District II - 2010/12
Red Bull over Manhattan
RED BULL is a household name today. AMA has been cultivating a relationship with Red Bull, initially through the efforts of Bill Oberdieck, AMA’s District VII vice president, AMA Assistant Editor Jay Smith, and most recently with AMA’s Marketing Director Jeff Nance. Because of this, AMA was invited to become one of the select few vendors to participate in the Red Bull over Manhattan full-scale race last June.
With the help of several associate vice presidents (AVPs) and club members, we staffed the booth with two flight simulators, and Jeff Phillips and his AMA RadioActive Air Show Team brought their air-conditioned trailer with two additional flight simulators. We had a Make‑N‑Take for assembling and coloring balsa gliders for the kids, giving away almost 4,000 of them at the event, and promoted model aviation as a family activity in the New York City area. Our new AMA Education Director, Bill Pritchett, was very enthused with the outcome. I want to thank everyone who took the time to help make this a great event!
Wellsville Area Small Plane Society (WASPS)
Many clubs have an AMA liaison-type person. John Tucker is that guy for the Wellsville Area Small Plane Society, affectionately called the WASPS. This relatively small but generally harmonious club is very active in its community.
Their activities include:
- A community canned-food drive in December
- A static display and flying demo at the local airport in July for the community
- A fun-fly for the area clubs
- A static display in March at the local library
This club is rich in community outreach and it pays off. The WASPS' field is a local reclaimed refuse site. John, who has an interesting wit, sent along this joke: "Two old 72 MHz antennas got married. The ceremony was lousy but the reception was excellent!"
Leader Members and Liaisons
On the topic of AMA liaisons, AMA Leader Members are—or should be—just that. AVP Eric Williams is working with regional clubs in the Albany, New York, area to ensure that each has at least one Leader Member.
Being a Leader Member means you are the go-to person when it comes to the dissemination of AMA information and programs. You are our eyes and ears at the local level, working with your AVP and me.
Leader Members are also the people AMA depends on to ratify any AMA bylaws changes that the Executive Council recommends. Leader Members receive the EC agenda a couple of weeks before each meeting via email so they have a say in the organization. We are also looking at other ways that Leader Members can be more involved. Does your club have a Leader Member?
Closing
The year 2010 sure flew by, no pun intended. I hope you had your share of flying this year! Happy Holidays to all AMA members, and I hope you get all of your modeling-related wishes this season. I look forward to seeing you next year.
Until next month, Keep 'em Three in the Green.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
