President’s Perspective
Please remember our fellow modelers during these difficult times
Bob Brown
The fall of 2012 will long remain in our thoughts because of the devastation generated by Hurricane Sandy along the East Coast. With luck, members of my family escaped the wrath of the storm, but many of our modeling friends did not.
One day an AMA member hosted his club meeting in his home. The next day the rooms were filled with floodwaters and all was lost.
Hopefully the AMA Club Disaster Relief Program will help resurrect the flying sites. Unfortunately, no amount of money can reestablish all the personal belongings that have been lost. Please remember our fellow modelers during these difficult times.
A recent discussion with James Williams, head of the FAA’s Unmanned Air Systems Integration Office, provided some positive dialogue directed toward allowing members of the Academy the right to fly our models in the US airspace. James responded in an encouraging manner to the safety document we presented to his department and provided direction for our next steps with the FAA.
Although considerable effort will be needed, I feel the issues are being met with cooperation. That mentioned, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking has yet to be presented. Although we are not aware of its specific contents, I am sure it will not be positive in all aspects. Additional actions will probably be needed.
Another issue beginning to unveil itself is personal privacy. Many of us enjoy taking aerial photographs of various objects around our flying sites. If we wish to continue, additional scrutiny will be needed. Some of the Congressional debates on this issue have been enlightening.
The 106th FAI General Conference was recently held in Antalya, Turkey. The delegates of that conference approved the AMA National Model Aviation Museum to be part of the FAI Recommended Museums Program. A note of gratitude is expressed to FAI President John Grubbstrom for his efforts at conferring this honor.
Andy Argenio and the Advanced Flight Systems Committee have put forth extensive work on the AMA Guidelines for Radio Controlled Aircraft Operations Utilizing First Person View, Failsafe, Stabilization, and Autopilot Systems. The revised document brings the views of the Academy into a more progressive form. Please read the document at www.modelaircraft.org/files/report_on_revised-550-560-oct-8-2012.pdf. Not everyone will be pleased, but I am sure it is more agreeable than before. Comments pertaining to this document should be directed to Andy Argenio at [email protected].
The 2013 AMA Expo will be held in Ontario, California, Friday, January 11 through Sunday, January 13. Numerous vendors have signed up and some super speakers are on the program.
The AMA Education Department plans to unveil a new program entitled AMA Flight School. This program will benefit every member.
One of our AMA Youth Ambassadors, Nick Maxwell, will demonstrate his unbelievable flying ability. Plan now to attend!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
