unny California—at least this year
it’s sunny—is the location of the
annual AMA Convention. Unlike
last year (when I swear I saw a surfer
riding the waves created by the deluge
of rain 40 miles inland), the weather was
great.
This event continues to grow and
improve, and I am looking forward to a
great future for the AMA Convention.
While its roots are in the former
International Modeler Show (IMS)
which AMA purchased a number of
years ago, the AMA Convention has
expanded, offering seminars, meetings,
banquets, and all of the other functions
which define a real convention.
As I am writing this, it is early
morning on the first day of the
convention. This morning we have a
board meeting scheduled for the IMAA
(International Miniature Aircraft
Association)—the largest of AMA’s
Special Interest Groups (SIGs). There
are several seminars scheduled as well
as the trade show itself.
If you have never attended this
annual event, it’s a great time to think
about a California vacation next January
with your family. For those of us in the
colder climates, it isn’t a tough sell to
talk the rest of the family into such a
trip. With Mickey Mouse and the surf so
close, think about it.
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Brown
S
The mailbag this month brought some
interesting comments, including one
which challenged some forms of
advertising in MA. It is a challenging
task to judge the acceptability of each
advertisement. The staff does screen
them to weed out the ones which depict
egregious violations of proper safety,
but many of the situations involve
matters of opinion rather than absolute
rules.
The “subject du jour” this time was
a depiction of a park flyer being flown
from the street in front of a home. It’s
an interesting topic to think about. Is
such activity safe? Should it be
allowed? If the activity is okay, should
a depiction of that activity be allowed
in our magazine?
For as many years as I can
remember, the basic philosophy within
AMA has been that it is how you fly as
opposed to what or where you fly that
is important. Perhaps the time has come
to reconsider this idea. I would have a
little difficulty with flying in the street
in most places. I can see many
instances such as near the end of a
dead-end street or a cul-de-sac where it
wouldn’t concern me.
Interestingly, we had a newspaper
story here in Ohio concerning a
basketball hoop that had been in use on
a street for many decades. The hoop
was ordered removed by a new police
officer despite it having never created
any problems, complaints, or accidents.
Eventually the hoop was allowed to
remain, much to the dismay of the
officer. His opinion was that any
basketball game played on a public street
was unsafe. The city fathers eventually
yielded to the desires of the people who
lived on that street and abandoned the
challenge.
What this shows is that ideas of what
is safe and what isn’t are largely a matter
of opinion. Even an activity that has
been taking place for decades can be
challenged.
Flying in the street is one of those
activities which will forever be subject
to question. Perhaps it shouldn’t be
prohibited, but we do need to be
extremely careful in conducting such
operations. Flying a light model in front
of your home and using the public street
for a runway is one thing. Flying your
model in your front yard if you live on a
heavily traveled state route is another
matter.
It’s purely a matter of using common
sense. If we cannot use common sense,
then we will have to live with many
more restrictions on our activities. MA
Dave Brown
AMA president
[email protected]
Even an activity that has been taking place for
decades can be challenged.
March 2006 5
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Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/03
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