86 MODEL AVIATION
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
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.
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
A new day for the AMA
The author (L) and new AMA President Dave Mathewson hang
out at the Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In and discuss the state of RC.
District IX Vice President Mark T. Smith (L) has supported 3-D
for many years. He is shown with Quinn Coldiron—a Pro Bro and
the owner of Kalteisen Inc., which specializes in 3-D model
designs.
Mark Leseberg and the author get their new AMA All Star Team shirts.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:48 AM Page 86
Dave Mathewson, new AMA president and all-around good guy, prepares to introduce
the AMA All Star Team at AMA Convention 2008.
The AMA All Star Team gets ready to meet the people. L-R: Andrew Jesky, Mark
Leseberg, Quique Somenzini, Nick Maxwell, and the author.
Quique Somenzini, the 2007 F3A World Champion, and fellow team member and worldclass
competitor Andrew Jesky talk shop at the AMA Convention.
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 Academy 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 US
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 pilots—
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, eighthdimension,
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
May 2008 87
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:49 AM Page 87
basis—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
MA 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. MA
88 MODEL AVIATION
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 12:07 PM Page 88
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/05
Page Numbers: 86,87,88
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/05
Page Numbers: 86,87,88
86 MODEL AVIATION
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
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.
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
A new day for the AMA
The author (L) and new AMA President Dave Mathewson hang
out at the Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In and discuss the state of RC.
District IX Vice President Mark T. Smith (L) has supported 3-D
for many years. He is shown with Quinn Coldiron—a Pro Bro and
the owner of Kalteisen Inc., which specializes in 3-D model
designs.
Mark Leseberg and the author get their new AMA All Star Team shirts.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:48 AM Page 86
Dave Mathewson, new AMA president and all-around good guy, prepares to introduce
the AMA All Star Team at AMA Convention 2008.
The AMA All Star Team gets ready to meet the people. L-R: Andrew Jesky, Mark
Leseberg, Quique Somenzini, Nick Maxwell, and the author.
Quique Somenzini, the 2007 F3A World Champion, and fellow team member and worldclass
competitor Andrew Jesky talk shop at the AMA Convention.
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 Academy 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 US
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 pilots—
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, eighthdimension,
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
May 2008 87
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:49 AM Page 87
basis—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
MA 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. MA
88 MODEL AVIATION
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 12:07 PM Page 88
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/05
Page Numbers: 86,87,88
86 MODEL AVIATION
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
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.
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
A new day for the AMA
The author (L) and new AMA President Dave Mathewson hang
out at the Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In and discuss the state of RC.
District IX Vice President Mark T. Smith (L) has supported 3-D
for many years. He is shown with Quinn Coldiron—a Pro Bro and
the owner of Kalteisen Inc., which specializes in 3-D model
designs.
Mark Leseberg and the author get their new AMA All Star Team shirts.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:48 AM Page 86
Dave Mathewson, new AMA president and all-around good guy, prepares to introduce
the AMA All Star Team at AMA Convention 2008.
The AMA All Star Team gets ready to meet the people. L-R: Andrew Jesky, Mark
Leseberg, Quique Somenzini, Nick Maxwell, and the author.
Quique Somenzini, the 2007 F3A World Champion, and fellow team member and worldclass
competitor Andrew Jesky talk shop at the AMA Convention.
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 Academy 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 US
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 pilots—
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, eighthdimension,
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
May 2008 87
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 11:49 AM Page 87
basis—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
MA 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. MA
88 MODEL AVIATION
05sig3.QXD 3/25/08 12:07 PM Page 88