President's Perspective - 2012/02

February 2012 5
y sincere thanks to all who
participated in the Academy’s
voting process. I hope my term as
president will illustrate why I had so much
positive support.
I would like to highlight the individuals
who provided assistance, but it is impossible
because there are so many. However, my
main supporter, my wife JoAnne, deserves a
special thank-you.
My gratitude is extended to Bill
Oberdieck and Bruce Nelson for their years
of service to the AMA Executive Council.
Several new people have been added to the
council and others have changed
responsibilities. I welcome former District II
Vice President (VP) Gary Fitch as AMA’s
Executive Vice President.
AMA’s new district VPs include Eric
Williams, District II; Mark Radcliff, District
III; Tim Jesky, District VII; and Mike
Mosbrooker, District XI. The new members
have extensive credentials and will prove to
be positive additions.
In the upcoming months, the FAA will
certainly be the major focus for our entire
membership. Our campaign to resist
undeserving federal regulations will
undoubtedly require input from all who care
about aeromodeling.
Everyone must meet the challenge this
will present. We must act in a swift,
professional, mature manner.
President’s Perspective
M
Because of the lengthy lead time required
for this magazine, please visit our
government relations section of the website
regularly. There you’ll find the most up-todate
information and calls to action.
Your government relations team has been
fighting hard to preserve your flying
privileges for the past three years. Much
talent and treasure has been expended on our
behalf. When the call to action to write
letters of protest to Congress and the FAA
comes, please heed that call. I know you
will, and thank you heartily in advance.
Additional membership programs will be
generated in the near future. If the Academy
has any real pitfalls, it is the fact that it relies
on dues for its major source of income.
We will begin a concerted effort to
generate non-dues revenue. Various avenues
will be approached. More information about
this will be presented in the near future.
As I write this column, I am attempting to
populate the committee structure of the
Academy. Fortunately, we have a large
number of willing and capable members. If
you have the desire to serve, please advise
your district vice president, Executive
Director Dave Mathewson, or me.
The Academy has numerous benefits that
seem to be unknown to its members. One of
those is our perseverance to obtain flying
sites. This past fall, District IV VP Bliss
Teague, several AMA members, and I
proudly represented the Academy at the
Soaring 100 on the Outer Banks in North
Carolina.
One of our locations was Jockey’s Ridge
State Park. This park has the tallest natural
sand dune system in the Eastern United
States. While there, we became friends with
Debo Cox, the superintendent of the park.
We have been granted the right to fly
electric-powered models and gliders on the
dunes. I am sure this will entice several of
our members to vacation on the Outer
Banks.
Model Aviation is planning a distinctive new
look. Rob Kurek and the MA staff have
worked hard to generate these changes. Rob
has also negotiated a contract with a new
printer to reduce the cost and generate a
more pleasing publication.
This effort will evolve over the next few
months. I am sure you will like the new
look.
The AMA Headquarters computer system is
also being improved. New equipment will
allow us to increase our productivity and
generate a more efficient online profile.
Some of our software is at least 25 years
old. This is being updated as quickly as
financially possible. I am sure you will see
positive changes here, too.
I look forward to meeting you! I will be at
several different activities including the
Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM)
Show in Secaucus, New Jersey, February
24-26 and the Weak Signals Expo in Toledo,
Ohio, April 13-15. Stop by the Academy’s
booth and say hi!
As your new president, I’m here to serve
you the best I can. Please communicate with
me early and often. We’re all in this
together. MA
Bob Brown
AMA President
[email protected]
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.
I’m here to serve you the best I can
AMA President Bob Brown
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