Flying Site Assistance-2011/08

August 2011 147
HI, EVERYONE! It’s hard to believe we are already in the
middle of the 2011 flying season. Things are getting pretty hot
here in Southeast Georgia, so flying in the morning or evening is
the rule.
AMA has a new executive director, former AMA President
Dave Mathewson. I am excited to be working closer now with
Dave as AMA turns a new page.
This summer, we will be celebrating 75 years of AMA. I am
proud to be part of this organization that is moving forward to
protect and improve our enjoyment of model aviation.
As part of improving what AMA can provide for its members,
I wanted to take some time to discuss a new project: adding a
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) area on the Flying Site
Assistance section of the AMA website (www.modelaircraft.org).
In my first 12 months as the Flying Site Assistance
Coordinator, I have had many questions asked that have been
repeated by subsequent members who contact me for help. I think
it would be helpful to have these questions answered on the
website so that everyone can benefit.
I already have a short list of questions that come to mind, but I
would also like some input from our readers. Some of these
questions included:
1. How can AMA help me find a new flying site?
2. What resources and funding is available from AMA?
3. What is the recommended flying site layout?
4. How much space do I need to be looking for?
5. How does our AMA insurance cover the site owner?
A few years ago, I wrote an electronics column for a small
magazine called RC REPORT. Perhaps you have heard of or read
the magazine?
I often asked readers to send me questions, and I would
comment or answer them in the column. This worked out very
well for me and the readers! It helped me to see what the readers
are looking for and keep me up-to-date on what was happening. I
think doing a similar thing for Flying Site Assistance would be
smart.
So, how about it? I would love to hear your questions about
flying site concerns. Questions can be about obtaining or
modifying or improving your site. You might have concerns about
how best to protect your site so it will be around for years to
come. You might ask about what AMA’s role should be in
supporting clubs in this area.
In any event, I would like to hear from you. I have found that
most AMA members are really good at asking questions. Please
take time to email me at [email protected] with your
questions to put on the website. I will collect these and work up
answers that can help clubs, both new and old.
Tony Stillman
Flying Site Assistance
Coordinator
102 Cherrywood Ct., Brunswick GA 31525; (912) 242-2407;
[email protected]
I have found that most AMA members
are really good at asking questions.
Flying Site Assistance
Tony Stillman | www.modelaircraft.org/membership/clubs/fsap.aspx
Are you a club newsletter editor? Have you run out of material to print? Do
you need a good idea for a club-sponsored event? Are you just looking for
something good to read? AMA may be able to help!
The AMA INSIDER is published electronically on a bimonthly basis for
members of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Its purpose is to create a
network of information exchange between the Academy’s chartered clubs,
officials, and chartered club officers.
The newsletter’s contents are collected from AMA club newsletters
and other sources within and outside of the organization. Implicit
consent to reprint articles found in club newsletters is given, whereupon
the newsletter editor completed and returned the Club Newsletter
Exchange form, or initiated contact with the Academy by sending a
newsletter, either via mail or email, to the newsletter editor.
Visit the INSIDER online at www.modelaircraft.org
/insider/index.html or subscribe to the mailing list that will notify
you via email when the newest issue has been posted, at
www.modelaircraft.org/subscribe.aspx.
The AMA INSIDER
By now, nearly everyone should be
somewhat familiar with the FAA’s intent
to create regulation for the operation of
small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS)
in the national airspace. There’s been a lot
of speculation about what will be
contained in the sUAS proposed rule that
is scheduled to be released as a notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) sometime
in June 2011.
The NPRM will contain proposed
regulations that will likely have some
impact on model aviation. The FAA is
prohibited by law from disclosing the
exact language in the NPRM until it’s
released in the Federal Register. However,
we have been able to determine, in a
generic sense, what some of the proposed
language might be. The NPRM will likely
address things such as how high, how
fast, and where a model aircraft may fly.
We know that the FAA has drawn a hard
line between recreational use and
commercial use.
AMA is continuing to work with the
FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Program Office
(UAPO) and is in contact with the UAPO
on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Face-toface
meetings between AMA
representatives and the UAPO staff take
place in Washington on a regular basis.
AMA’s internal workgroup, consisting
of members with a diverse and
knowledgeable model aviation
background, meets weekly by conference
call and continues to develop standards
that will eventually be submitted to the
FAA for adoption that will allow modelers
who follow these standards additional
latitude from the rule.
We’re fighting a tough battle between
keeping our members informed and not
painting an overly tenuous picture of the
future of model aviation. Not knowing
AMA INSIDER |JANUARY 2011 PAGE 1
PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT
Update on the FAA
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2011
CLUB CORNER
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 1
ON THE SAFE SIDE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 2
EDITOR’S PICKS
The Importance of Setting
Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 4
RC Helicopter Safety:
Not Just for the Novice Pilot . . . . . . .pg 4
Clubs: Are You Ready for 2011? . . . . pg 5
Tips & Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 5
Importance of Balancing Lithium
Polymer Battries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 6
January 2011 CONTENTS
PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 1
Dave Mathewson, AMA President
LEADER TO LEADER
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 3
Jim Wallen, InsiderClub Column Editor
The Club Corner
CLUB CORNER
please see President to
President ... on page 5
Have things gotten a little stale in your type of flying? Is the weather a little
too cold to get out and fly at your flying site? How about trying something
new? A group of flying enthusiasts in the Denver area has found a new wrinkle
to our hobby, flying with CO2 motors! (The Black Sheep Squadron in California
has an interesting Web site featuring CO2.) These guys were predominately
flying electrics before they found this new type of entertainment. They meet
weekly at Frank Dilatush’s place of business to do a little indoor flying and
solve some of the world’s problems as well. Frank submits the following article:
“Some of you know that every Wednesday from 3-5 p.m., the employees at
RFS and Whipchek are free to go play and Chuck and I lock the front door and
host a gathering of our friends back in the warehouse where we fly little
airplanes and helicopters, drink mild and strong spirits, and also solve many of
the world’s problems through civil, yet animated discourse.
“It’s always fun, and of course the non-flying employees love it, I mean
really who doesn’t love recess? Yesterday was especially enjoyable because a
little eBay find of mine had shown up and we got to play with it.
“CO2 model motors predate RC and were used in Free Flight models going
back before WW II. They are powered by 8-gram seltzer (siphon) bottle CO2
cartridges. Not the easiest things to find but Burt, our favorite octogenarian, and
please see Club Corner ... on page 7
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