President's Perspective - 2011/07

Our history is rich with tradition and
new challenges, which we meet
head-on.
On April 10, I am pleased to announce that
the Executive Council voted unanimously to
hire Dave Mathewson as AMA’s new
Executive Director. This move resulted in me
sliding into Dave’s seat to handle the duties
and responsibilities of president until elections
are held this fall.
Coincidentally, my position as Executive
Vice President is up for election, thus both of
the top two leadership jobs will be on the
ballot. As I stated earlier, we are up to the new
challenges and I have no doubt Dave and I
will continue to work seamlessly during the
next few months to ensure AMA moves
forward on all fronts.
Our AMA 2011 calendar is chocked full of
fun and exciting events beginning with the Joe
Nall, which was again, a huge success. We
had two main objectives at this event. One
was to recognize the Triple Tree flying site as
a world-renowned facility. A bronze plaque
was dedicated to Pat Hartness and his folks, to
signify the importance of Triple Tree as a
prominent international facility.
We also wanted to provide more insight
for our membership about our FAA issues.
This was accomplished at our annual
membership meeting Thursday evening,
which was tailored after the meeting at the
Expo in Ontario, California, this past January.
President’s Perspective
AMA Executive Vice President Mark Smith
O
Two FAA people were present, along with
our staff, to bring the membership up to date
on the pending regulations and answer
questions from the audience. As a side note, I
had the privilege of taking tickets for the
Friday evening barbecue. This was a very
rewarding time for me and I was greeted with
many smiling faces and chatted with fellow
modelers.
More coverage of the Nall will be
forthcoming; however, rest assured, both
objectives exceeded our expectations.
I can’t let this opportunity pass without
putting in a plug for all of the exciting events
we have in store at our International
Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie,
Indiana. I hope you were able to attend these
two events in June!
Extreme Flight Championships
Want to see model airplanes and helicopters
do things you never thought possible? It
happened at the Extreme Flight Championships
(XFC). I hope you joined us June 3-5, at the
IAC. CD Frank Noll Jr. had pilots who came
from seven countries and Puerto Rico.
The four-minute Freestyle flights rocked to
music and featured performances not normally
seen in routine flying. It’s all about
choreography and precision, demonstrated by
some of the best pilots anywhere.
National Electric Fly-In
For the second year, AMA sponsored the
National Electric Fly-In (NEFI), June 10-12 at
the IAC. Open to all who want to register, the
cost was $15 per pilot. There was free
camping, free battery-charging stations,
special hotel rates, raffles, and free admission
to the National Model Aviation Museum. The
museum and the Animal Rescue Fund of
Muncie shared in proceeds.
National Aeromodeling Championships—
The Nats!
We have long been known for the Nats!
This too kicks off in June. Even older than
AMA is the spirit of model aircraft
competition. Ten years before AMA was
organized, modelers were holding nationallevel
competitions. The largest and mostrenowned
of them all, the Nats, will be held
at the IAC in Muncie, June 25-August 11.
For more than five weeks, competitions in
a full array of disciplines will be open to all
who register and to anyone who is fascinated
with the best performances in model aviation
and wants to spectate.
Nats Director Ron Morgan, in his 51st year
in this capacity, and his 20-plus CDs and event
managers should be commended for giving so
much for this to happen.
AMA’s 75th Anniversary:
If you’ve never visited the IAC, July is the
time to do it with our 75th Anniversary
celebration. Born in the Golden Age of
Aviation, AMA is still going strong and it’s
time to celebrate.
You are invited to join pilots and modeling
enthusiasts from across the country July 14-17
at the IAC for several days of flying and
camaraderie. You are also invited to attend the
Diamond Anniversary Gala, July 15, at the
Muncie Horizon Convention Center. It will be
an evening of good food, live music, and a
look back at and forward to all that gives
AMA its renowned stature.
F3A World Championship
This is another fantastic opportunity to see
the world’s best RC Precision Aerobatics
pilots compete! July 23-August 1 is the F3A
World Championship featuring 35 national
teams from around the globe. As a program of
the Fédération Aéronautique Nationale, the
World Championship is affiliated with the
International Olympic Committee. This is yet
another premier event to put on your calendar
for this summer.
Please be sure to check out the AMA website
at www.modelaircraft.org/events and make
plans to visit!
In conclusion, I pledge to you that I will do
my level best to fulfill the duties and
responsibilities of president.
Please keep in touch. MA
Mark Smith
AMA Executive Vice President
[email protected]
July 2011 5
Mission Statement
The Academy of Model Aeronautics is a world-class association of modelers organized for the purpose of
promotion, development, education, advancement, and safeguarding of modeling activities.
The Academy provides leadership, organization, competition, communication, protection, representation,
recognition, education and scientific/technical development to modelers.
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