one of only 75 students accepted each year).
Congratulations, Nathan! AMA wishes you the best.
Brian Gilkey
Brian Gilkey of Sterling Heights, Michigan, is the recipient of a $5,000 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship and a $1,750 Sig Memorial Scholarship, totaling $6,750 from the AMA Scholarship Program. Brian graduated magna cum laude from Adlai E. Stevenson High School.
Extracurricular activities were a significant part of Brian’s high school career. He played football and baseball, and traveled with the school marching band to perform at events including the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade, Disney World, and Carnegie Hall. The band also took part in the City of Romeo’s Peach Festival/Memorial Day Parade.
Brian performed community service through the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST), Meals on Wheels, and church-affiliated groups assisting the homeless. Through Boy Scouts, he organized and collected for canned food drives.
Brian has held several jobs since age 12, including babysitting, yard work, and serving as equipment assistant for the Great Lakes Sweet Adeline Chorus. His first regular job was writing for a national modeling magazine; he co-wrote the monthly “Combat Ribbons” column in RC Report with his dad.
He interned in the engineering department of TRW Automotive as a design/engineering systems intern and worked at Wendy’s, an experience he says taught him teamwork.
Modeling has been part of Brian’s life since age six. He began building AMA Cubs and other FF designs, then progressed to gliders and rubber-powered models. He enjoys designing and building his own models. At age 8 he soloed in RC and has since competed in fun-flys, aerobatic contests, and RC Combat, including Nats events in RC Combat Open and Scale categories, earning first- and second-place finishes.
Brian plans to attend Kettering University to study mechanical engineering.
AMA wishes you well, Brian, and congratulations!
Nathan Bush
Nathan Bush of Milan, Illinois, is the recipient of a $6,000 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship. The son of Steve and Julie Bush, Nathan has substantial aviation experience.
Nathan graduated with academic honors from Alleman Catholic High School, making the Honor Roll and Principal’s List and serving in the National Honor Society. He ran track and cross-country, receiving a Most Improved Award and serving as team captain for a year.
Demonstrating leadership, Nathan served as president, vice president, and secretary of the Rockridge Royals 4-H Club, was a student ambassador for his high school, table leader for his junior retreat, and core leader for the Saint Maria Goretti Youth Group.
He has been active in many community and religious organizations including Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Teens Encounter Christ, Walk on Water Youth Ministries, and Vacation Bible School. Nathan has received numerous awards, served as a peer justice juror, participated in food drives and Habitat for Humanity, and served as altar server at Saint Maria Goretti Church.
Nathan has worked as a snowboard instructor and landscaper. He is a member of his local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter and served as an intern and camp counselor—one of only two interns selected nationwide. Through the EAA, he received flight and ground school training.
Inspired by his World War II pilot grandfather, Nathan’s first airplane was a kit rubber-band-powered Super Cub purchased at age 10. He has built numerous models since, including a detailed conversion of a FF P-51 Mustang into an RC model as a 4‑H project; the Mustang won a Superior rating and Best of Show at county and state levels and was placed on display at the Illinois state capitol.
Nathan soloed in full-scale flight in November 2005 and earned his Private Pilot’s License on June 28, 2006, at age 17. He will attend the University of North Dakota to study commercial aviation.
“AMA and model airplanes have helped make me who I am,” Nathan wrote. “They have deepened my knowledge of flight, inspired my passion for aviation, taught me to be a safe pilot, and inspired my dream to pursue a career in commercial aviation.”
Congratulations, Nathan! AMA wishes you the best of luck at the University of North Dakota.
Timothy Spath
Timothy (Tim) Spath of Hilton, New York, is the recipient of a $4,000 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship and a $1,750 Sig Memorial Scholarship, for a total of $5,750. Tim is the son of Todd and Carol Spath.
A graduate of Hilton High School, Tim was a scholar-athlete in the top 10% of his class with a GPA of 95.52 out of 100. He participated in junior varsity track, varsity cross-country, and varsity swimming, as well as Ski Club and Stage Crew. He was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior and maintained membership through his senior year.
Tim participated in Science Olympiad’s Wright Stuff competition, which required building a free-flight device to compete for the greatest time aloft. He competed multiple times with airplanes built from plans and original designs.
In addition to scholastic accomplishments, Tim contributed to community service and worked a part-time job. He helped raise money for the Rotary Club, volunteered at a marathon aid station, rang the Salvation Army bell, and took part in public functions through the local school district. He maintained a 20-hour-per-week job at the local public library and also worked splitting wood, selling ice cream, and doing CNC programming to profile and drill circuit boards.
From a family of modelers, Tim has been modeling since age 10. His father, grandfather, sister, two uncles, and two cousins are or have been AMA members. He has scratch-built gliders including a wire-cut foam wing and several RC electric and glow-powered kits. Tim is designing and building a profile Hawker Hurricane and has begun work on a brushless electric motor to power the aircraft.
Tim plans to attend Rochester Institute of Technology in the Honors Program to study mechanical engineering. “The introduction this hobby has given me in structures and control systems,” Tim wrote, “is an interest that I feel will last for the rest of my life.”
Best of luck in all you do, Timothy. Congratulations.
Patrick Bayer
Patrick Bayer of Cincinnati, Ohio, is the recipient of a $4,000 Charles Hampson Grant Scholarship. He attended Summit Country Day School, graduating with honors and a GPA of 3.875 out of 4.2.
Patrick was active in sports, running cross-country and track (earning varsity letters and Most Valuable Runner awards) and playing basketball for three years (earning a varsity letter and the Hustle Award). He tutored underclassmen through the National Honor Society.
He also made time for employment and community service. Through Stepping Stones, he worked with mentally handicapped children and adults, taught underprivileged kids the basics of golf via the Tony Yates Golf Program, volunteered at a local nursing home, and helped with recycling around his school. Patrick did landscaping and upkeep on rental properties, worked as a lifeguard, taught swim lessons, and helped at a YMCA summer camp.
Modeling has been a significant part of Patrick’s life. He joined AMA at age 7 with his father, Larry; his first model was a Sturdy Birdy. At age 12 he bought a foam cutter and started making kits for a popular combat model, the Gremlin, which he sold to club members. When the Gremlin fad passed, he began designing and building unique models. As a member of the Greater Cincinnati Radio Control Club, Patrick participated in the club’s Flying Circus and Kid’s Fly Charity Event.
Patrick will attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, planning to major in business and sports management. “Modeling is a large part of my life and has taught me many things,” Patrick wrote, “especially the truth that ‘with hard work anything is possible.’”
Congratulations, Patrick, and good luck in all you do.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
