The Inside Loop-2013/02

What a year 2012 was!
What a year 2012 turned out to be for AMA and aeromodeling! I want to share some of the highlights with you. In February, President Obama signed into law the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which instructs the FAA not to enact rules affecting model aircraft activity conducted within the safety programming of a nationwide community-based organization. More than 1,000 registered pilots attended both the Joe Nall Fly-In, held in Woodruff, South Carolina, and the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree, held in Muncie, Indiana. Thanks to our members, the AMA has stopped its membership decline, ending the year with an increase in membership. The National Aviation Museum loaned its 1/40-scale test models to NASA. They were carried aboard NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft as it fl ew the Space Shuttle Endeavour to Los Angeles. The museum also hosted Shirley St. Clair, daughter of Oba St. Clair, the original designer and builder of the Miss Shirley, the fi rst CL full-house aircraft. An article about the event is featured in this issue. Our Education Department’s online program, AMA Flight School, created by The Basement Design + Motion, won a gold and a silver Addy Award from the Indianapolis chapter of the American Advertising Foundation (AAF). The EAA also provided an award recognizing the Education Department’s assistance that has led to more than 10,000 youths experiencing their fi rst fl ights with the Young Eagles program. Model Aviation underwent a complete redesign, the largest in our history. We launched a tablet app and updated our archives/Library, allowing every issue from 1975 to current to be viewed. This resource is completely searchable. Bill Pritchett, AMA Education Director, and I ran a four-week-long fl ight school for AMA employees who were interested in learning to fl y model airplanes. Mark Freeland, of Retro RC, provided a FF seminar for AMA employees that included each person building and fl ying his or her own Catapult Glider. Although these are only some of the highlights that come to mind as I look back on 2012, I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to our members, advertisers, and friends in the industry for making it a great year!