Education Through Aviation - 2015/06

I received some
nice feedback
about my column
referencing Ernie
Banks and our
pursuit of fun.
Apparently, it
resonated with
a few people,
so we’ll stay with that subject for a
while.
Please keep one thing in mind:
a theme that I’ve tried to include
in each month’s column is the fact
that things change. I’ve repeatedly
challenged all of you to accept change,
and if you think back not so many
years ago, you might remember that
helicopters were a concern to many.
Today, they’re a huge part of our
activities.
Now the multirotors are here, as
well as articles in major publications
titled, “Here Come the Drones” and
“Look Who’s Watching You.” We hear
of many modelers resisting the latest
“new” thing in the industry. You really
don’t think it stops with multirotors,
do you?
There are, no doubt, fun things
headed our way that haven’t even
been thought of yet. The sUAS
community is like the rest of us—
fascinated with the latest thing. It’s
simply a different thing.
A turning point for AMA was its
decision to embrace the multirotor
community. After all, who better to
represent and educate these new pilots
than an organization boasting nearly
80 years of safe operations?
Dave Mathewson, AMA executive
director, has repeatedly said, “No
modeler left behind.” Clearly, that
includes the sUAS community. Our
choice was clear and, in my opinion,
we chose well.
We could have continued to
see news reports of individuals
doing outrageous things with their
multirotors on the evening news, but
AMA decided to embrace them, invite
them to join our community, and
show them how to have fun safely. It’s
happening. Yes, it’s a change. Reread
paragraph two—things change.
One major change is that through
the Noticed of Proposed Rulemaking
released in February, it’s clear that
model aviation will survive as we used
to know it. That’s a great thing, and
there will be commercial operations
of sUAS taking place in the future
through the eventual adoption of
Part 107. I don’t want to get into
all of the numbers and dates. AMA
Government and Regulatory Affairs
Director Rich Hanson does a fantastic
job with that each and every day.
What I want to point out is how
AMA embraces the multirotor
community. The Know Before You
Fly program (www.knowbeforeyoufly.
org) is a fantastic collaborative effort
of organizational, industry, and
governmental partners. Its content
is perfect for the first look at safe
operations.
What the AMA Education
department has done is added
“Learn sUAS” to AMA Flight
School (www.
amaflightschool.
org). We’ve
partnered with
Fly Robotics,
a company that
employs a group
of pilots who have
unmatched experience
and credentials in the
UAV and sUAS world,
to provide a number
of sUAS specific
resources. This was
necessary to provide
this community with the
best available information, especially
as it relates to safe aircraft operations!
At the end of the day, the real value
that Fly Robotics will bring to the
AMA is that it is made up of AMA
members and is 100% behind our
organization.
Now, back to how different people
have fun. Here is a response to my
column about Ernie Banks that I
thought you would enjoy. Although
these pilots fly Discus Launch Gliders
(DLGs), they also appreciate the
value of exercise! Fun has all kinds of
appearances!
“What a great piece of writing!
This article summarized so well my
pleasure and enjoyment I derive from
my model aviation activity. Despite
being retired, I’m busier now than
when I had to go to that place we
called ‘the office’ and do something
we called ‘work.’
“Not having ‘work’ today gave me
time to help find a few precious places
to fly gliders, do education outreach
using model aviation to support STEM
[science, technology, engineering,
and math], and scratch-build a couple
DLGs.
“A few of us retirees are finding
DLG flying very convenient for parks
and schoolyards we have available,
need no launching equipment, get
some exercise without having to go to
a gym, and enjoy long battery life. Our
community prohibits model airplanes
(motorized by definition) from
schoolyards and parks, but permits
gliders/sailplanes because they are
unmotorized.
“In association with our club, South
Bay Soaring Society, we collaborate
with our parks and recreation
department, presenting hands-on
model aviation presentations at
science camps and classes, as well
as offering free RC flying lessons to
anyone of any age. This isn’t work—
it’s happiness!”
—Noel Eberhardt
Cupertino, California
South Bay Soaring Society
Fly and have fun!