President’s Perspective
Collier Trophy and my role on the selection committee
The Robert J. Collier Trophy is considered one of the foremost awards in the aviation and aerospace arena. The award is administered by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and is presented annually “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.”
Robert J. Collier was the publisher of Collier’s Weekly magazine and president of the Aero Club of America. The trophy, first awarded in 1911, was originally named the Aero Club of America Trophy. Collier died in 1918, and after the Aero Club of America dissolved in 1922, the award was renamed in his honor. It was at this time that the NAA took over administration of the award. Today the Collier Trophy is on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
The list of Collier Trophy winners represents some of the most recognized names and achievements in aviation:
- Glenn Curtiss (first recipient, 1911)
- Orville Wright (development of the automatic stabilizer)
- Army Air Corps (development of the XC-35)
- Chuck Yeager (piloting the Bell X-1)
- The crew of Apollo 11
- Dick and Burt Rutan and Jeana Yeager (Rutan Voyager, first nonstop flight around the world)
More recently, the award has been presented to those involved in significant accomplishments including:
- development of the Global Positioning System (GPS)
- the C-17 Globemaster III
- SpaceShipOne, the first commercial manned space vehicle
Each year the NAA invites a number of aviation professionals and association leaders to serve on the Collier Selection Committee. This year I was invited to be part of the process, representing AMA. There were eight nominees. In early March, the committee met in Washington, D.C., where representatives of each nominee made detailed presentations in support of the nominations. At the conclusion of the presentations, the committee met in closed session to select a winner.
NAA Chairman Walter Boyne noted that this year’s list of candidates was exceptionally strong. Selecting the eventual winner was a challenge; the accomplishments of all the nominees deserved recognition. Each one represented a remarkable achievement.
At the end of the process, the selection committee chose the International Space Station as the recipient of the 2009 Robert J. Collier Trophy. The award was made in recognition of “the design, development, and assembly of the world’s largest spacecraft, an orbiting laboratory that promises new discoveries for mankind and sets new standards for international cooperation in space.”
I thank Chairman Boyne and NAA President Jonathan Gaffney for inviting AMA to be a part of the 2009 Collier selection process.
AMA Today
The responses we have received about the first issue of “AMA Today” have been overwhelmingly positive.
“AMA Today” is an e-mail quick-brief that we will be sending to our members who elect to receive this regular electronic publication. It’s meant to provide a quick snapshot of things of interest taking place within AMA and the aeromodeling community.
The first issue was sent in mid-March to our members who have provided us with their e-mail addresses. If you didn’t receive a copy and would like to be added to the subscription list, e-mail [email protected].
AMA’s second annual membership drive is underway
This year’s drive has a new look with the foundation being the longstanding Sign 3 Fly Free Program. Any current AMA member who signs up three new members will be rewarded with a one-year membership credit. Sign up three new members and your next year’s dues are free.
There’s no limit to the number of memberships you can receive. Sign up six new members and your dues will be covered for the next two years. Qualifying new memberships include:
- Senior Citizen
- Open
- Affiliate
- Life
Current Life Members who participate will receive a credit equal to one year’s dues in AMA retail merchandise.
Taking part in the 2010 membership drive is a great way to introduce new people to model aviation. Good luck to everyone who takes part.
72 MHz frequency concerns
AMA has received a number of questions asking about the future of the frequencies on 72 MHz set aside for model aviation use.
The FCC’s National Broadband Plan was released on March 16, 2010. The FCC is trying to identify an additional 500 MHz of spectrum for wireless broadband providers. Right now, the prime targets for having their spectrum repurposed are television broadcasters. As I write this, there is nothing to suggest that the RC frequencies will get caught up in the reassignment but, as always, AMA is staying alert for any threat.
As I’ve written on several occasions, we recognize that thousands of members are heavily invested in 72 MHz equipment that works perfectly well and have no interest in switching to spread spectrum. AMA intends to continue to work to retain the use of these frequencies for model aviation for the foreseeable future.
See you next time.
Dave Mathewson AMA President [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
