A new day for the AMA
Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
As I stood in front of a crowd of people at the 2008 AMA Convention in California, I thought, "Maybe it is a new day for the AMA."
I am fortunate to be able to hang around with some of the best 3-D pilots in the world and watch them do their thing. Although my love for 3-D is probably equal to theirs, I don't think I will ever be in the same league as far as flying skill goes. I have always said that my ability to run my mouth far exceeds my ability to fly 3-D.
I was pondering this while Dave Mathewson, our new AMA president, introduced the AMA All Star Team. There was Quique Somenzini, Mark Leseberg, Andrew Jesky, and Nick Maxwell, and they were all in yellow AMA All Star shirts, standing in a line while Dave described the newly formed team. The thing I found hard to comprehend was that I was in the same line and wearing the same shirt as these heavy hitters of RC.
Dave spoke, and then Mark Leseberg went up to the microphone and said a few words, and then Andrew Jesky did the same. At that point I realized that I was about to be speaking in front of a large group of people at an AMA Convention.
Let's face it: I come from the fringy side of RC. How would these people react to my stepping up and saying what I had to say? And what would I say? I had no idea, but it was almost my turn.
Disconnected
I have been a member of the AMA since I started in the hobby. At first I didn't consider what that membership meant, but I soon found the web forums. I would wander into an AMA section and read the hot topics and heated debates taking place, and I began to consider my place in the organization.
Shortly after I started flying, I jumped into 3-D and I soon realized that maybe the AMA wasn't supportive of the way I flew. At first it was hard to understand; how could a large group of RC pilots be so against a part of the hobby that was not only rekindling excitement but also attracting a new generation to flying?
It soon became obvious that many longtime AMA members did not necessarily understand 3-D. It seemed that some AMA upper brass called us "1 percenters" because theoretically we represented 1% of the hobby—not a welcoming relegation!
Now I monitor almost every RC forum on a daily basis and attend many of the major RC trade shows and events. I regularly talk with my group of local pilots, and the topic almost always turns to the AMA at some point.
Many of us haven't felt connected to the AMA or to the people who govern it. An AMA membership has been something we had to have, but as an organization it hasn't been something we felt that we were a part of or could relate to.
The Doors Open
Approximately three years ago at the Weak Signals show in Toledo, Ohio, I met a district vice president of the AMA: Dave Mathewson. We talked about a new 3-D rule that had just been passed and discussed RC in general. I walked away feeling like I had just met a fellow RC enthusiast who was open and ready to communicate.
Soon I started hearing about an AMA vice president who was attending 3-D funflys and Pro Bro events. Mark T. Smith kept showing up at 3-D gatherings, and Dave Mathewson and I sat down and talked at every event we attended together.
This was the first time I ever felt connected to the AMA. Instead of being just a large association, the AMA was a real thing to me, with real people, and these particular people accepted the way I chose to fly.
A lot of time has passed since those days. The 3-D pilots around the world continue to multiply and expand this part of the hobby, and 3-D can be seen at every event; it is the main event at many outdoor and indoor fun-fly events across the U.S. and around the world.
Lucky for us, things have changed in a big way; the "pond has turned over," as I like to say, and I'm very happy about it. It is good for 3-D pilots, but more importantly it is good for the hobby.
A New Day
This hobby is all about innovations and changes that move it forward and make it exciting. I am astounded more often than not lately by the ages of some of the hot, new pilot-fliers in their teens and some younger than that.
That is a great thing for the hobby, and it should give us all a warm and fuzzy feeling that long after we are gone, people like us will still be out there flying and trying new things. The future RC generations will be as excited about new technologies and flight styles as we are today.
I have realized that one day we will be the old guard, and the youngsters with their nuclear-powered, eight-dimension, swizzle-stick airplanes will scoff at our ancient flying techniques. When that happens, I hope I can appreciate that the hobby is evolving and moving forward.
I don't know if everyone has noticed the radical changes that have taken place in the AMA in a relatively short time. A good example is that you are reading my column in this magazine on a regular basis now—something I would have never imagined.
We have a new AMA president for the first time in years. We have AMA officers who are open to current flying styles and airplane types. We have a new editor of Model Aviation who is expanding the magazine to cover new flying styles and events.
The fact that all of the AMA All Star Team members are 3-D pilots should give us a clue to the Academy's thoughts about this once-frowned-upon part of the hobby. The AMA has grown beyond many of its old limitations and is opening its arms to embrace the way we fly and build today.
3-D is just the canary in the coal mine, but that bird is chirping happily now. I think there are exciting times ahead for all of us.
When I walked up to the podium, I looked out at the people and these words came out of my mouth: "Hello, I'm Jim T. Graham; I am a hard-core 3-D profile airplane addict."
A few years ago those words might have incited an entirely different reaction, but on this day people were clapping and cheering. Jay Mealy, the show director, said, "Wow, you really had them going!" I was stunned.
If we can take that cheering as an indicator of what's to come, it really is a new day with the AMA.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
