couple of years ago while on a
trip, I came across a book with
an interesting title and bought
it as what I thought would be an
interesting read. The title was Why Smart
People Do Dumb Things.
Are you wondering why I’m writing
about a book I read? I’d bet you could
answer your own question.
Any of us is capable of a lapse in
judgment; this is a fact of life. What gets
us in the worst trouble are situations in
which others don’t step up and point out
the folly of our ways.
Back when we were kids, I can
remember hearing that “individually kids
were okay, but if you got a group of them
together …” Presumably adults could
handle group dynamics in a more mature
manner. It was and is thought that adults
show a tendency almost opposite to that
of kids. Typically adults behave better
when in a group than when they are
alone—or so most seem to think.
We really need to police ourselves
and avoid doing “dumb things” which
end up having a negative effect on our
sport. In this past month I’ve dealt with a
modeler flying an RC aircraft at pressbox
altitude around a stadium taking
pictures during a nationally televised
football game. Another man thought that
putting explosives into a model and
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Brown
A
filming it while he blew it up in flight
and then posting the film on the Internet
was a good idea. Last month the problem
was a collision between an RC model
and a hang glider.
These are just the incidents of which I
was made aware. I suspect that I only
hear of a small percentage of the “dumb
things” that some AMA members do, but
those I am told of hurt the sport
tremendously.
I am often made aware of these
incidents by governmental agencies such
as the Federal Aviation Administration
when we meet with them. Believe me,
they watch our every move.
We cannot afford to do “dumb
things” if we are going to be allowed to
enjoy our sport. Justifying our use of
airspace, frequencies, and facilities is
difficult enough without being our own
worst enemy by doing things that appear
to the public and the government to be
irresponsible.
We must police each other to avoid
this. If you know someone who is doing
something that fits into this category,
then you need to speak up and try to stop
it. Don’t let something that could
jeopardize our hobby happen because
you were afraid to speak up.
We held our annual Nats planning
meeting recently. The 2007 Nats will be
immediately preceded by the F3D RC
Pylon World Championships, but it was
the date planning of the 2008 Nats that
created a new opportunity for AMA
members.
Dave Brown
AMA president
[email protected]
We cannot afford to do “dumb things” if we
are going to be allowed to enjoy our sport
December 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,
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Mission Statement
As of now we are planning for an
open Sunday in the middle of the Nats
that will give us an opportunity to have a
national fly-in type of event. The average
AMA member will be able to participate
in this fly-in as a part of the Nats. Given
the loss of our annual Homecoming
event, I think this will be a fun time and
enjoyed by all.
A little planning should at least allow
us to fly at two of the RC venues and one
CL venue. FFers will fly wherever they
can operate given the wind direction and
positions of the other disciplines. I hope
we can make this work because I think it
could be a great event. Just think! You
could brag to your grandchildren that you
flew in the National Aeromodeling
Championships in “aught eight.”
Our sport lost a couple of real
supporters with the passing of Betty
Stream, a longtime Nats official, and
Christy Stillman, wife of District V Vice
President Tony Stillman. It should
remind us just how much support we all
receive from the wives in the
aeromodeling fraternity.
Until next month. MA
12sig1.QXD 10/24/06 1:12 PM Page 5
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/12
Page Numbers: 5
