Education through Aviation
by Bill Pritchett, Education Director
"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." —Michael Jordan
AMA's recently established partnership with the Soaring Society of America (SSA) brings many opportunities for members of the SSA and AMA including membership growth, flight experience, and opportunities for youth.
The age to solo a sailplane is 14. I hope we soon see a coordinated continuum of aviation activities that are age appropriate for all youth. The goal is to always keep the modeling experience as one of the major activities and the perfect way to learn to design and build aircraft.
On my way to Joe Nall this year, Richard Meleady, chief operating officer (COO) of SSA, and Al Tyler, former COO, invited me to attend their event at Bermuda High School in South Carolina. Al and Richard have a history in model aviation.
There, I had a 90-minute ride with one of the greatest introductory pilots, Jay Campbell. He is the perfect person to make you immediately feel at ease, yet he is incredibly thorough in his preflight inspections. During the tow (and for that matter the entire flight), Jay described exactly what was going on and why. He gave me some stick time, and similar to a beginner with a transmitter, I overcontrolled at first. The airplane we were in, a Duo Discus, only needed minor inputs. The ability to speak at normal conversation volumes, as if we were in a quiet room sitting in lounge chairs, was surprising. The amazing part, though, was when we hit a thermal and were suddenly riding on an elevator on steroids. Jay had a unique description of that feeling: "The power of the Earth." The more we flew, the more thermals we experienced, and the more sense that made to me. The power of the Earth indeed! Here's a photo of us before takeoff.
Following that Tuesday flight, Richard and Al came to the Joe Nall event, were given the tour, and were recognized that evening at the annual AMA membership meeting that takes place there.
Richard, Al, and Jay—thanks! You provided the most amazing aviation experience I've ever had. If you've never been up in a sailplane, go!
I've recently given you an update on me "walking the walk" with my youngest son, Greyson. In my last report, I suggested that if everything he has learned in the gym this winter means anything, he and I will have a lot of fun ... well, we have!
He won the AMA Sportsman class in both of the contests he's attended and, although I'm so proud, I also am teaching him about humility. He gets that, and much of it is because of the Mark Atwoods, Mike Muellers, and the dozens of great modelers who have embraced him and made him feel comfortable at our club and in contests. Thanks!
Fly and have fun! ✈
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
