President's Perspective - 2015/03
Bob Brown
During the last two months of 2014, I was involved in several meetings with various organizations and individuals. The meetings and discussions were beneficial to the AMA.
Meetings and partnerships
A meeting with the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) could lead to an alliance with an influential aviation association. I hope the organization will assist us with upcoming federal legislation. You might be surprised at how similar our political activities are.
Our involvement with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Small UAV Coalition has been productive in generating a program entitled Know Before You Fly. In partnership with the FAA, this group has produced an education campaign focused on providing the necessary information to fly safely and responsibly. The program has already given a large portion of the public a constructive view of the AMA. Please review the information at www.knowbeforeyoufly.org.
Public relations and media
To create this effort, we enlisted the services of an outstanding public relations firm, CLS Strategies. We have long sought national media exposure, and the initial success of the Know Before You Fly program can be attributed to CLS Strategies. Andrew Koneschusky, Jennifer Hall, and other employees are professional and extremely dedicated.
The initial media release involved dialogue with the press and a national press release shortly before the end of 2014, with additional efforts at the Consumer Electronics Show and the AMA Expo. Numerous organizations have stepped forward to show their support, including:
- Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
- Consumer Electronics Association
- Other industry partners
I think you will agree that these types of efforts help illustrate the positive aspects of model aviation. If you and your club members can offer assistance to newcomers in your area, it would be a constructive activity for all of modeling.
AMA Foundation
The AMA Foundation’s board of directors is now solidified. Members include:
- Dr. Laird Jackson
- Dan Bott
- Ron Pitcock
- Dr. John Langford
- Bob Brown
Mandee Mikulski, director of development for the AMA Foundation, is providing the coordination to establish continued progress.
To celebrate the foundation’s first successful year, Dr. Kendall Wagner provided a ride in his full-scale P-51 in conjunction with the AMA Expo. Thank you to Gordon Truax and Dan Bott for their efforts in coordinating the P-51 event.
Reflection and conclusion
On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I looked out a window in the AIA office and reflected on how imperative political involvement is to allow us to continue enjoying flying model aircraft in U.S. skies.
AMA’s efforts and focus are considerably different from those at our 1936 beginning. We are now active in a political arena that is allowing us to become a significant entity within the aviation associations in Washington, D.C. By continuing these efforts, we will ensure the future enjoyment of model aviation through cooperative political connections.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
