District VI—Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri
Randy Cameron Vice President
[email protected] 2134 S. Hillcrest Ave., Springfield MO 65807 Tel.: (417) 830-9211 www.amadistrict-vi.org
National Model Aviation Day is scheduled to take place on August 17. I hope your club will want to participate. AMA suggests that clubs have a fly-in or fun-fly and invite the community to come out and try buddy-box flying. AMA also would like these events to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. In addition to being a fun event for your club, it is a great way to get involved in your community. We need to do what we can to improve our relationships with our communities. Many clubs already do a great job with fundraising events for national and local charities and with community involvement. Such events can go a long way toward helping keep flying sites.
We hope for local and national recognition for National Model Aviation Day, so get involved. Sign up your club to participate if it hasn’t already been registered at www.modelaircraft.org/nmad.aspx.
April was a busy month. It began with the Toledo R/C Expo. I enjoyed working at the AMA booth, speaking with many members, and seeing some familiar District VI members and many new ones. I met Mitchell Baker, the District VI RC contest coordinator, along with several SIG officers. The month ended at the Executive Council meeting at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana.
The Southern Indiana Flying Eagles from Seymour, Indiana, recently had an indoor static display open to the public. Held at the Seymour Public Library, the event was a success and allowed the public to see RC aircraft equipment and get stick time on an RC simulator. It was advertised on the local radio station and in flyers, and the display drew a steady crowd all day. The library invited the group to use the central lobby display case this year to draw attention to the event. Local newspaper staff wrote an article about the club, expanding the coverage from a small paragraph to a full-page article, complete with photos.
Program of the Month: Leader Club Award
AMA recognizes clubs that are leaders in the hobby. This is not a difficult award to achieve and is recommended if your club intends to apply for a flying site improvement grant. There are six required activities:
- AMA-chartered club for a minimum of five years.
- Club membership is open to all AMA members and is not limited to a certain number.
- Club has developed and posted safety and operational rules at its flying site.
- Club has filed a copy of safety and operational rules at AMA Headquarters.
- Flying field has separate areas for fliers and spectators, clearly marked as such.
- The AMA Safety Code is posted and visible at the club field.
There are additional electives for a club to qualify as a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Leader club. Nine are required for Gold, six for Silver, and three for Bronze:
- Club has implemented and enforces a frequency control plan that allows all 50 RC channels to be used at its club flying site where RC is allowed.
- Club has implemented an AMA Adopt-A-School program or donates a Model Aviation magazine subscription to schools or libraries.
- Club conducts a review of the AMA Safety Code at a club meeting at least once a year.
- Club sponsors an annual public event, such as a mall show, flying show, or demonstration.
- Club monitors noise levels and/or institutes club field rules, such as a requirement that models be operated at a maximum of 90 dB at 9 feet.
- Club has created an informational handout and provides it to the general public.
- Club participates in charity programs or public fundraising events.
- Club has a formal lease or agreement for use of its flying site or owns its site.
- Club participates in the AMA Introductory Pilot Program or has its own instruction program.
Additional information and the application can be found on the AMA’s website at www.modelaircraft.org/files/708.pdf. Celebrating National Model Aviation Day will cover at least one elective.
Happy flying!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
