s I write this, the news is full of
the fifth anniversary of the
horrible events of September 11,
2001, and it is a fitting time for us to
reflect on the effect that day has had on us
as aeromodelers in the United States.
In the immediate aftermath of
September 11, we found ourselves shut
down, along with virtually all of aviation
in this country. A few flying sites were
shut down for longer periods of time, but
most quickly returned to operation.
Individually we were directly affected
only slightly after that initial period but
collectively we put up with the aftermath
to this day. We have been fortunate that
the aftermath of the tragedy has not had
more of an impact on aeromodeling.
A number of hobby shops and some of
our clubs have received “visits” by
various authorities, and any of us who
have flown by commercial airliner to
events have had to jump through a few
more hoops, but even those situations
have been less of a problem than we could
have expected.
Even our World Championships teams
have managed to get themselves and their
equipment to the events. Adjustments
have had to be made, but we have been
able to operate with those changes; it
could have been much worse.
AMA has worked diligently to
represent the interests of our sport with all
of the governmental agencies that have
taken an interest in our activity, and we
have been effective in keeping the
restrictions to a minimum.
field—will consume much time for us in the
next five years, just as Homeland Security
issues have taken much time in the past five
years.
Again, it is those sometimes boring
meetings with various governmental
agencies which put us in the best possible
position to retain the right to fly our model
airplanes in the United States. We have
another such meeting scheduled at a
conference for all of the military and
governmental users of UAs in slightly more
than a week.
A news item that is of concern to all of us is
the report that a model airplane collided
with a paraglider, resulting in the paraglider
crashing. I don’t have many details as I
write this, but the model airplane was
reported as having a 21-inch wingspan, so it
may have been a “toy” as opposed to a
“model airplane” as we would think of it.
According to the article I read, the
paraglider pilot suffered minor injuries and
the model flier was not charged by the
police, but that does not remove the stigma
that “these model airplanes are dangerous.”
Incidents such as this give us all a black
eye, and we need to remain keenly aware
that any collision between a model airplane
and any man-carrying aircraft will make the
news and that it will not enhance our ability
to continue to fly.
Til next month. MA
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Brown
A
In great part, this has been the result of the
work of AMA Programs Director Jay Mealy,
and we owe him a great deal of thanks. But
Jay has not worked alone. Many other
members of the AMA staff and officers have
spent much time and effort meeting with
everyone from local law enforcement to the
Congress of the United States.
There were meetings with various offices
within the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation
Administration, all of which were aimed at
retaining your right to continue to fly model
airplanes. Keep this in mind the next time
someone tries to tell you that AMA is only
about insurance.
One thing virtually all of these meetings
have had in common is the commonality of
the idea that having model airplanes as an
organized activity gives us the best tool with
which to thwart the use of a model airplane as
a weapon. Our membership, collectively
watching out for anything that seems out of
place at our flying fields, is recognized by the
authorities as a powerful tool in preventing
models from being used by terrorists. Please
remain vigilant at your flying field.
One of the articles I read about the threat
of terrorism referred to Americans thinking in
terms of shorter periods of time than the
terrorists. We tend to relax our guard after
five or 10 years of safety; the terrorists think
in terms of accomplishing their goals within
centuries. We need to remain sensitive to the
threat, and willing to speak up.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)—or
more correctly Unmanned Aircraft (UAs)—
continue to present challenges. The difference
between these and our model aircraft has
been difficult to define and has resulted in
an identity crisis.
My guess is that this issue—and the
airspace-access issues which will arise as a
result of increased activity in the UA
Dave Brown
AMA president
[email protected]
Keep this in mind the next time someone tries
to tell you that AMA is only about insurance.
November 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
11sig1.QXD 9/25/06 11:52 AM Page 5
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 5