AMA News: District IV-2007/12

CHRIS SANDERS, webmaster of the
Riverside Aero Modelers in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, submitted the following about
a club that dreamed big. This can be an
inspiration to all of us.
“The test of success is not what you do
when you’re on top. Success is how high you
bounce when you hit bottom.”
—General George S. Patton Jr.
“The Riverside Aero Modelers (RAMS)
club has been in existence since the early
1980s. Since that time the club has seen its
ups and downs. Membership and participation
has always followed suit. It wasn’t until the
last couple of years that a few members had a
much grander vision for the club: a vision that
saw the potential for excellence.
“RC clubs are analogous to our aircraft;
they all have potential and kinetic energy. Our
aircraft and clubs both soar to great heights
when the right amount of tints and effort are
invested in them.
“During the past decade our club has made
strides to keep just above the status quo. Last
year several members sat down and began
discussing goals. The goals however, were on
a much grander scale this time. We elected to
dream big. Our club had an okay Web site, a
paved runway, a concessions stand, two
shelters, and fairly nice grass (when we had
enough rain).
“That big dream entailed tackling nearly
every aspect of the aforementioned. We didn’t
start out by doing everything at once. We
started one project at a time. We began by
repairing and sealing the runway. Then we
repaired and upgraded our dilapidated
concessions area. This took a couple of
weekends but through a little sweat equity and
donations of materials we were able to knock
this out quickly.
“From there we decided we were tired of
patchy grass and chickweed ruining our field.
With a little inspiration from Joe Nall, we
decided to plant Bermuda grass. This was a
little trickier since Bermuda needs that extra
mile of preparation and care to flourish.
Before seeding we used a Bobcat to level
areas around our landing areas.
“Thanks to Phillip Grimes (who also cares
for our greens) and a few highly valued club
members who worked tirelessly to prepare,
seed, fertilize, and water the Bermuda grass
until it began to grow on its own.
“In a bit of serendipity, our greenskeeper
was able to purchase an old golf course
mower with an 18-inch reel deck. That was
huge for our club since now it only took 1-2
hours to mow as opposed to 8-10.
“The next task was putting a new face on
our club by creating a new Web site that
incorporated newer Web technology. Being
an IT professional in the graphics industry, the
new webmaster put together a clean look that
highlighted the many positive aspects of our
organization.
“Unfortunately, it was during this time that
a group of malcontents decided for
themselves that they wanted no part of the
changes despite the fact the club voted for the
changes. After much dissent, this group made
the decision to split from our club. This
resulted in a great deal of tumult and chaos
and our club reached an all-time low.
“We discovered in time however, that
once this small group departed, so did the
club’s ‘shackles of torpescence, mediocrity,
and remonstration.’ The remaining club
members banded together and set even higher
goals.
“Our primary ambition was to host our
own first annual RC swap meet, increase
membership, and recommence improvements
to our field. Within four months of our
informal summit we hosted our first annual
swap meet with great success. It was followed
by rechartering our club with the International
Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA).
“Two successful AMA sanctioned fly-ins
later, we were again met with adversity. Our
region was stricken with an abnormally long
period of drought resulting in the loss of some
of our prized greens. Luckily our club is
located in farm bottomland with a trickling
creek nearby.
“We gathered our resources, dammed the
creek, and began to water the grass section by
section. This was an arduous process because
of the sheer size of our field. Once again
serendipity visited us. One of our members
who owns a plumbing company volunteered
not only his machinery but the materials as
well, to install an irrigation/sprinkler system.
“For nearly a week, several members
showed after 5 p.m. and worked like madmen
to get our new irrigation system in place.
Trenches were dug, pipe was set, and a new
dam was built for the water reservoir. Now
that we had water, we reseeded with another
round of Bermuda grass.
“Our last task was building a new shed.
Many members banded together and donated
resources and materials to the club.
“Despite the fact the club completed some
tremendous goals it did not break the bank in
doing so. Many members from many different
occupations donated their time, money, and
resources toward the improvements. The
greatest donation, of course, was the sweat
equity provided by many generous and
enthusiastic members.
“Because of our hard work, commitment,
and diligence, the club’s flying site has
quickly evolved into a showcase field. An
even greater achievement was the coming
together of the members to boost club moral
to an all-time high. Yes, we have a wonderful
field at which to fly but the greatest reward
has been a tight fellowship of proud members.
“During the past year our club has learned
some valuable life lessons. The fruits of
achievement are sweetest when fertilized with
diligence and perseverance. Never let your
detractors distract you from your goals.
Dream big and follow through. You can
accomplish anything as long as you’re willing
to take the first step.
“Please visit www.riversiderc.com for a
continuation of our story.”
“The Charlotte Aeromodelers held its
second annual All-Electric Fly-In on June 9 at
the club’s beautiful Midland-based airfield.
“There were 26 pilots who attended for a
day of fun and getting to know the electric
part of the sport a little better. With more than
50 aircraft available to fly, the pilots were
exhausted by the day’s end.
“Raffles were sponsored by several local
hobby shops. Award plaques were given in
five categories including best glider, best
glow-to-electric conversion, best helicopter,
best foamie, and people’s choice.”
—John Metcalf
Until next time, take a kid flying