View from HQ - 2003/02

HERE IT IS November and the holidays
are right around the corner. Membership
renewal is at a steady flow. By the time
you receive this issue, we will have mailed
more than 70,000 AMA membership cards
for 2003.
I must remind members that at this time
of year the telephones are very busy and
the mail is very heavy. New memberships
are processed on a daily basis so that we
can mail the license cards quickly.
Renewals take a little longer.
If your club needs to confirm that you
have renewed your membership for 2003,
there is a place to verify memberships on
our Web site, www.modelaircraft.org,
under Membership Services.
Speaking of the holiday season, by now
everyone should have received his or her
2003 merchandise catalog. It contains
good ideas for gifts! I think this is the best
catalog we have produced so far. A special
thanks goes to my staff in the magazine
and the merchandising departments.
I hope you noticed that this year we
sent a condensed version of the
Membership Manual to our members. If
you want the full version, you can request
a copy by mail or check out our Web site
for the entire manual.
After comments from members and a
review of the contents in the Membership
Manual, we felt that it contained too much
information and was overwhelming to
many. It was expressed that many
members didn’t even take the time to look
through it at all.
We felt that condensing and printing
the manual in color might encourage
members to leaf through it. Additional
information is available upon request or on
the Web site. Let me know what you think
of this version; all comments are welcome.
This month I want to feature one of our
National Model Aviation Museum
volunteers. Tom Gurbach has had a
longtime interest in airplanes, and as a
youth he built solid models of airplanes
176 MODEL AVIATION
As with any organization,
volunteers are a
tremendous help.
Joyce Hager Executive Director
View from HQ
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager
Executive Director
[email protected]
and cars. As with most individuals, though,
other priorities including school and a
family drew him away from modeling.
A draftsman, Tom taught technical
drawing and computer-related classes at
Rose Polytechnic Institute (now the Rose-
Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre
Haute IN), the University of Cincinnati,
and Ball State University (in Muncie IN)
between 1955 and 1994.
After retirement Tom merged his
interest in aircraft with his drafting skills
and became an aviation artist. His
continued interest in aircraft, tied with his
memories of modeling, eventually led him
to the museum.
Tom began volunteering roughly three
years ago, and we quickly tapped his
drafting and building skills. He has helped
in the design of various museum projects
and the construction of the literature rack
that greets visitors as they enter the
museum.
As with any organization, volunteers
are a tremendous help. We appreciate the
efforts of Tom and every other volunteer.
Safety at flying sites should always be the
first item you consider. It is important
when you are at the flying field that you
have at least one other person there. I also
recommend that you notify the nearest
health facility of your field location so it
can respond quickly in case an accident
occurs.
To illustrate how important it is to have
access to emergency care at the field, I
want to share a letter that I received from
one of our members, Frank W. Beatty.
“Early Monday morning, July 8, I stuck
my right hand in the propeller of a Control
Line Scale model I was prepping for my
official flight.
“In less than ten minutes, a man arrived
who examined the wound, gave first aid,
and wrapped it. More important, he
convinced this mulish old geezer that the
wound should receive immediate
treatment rather than to follow my
inclination of waiting until flying was
over for the day. He then recommended
that I seek treatment at a nearby
‘Immediate Care’ center. The people at
that clinic did all things necessary in a
caring and expeditious manner.
“I am back home, on the mend, and the
stitched-up wounds are doing very nicely.
I wonder how all this would be playing
out if I hadn’t been in the good hands of
the event director, fellow fliers, and
caregivers who handled this so very well.”
On this issue of safety, the following is
part of an article that was published in the
October 2002 District VIII column.
“What is your life worth? What would
it be worth to you in a time of crisis at one
of your club’s modeling activities to have
someone certified in CPR
(cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
immediately at hand?
“Chris Berardi, president of the Ft.
Worth Thunderbirds, informed me that his
club offers a year’s free membership to
those certified to administer CPR. All a
member needs to do is present his/her
CPR certificate to an officer to have the
membership renewed automatically.”
That is not a bad idea; more clubs
should consider offering this to their
members. It could be a matter of life or
death.
Many enjoy reading the Microhenrys
cartoons in Model Aviation. I was
informed that the author, Ed Henry, is not
in very good health and he would love to
receive cards and notes.
Please mail your good wishes to Ed
Henry c/o Christine Bauer, 347 Carriage
Trail Ct., O’Fallon MO 63366. MA
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