t seems as though not a week passes in
which I don’t receive an E-mail or a
letter regarding the content of MA, but
this week brought an interesting situation. I
received two E-mails in succession. One
member complained that we covered
“nothing but Electric” in our magazine and
that we had “abandoned” the gas modeler. In
the next E-mail I read, another member
complained that we didn’t have enough
coverage of Electric!
Does anyone out there have any idea how
I should respond to that pair of E-mails?
Each was probably right from his own
perspective. One was an old-timer who had
no interest in this “newfangled” electric
stuff, while the other had decided that
electric was the way to go. He was thirsting
for as much information as he could get and
didn’t care about any “greasy gas-modeling
stuff!”
Even within various aeromodeling
categories, there is a large variation in the
information people are looking for. Someone
interested in RC electric micro-flight isn’t
looking for the same information as someone
whose interest at the moment is electric
power for his Giant Scale aerobatic model!
Both are interested in RC electric flight but
definitely not the same area. What a FF, CL,
or Sailplane modeler would be interested in
is as diverse. The key is the phrase at the
moment.
Most AMA members are not flying the
same type of models today that they were
five years or even one year ago. It is a rare
member who is involved in this sport for five
years and has flown the same type of models
the entire time.
Do you prefer RC Aerobatics? Try the
National Society of Radio Controlled
Aerobatics (NSRCA). Helicopter pilots, look
into the International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association (IRCHA). Do you fly
CL Aerobatics? Consider exploring the
Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots
Association (PAMPA).
For those who are interested in RC
Combat, the SIG is the Radio Control
Combat Association (RCCA) and the CL
Combat group is the Miniature Aircraft
Combat Association (MACA). The
International Miniature Aircraft Association
(IMAA) represents RC Giant Scale, and RC
Scale Aerobatics has the International
Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC).
This isn’t all of the SIGs. The list is long
and most have excellent publications
dedicated to their focus.
MA is a broad-spectrum magazine,
intended to keep you informed of general
trends in aeromodeling and association news.
Think of it as you would USA Today, your
local newspaper, or a general news magazine
such as Time or Newsweek.
These publications have some financial
news, and would headline a major financial
event, but if you want daily, detailed
financial news, you would need to read The
Wall Street Journal or a similar publication.
I don’t think anyone would say they
weren’t both needed in order to be an
informed citizen.
Til next month. MA
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Brown
I
One still might be flying CL models, but
he or she has probably tried Stunt, Combat,
Carrier, Racing, or some other mixture of CL
events. A FF modeler has probably tried
some type of Power, Gliders, and Rubber
models, and an RC modeler may have tried
various categories of radio-control flight.
MA does its best to serve the broad
spectrum of aeromodeling disciplines.
It tries to cover the newest advances in
aeromodeling with emphasis consistent with
the number of people who are taking part in
or who could be affected by that technology.
MA is not a magazine with a single
focus for someone who is interested in only
one narrow aspect of aeromodeling. It is
aimed toward the AMA membership in
general. It serves a broad audience and a
number of functions. It is a way for AMA
to distribute information to its members and
a way to distribute updates concerning
trends and advancements in the overall
sport or hobby.
For those whose current aeromodeling
interest has a narrow focus, there are many
other magazines and sources of
information. There are publications that
concentrate on nearly any specialty you can
imagine. If there isn’t a magazine dedicated
to your current interest, there is much
information available on the Internet.
For many, the best way to obtain
information dedicated to a specific discipline
is through the significant number of Special
Interest Groups (SIGs) that are a part of
the AMA family. In most of the major
disciplines of aeromodeling, a SIG has been
formed and most produce newsletters to
serve the needs of their members; some even
produce a whole magazine dedicated to their
discipline.
Interested in RC Racing? The National
Miniature Pylon Racing Association
(NMPRA) might serve your needs. The
Free Flight community is provided for by
the National Free Flight Society (NFFS).
Dave Brown
AMA president
[email protected]
MA is aimed toward the AMA membership in general.
October 2006 5
The Academy of Model Aeronautics is a world-class association of modelers organized for the purpose of
promotion, development, education, advancement and safeguard of modeling activities.
The Academy provides leadership, organization, competition, communication, protection, representation,
recognition, education, and scientific/technical development to modelers.
Mission Statement
10sig1.QXD 8/24/06 11:46 AM Page 5
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 5