AMA News: View from HQ-2012/11

AMA’s membership
numbers have
been trending
up for the better
part of 2012. It’s
safe to say that
we will end the
year with our
first membership
increase in nearly
10 years. This is good news and I
want to thank our members for their
continued support.
AMA works hard to provide the
level of services and benefits that our
members expect and that help ensure
their continued enjoyment of model
aviation.
The other good news is that we
have recovered the significant loss
we have sustained in the last decade
in our number of Youth members.
Between 2002 and 2010, AMA lost
52% of its Youth members. Because
of the hard work of our Education
and Marketing departments, and
our partnerships with organizations
such as the EAA, Civil Air Patrol,
Youth Aviation Adventure, and the
education wing of the FAA, we have
erased those losses.
AMA believes that aeromodeling
is the perfect stepping stone for
young people to careers in aviation
and aerospace. There’s a concerning
trend in this country that has seen
the average age of a NASA aerospace
engineer rise from roughly 28 years
old during the Apollo Space Program
to more than 53 years old today.
AMA members and clubs are in
a position to reach out to young
people and become the pipeline for
the next generation of engineers this
country so desperately needs. It’s
these young people who will help the
US maintain its role as the leading
nation in the world when it comes to
aviation and aerospace technology.
In my September 2012 column in
Model Aviation I wrote about an
editorial that appeared in Hobby
Merchandiser magazine written
by Dennis McFarlane. Hobby
Merchandiser is a trade magazine
for the hobby industry. Dennis was
discussing experiences new modelers
had when they visited a local club
flying site. His concern was that, in
some cases, these new modelers left
the site feeling less than welcome.
I was completely surprised by the
response I received from that column.
On the downside, the majority of the
responses related a bad experience
that someone had when they first
became interested in model aviation
or, in some cases, when someone
relocated to an area and was
searching out a new club.
On the positive side, I also received
a number of emails from members
who wanted to tell me about their
clubs and the positive things they
were doing to welcome new people.
We have a number of clubs that
recognize the value in gaining new
members and are doing their best to
increase their numbers.
I also received a number of emails
from members saying they intended
to do more in the way of outreach
to potential new members. I think
this bodes well, not only for the
club, but also for model aviation and
AMA. Thanks to everyone for doing
their part to help grow the ranks of
aeromodelers.
Please take a moment to read Rich
Hanson’s government relations
column on page 15. The FAA’s effort
to create regulation for the operation
of small unmanned aircraft systems
(sUAS) in the National Airspace
System (NAS) continues.
The proposed rule has been
undergoing an internal review
since September 2011, and it’s
doubtful that a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) will be
published before this year’s national
elections.
However, this is still a critical
concern for aeromodelers and it’s
important that we stay as informed
as possible concerning the impending
rule and be prepared to respond
when the NPRM is released.
AMA renewal notices are in the mail
and most of us will have received
ours by now. Included with your
renewal notice is the annual election
ballot. There is no national election
this year and district elections are
taking place in II, IV, VI, VIII, and
X. Additionally, a special election
is taking place in District III fill the
vacancy created when Bob Brown was
elected AMA president.
Campaign statements for the
candidates can be found beginning
on page 140 of the October 2012
issue of MA or on the AMA
website at www.modelaircraft.org/
membersonly/2012campaignstmt.
aspx. If you live in a district where
an election is being held, please take
a moment to read the statements
and vote for the candidate of your
choice to represent you on the AMA
Executive Council.
Election ballots include prepaid
postage so you can mark your
choice and drop the card into the
mail or return it to AMA with your
membership renewal form. Ballots
need to be postmarked by November
9, 2012.
See you next time …