View from HQ
Joyce Hager Executive Director
A big thank you to all those involved.
This month I want to share a letter addressed to me from Ron Bozzonetti of the District of Columbia Radio Control Club.
"This past Thursday, April 3, I and three other members of the District of Columbia Radio Control Club visited the museum [AMA’s National Model Aviation Museum] prior to our trip to the show in Toledo. We asked for a guided tour of the museum and were fortunate to have Mr. Rich LaGrange as our tour guide.
"The purpose of this letter is to express our appreciation to Mr. LaGrange for taking time from what I’m sure was a busy time for him to guide us through the museum.
"I had been to the museum before without benefit of a guided tour and now realize how much I had missed. Mr. LaGrange’s narratives of the models were fascinating, enlightening, and entertaining. In spite of our taking so much of his valuable time there was no sense of urgency during the three hours that we were there.
"In discussing our tour on the way to Toledo, all of us in our group were of one voice in our praise for the wonderful time that we experienced which we attributed to Mr. LaGrange. We all believe that AMA is indeed fortunate to have such a goodwill ambassador as part of your staff.
"Please, express our appreciation to Mr. LaGrange for making our trip so memorable."
I can think of no better way to express my appreciation than to publish this letter in Model Aviation. Tours are available at the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana, at 2 p.m. each day. Thanks for doing a great job, Rich!
While thinking about placing an advertisement, I read an article that gave some pointers that will help you get the most out of your advertisement, and I want to share them with you.
- Avoid superlatives, generalizations, and platitudes.
- Be specific.
- Be personal, enthusiastic, and memorable, just as if the reader were sitting next to you at dinner.
- Tell the truth, but make it interesting.
- Write sentences of less than 12 words.
- Write paragraphs of no more than three sentences.
- Use testimonials.
- Give the reader helpful information.
- Remember that people don’t read leisurely; they scan.
- People read only a fraction of what is placed before their eyes. If you want them to read your message, you’d better make it interesting—even to established customers.
Grand Event
Grand Event 2003 was held in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 6, 7, and 8. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Grand Event, it is a project developed to expose the public to as many facets of modeling activities as possible.
The Grand Event is geared toward the younger generation with make-and-take activities. This year more than 300 kites were built and flown, along with 115 parachutes, 180 gliders, and 400 rockets during this three-day period. The weather was less than cooperative, but there were many families at Waterworks Park in Des Moines. It appeared that those who attended had a good time and went away happy.
I received the following letter from Kathie Tenner, describing her day at the Grand Event.
"My husband and I took our neighbor boy who is mentally challenged to the air show on Saturday, June 7, in Des Moines, Iowa. We couldn’t have had a more wonderful experience for all of us. Sam was able to make and fly a kite, make and watch his rocket go, fly an airplane with assistance, and watch the boats and other planes. He was thrilled.
"I can’t thank you enough for your volunteers and the way they treated him and the two of us. My husband enjoyed it also.
"Thank you again."
Grand Event is not new. With the support of the Radio Control Hobby Trade Association (RCHTA), AMA hosted this event for several years in conjunction with Homecoming. To bring the event to as many people as possible, it was decided to move the venue around the country. I want to thank the clubs that were involved in putting on this successful event:
- Des Moines Modelaires (host club)
- Central Iowa Aeromodelers
- Mid Iowa Control-Liners
- Southeast Des Moines RC Flyers
- Des Moines Area Rocket Society
These clubs assumed a huge undertaking and put in many hours to make it a success. A big thank you to all those involved.
If your club is interested in hosting the Grand Event, please contact Carl Maroney at AMA Headquarters for details.
I would also like to say thank you to Carl Maroney, Ilona Maine, and Rich LaGrange from the Headquarters staff for their support and participation in this event.
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
