146
I WAS
FORTUNATE
enough to be a timer
for Juniors in
Towline Glider this
year at the National
Aeromodeling
Championships
(Nats) in Muncie,
Indiana. My friend
Art Ellis had asked
me earlier this year to
help out and I agreed.
I am so glad that I
did!
The kids participating in all of the events are awesome. Not only
are they accomplished, but their attitudes are fantastic. Sunday was a
particularly brutal day, with gusty winds that claimed more than a
couple aircraft.
While I heard a
few kids exclaim
their frustration at
the conditions, I
never heard one
complain or suggest
that the contest
should be modified
because of the
weather conditions.
On the contrary, I
overheard a
conversation
between two
Juniors
commiserating about the weather in which one of them said, “It sure
is tough today, but I guess you have to learn to fly in a lot of
different conditions.”
Talk about grace under pressure! And even though not every kid
said this, they were all surely thinking it as evidenced by the way
they flew and conducted themselves. I’m not surprised at their
attitudes, but I certainly am impressed.
The turnout was good as far as numbers go as well. The photo
was supplied by Chuck Markos.
Congratulations to all who participated! You should all be very
proud of your efforts!
My next topic is also a very pleasant one. It concerns one of our
members who has been giving of himself for years for the benefit of
our sport.
For quite some time, Wayne Jones has been promoting the
benefits of model aviation in classrooms, libraries, and museums
across Indiana and the surrounding area. Wayne is often assisted
by his son David, making this a family affair.
The following is an excerpt from a letter I received from
DaleAnne Cantrell, Children’s Librarian at the Brownsburg Public
Library in Brownsburg, Indiana.
“I am very pleased with the program that Wayne Jones and his
adult son presented at the library for students and their parents on
November 16, 2002. The parent-child team built the Delta Dart
and viewed a video on flight while the glue dried. They also had a
chance to fly these airplanes.
“We had twelve students sign up, but fourteen students attended
the event with a parent. This was a successful program and this
community is
enriched because
of volunteers like
this family.”
I talked to
Wayne and found
out that he
provided another
program for the
Danville Public
Library. Pictures
and the flyer from
the event are
shown.
Thank you for
your dedication,
your perseverance,
and your efforts in
promoting model
aviation, Wayne.
We are fortunate
to have people
like you in our
ranks.
Focus on Education
Jack Frost
AMA Education
Coordinator
Tel.: (765) 287-1256
Ext. 515
[email protected]
Build and Fly.com
The Academy of Model Aeronautics Education Web site,
www.buildandfly.com, is the work of the Education Committee.
Our mission is to promote model aviation as an educational tool,
in formal classroom and non-formal, after-school settings.
We seek to assist classroom teachers to integrate aerospace
education concepts into math, science, social studies, language
arts, and technology education programs.
Curriculum support and materials for science classroom
programs may be found in the Inventing Flight Schools
curriculum, written to celebrate the centennial of flight of the
Wright brothers.
Support for non-formal after-school programs such as Science
Olympiad or Technology Student Association competitions may
be found in program search.
If you are seeking mentor assistance with any of these
initiatives, you may find the details about how to locate one in
your area in the modeling educator listing.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/11
Page Numbers: 146
