Flying Site Assistance

Doers—every
club has at least
one. Some clubs
are blessed with
having more than
one. These are the
people who get out
and make things
happen. They do
the work.
They might be club officers, the
newsletter editor, or maybe the field
marshal. They work at the hot dog
stand at every event. Perhaps the doer
in your club is a regular club member
whom everyone turns to in order to
make things happen and get the task
completed.
Without doers we would be in a
tough spot. Who fills the role of doer
in your club? Is it you? Do you attend
meetings and see him/her in action?
Have you told that person that you
appreciate him or her?
These people are a special breed.
They somehow see the big picture
and understand the tasks that need to
be performed. They also understand
the necessity of the task and how vital
it is to club operation, whether it be
cutting the grass, disposing of the
trash, or going to the grocery store to
purchase the hot dogs and mustard
for the fly-in. Without these tasks
being performed, the event could not
happen.
In the world of Flying Site
Assistance, virtually everyone I help
is a doer. These people have taken a
look at their situation and determined
that something has to happen. They
reach out to me for assistance and I am
happy to help.
These people are a joy to work with,
because I understand their passion and
drive to have a better place for their
club members to fly. In most instances,
these individuals have stepped out of
their comfort zone and are working
to speak with county commissioners,
parks directors, or even Congressmen
and Senators.
The effort required to get out and
search for a site, be disappointed from
time to time, and continue to pursue
the goal is commendable. Most of
these people are still in the workforce,
Flying SitE aSSiStancE by Tony Stillman, Flying Site Coordinator
“Do or do not, there is no try.”
—Yoda
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www.ModelAviation.com AUGUST 2012 Model Aviation 161
Doers—every
club has at least
one. Some clubs
are blessed with
having more than
one. These are the
people who get out
and make things
happen. They do
the work.
They might be club officers, the
newsletter editor, or maybe the field
marshal. They work at the hot dog
stand at every event. Perhaps the doer
in your club is a regular club member
whom everyone turns to in order to
make things happen and get the task
completed.
Without doers we would be in a
tough spot. Who fills the role of doer
in your club? Is it you? Do you attend
meetings and see him/her in action?
Have you told that person that you
appreciate him or her?
These people are a special breed.
They somehow see the big picture
and understand the tasks that need to
be performed. They also understand
the necessity of the task and how vital
it is to club operation, whether it be
cutting the grass, disposing of the
trash, or going to the grocery store to
purchase the hot dogs and mustard
for the fly-in. Without these tasks
being performed, the event could not
happen.
In the world of Flying Site
Assistance, virtually everyone I help
is a doer. These people have taken a
look at their situation and determined
that something has to happen. They
reach out to me for assistance and I am
happy to help.
These people are a joy to work with,
because I understand their passion and
drive to have a better place for their
club members to fly. In most instances,
these individuals have stepped out of
their comfort zone and are working
to speak with county commissioners,
parks directors, or even Congressmen
and Senators.
The effort required to get out and
search for a site, be disappointed from
time to time, and continue to pursue
the goal is commendable. Most of
these people are still in the workforce,
having to do this work after hours at
night and on weekends while they
could be doing many other things with
family and enjoying models. Those
who are retired may have the time, but
it still requires the drive and energy
to go here and there and make the
telephone calls and emails and followups.
This is a lot of work!
If you have been standing on the
sidelines looking in at all this action,
or maybe you just didn’t know how to
help, please join in and become a doer!
I can promise that putting in the effort
to help your club is a worthwhile
endeavor and is most gratifying. Some
of the happiest AMA members out
there are the ones who know what it
is like to get their hands dirty in order
to help the club with daily activities or
events.
One example of this is a good friend
of mine, Rae Fritz. Rae is a member of
the Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc.
(NFMI) in Pensacola, Florida. I am also
a member, having joined in 1971.
I have seen Rae in action for many
years. Rae has served this club along
with several others. He has held every
office from president to newsletter
editor. He built Sailplane winches and
retrievers for club Sailplane events.
Rae is a CD and has run many, many
contests and events. He was always
around during work parties. He has
spent thousands of hours on the phone
in support of the club.
One of the things Rae is most proud
of is the creation of a new flying site in
Pensacola several years ago. You see,
Rae found an old, closed landfill and
spent the next 10 years writing, talking
with, and visiting county and state
officials to get this site turned into
a model park. At one point, it took
Rae writing a letter to then-Florida
Governor Jeb Bush to get the county
officials to move forward with the
project. Ten years is a long time to be
dedicated to this effort!
When it was all finally completed,
the club had a new flying site that it
could finally call its own. The club
named the field Fritz Field in honor of
Rae’s work. I wonder how many NFMI
club members really understand the
amount of effort that Rae put out to
make it all happen.
I’m not writing about this to give
accolades to Rae. He is an example
of many, many doers out there who
are members of one of AMA’s 2,500
chartered clubs. Without them, most
clubs would cease to exist. With them,
they are strong and will be a presence
for generations to come.
These are the kind of people who
participate with me in Flying Site
Assistance. It is an honor to work with
them.
Take the time to say thank you to
the doers in your club.