President's Perspective
Hi Folks!
When I attended a National Aeronautic Association (NAA) board of directors meeting, I was struck by the common concern from other board members throughout the aviation industry—attracting youth to aviation is a significant problem. Even representatives from full-scale industry expressed frustration at attracting kids to tour their plants.
There are so many activities vying for our kids’ attention. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all of us to do whatever we can to give back to this great hobby by helping out a kid. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Your AMA Executive Council (EC) has made significant strides in this endeavor by offering free memberships to youth.
Another highlight in our activities has been our recent partnerships with various industries and trade organizations. In the past few months, we have entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with:
- Civil Air Patrol
- Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Similar MOUs are in progress with:
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Commemorative Air Force
I recently met Jack Fiscus, the president of the Marymoor R/C Club in Redmond, Washington. Jack told me his club was furthering these efforts to attract youth to our hobby by offering free club memberships to youngsters. I asked Jack to send me an email with the details. Here is Jack’s response:
Marymoor R/C Club Youth Program (Jack Fiscus)
“Regarding our discussion of the youth program here at the Marymoor R/C Club (AMA #1610) in Redmond, WA: In an effort to increase the number of younger persons in the club, we decided last year to offer a free club membership to those persons meeting the AMA Youth Membership criteria. When coupled with the recent AMA initiative to waive Youth Membership fees, young persons can now enjoy flying as AMA members/club members at our club-maintained field for no membership expense at all.
“Our youth members have full access to all club services including initial/upgrade training, technical advice, fly-ins, and other club events. Our program has seen us grow from less than 10 youth members to over 50 in the past year.
“Our overall club membership (now 350-plus) is also growing, mostly as a result of our youth initiative and the closure of some other local flying sites. The impact on the club’s finances and other resources from the free youth memberships program has been trivial, and we definitely intend to retain the program.”
AMA’s EC recognized years ago that it is strategically critical to embrace the modeling industry in advocating FAA regulations that are amenable to our membership. This has been, and continues to be, working, and the following is a shining example.
Fly RC and Advocacy
The executive editor of Fly RC magazine, Thayer Syme, wrote in his "Preflight" column the following, which I am sharing with his permission:
“Fortunately, our own AMA is in the heat of this battle, advocating on our behalf and keeping us up to date with their latest advances. Their recent call to action for a Congressional Awareness campaign resulted in our writing more than 85,000 letters. Without a doubt our message has been heard in Washington. Congress is now considering measures to exempt model aviation from onerous and unnecessary restrictions, but we must remain vigilant. I recommend that you regularly check www.modelaircraft.org/gov for updates and have your pen ready in case another call to action is needed.”
Thank you, Thayer and the staff at Fly RC, for your continued support.
One final note: please be sure to read Rich Hanson’s AMA Advocacy column on page 12. It is incumbent upon all of us to work together to make our voices heard in Washington, D.C.
That’s it for this month. Enjoy the hobby, help out a kid, and most importantly, have fun!
Keep in touch.
Mark Smith AMA Executive Vice President [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
