View from HQ - 2007/08
Joe Nall is one of those events to put on life's to-do list.
Those who have been involved in flying in any aspect have come to know that there are two places they have to visit before that "final flight" of life. For full-scale flying the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July is essential, and a visit to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is equally so. If AMA's International Flying Site and National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana, are the mecca of aeromodeling, a trip to the Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In has to be the number-two place to visit.
If you have been involved in modeling for any length of time, Joe Nall in May is that event every aeromodeling enthusiast hears of and yearns to attend. I fell into that category until I finally made it to the 25th anniversary of the gathering at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in South Carolina. Located just southeast of Spartanburg, in the small community of Woodruff, it is within easy reach of many who live in the eastern states.
This event is open to AMA members. As stated on the Web site, spectators must be an AMA member, guest, or family member of an AMA member. The facility is one of the best flying sites in the nation: it has a runway built for full-scale aircraft and a huge lake to accommodate any-size floatplane.
For many years the Academy has had a presence at the event, but this year, for the first time, we had a booth with items from the museum gift shop. AMA held a membership meeting and approximately 250 members attended. The AMA-sponsored hotdog supper that followed helped attendance and made for a short business meeting. A special thanks to our host Pat T. Hartness for accommodating the Academy and providing the PA system and chairs for the meeting. It was presided over by Doug Holland, AMA's executive vice president. (Dave Brown, AMA's president, was recovering from back surgery and unable to attend.) Six district vice presidents were also in attendance.
Almost everything that flies in the IMAA (International Miniature Aircraft Association) category was there. I'll leave the reporting of the events and demonstrations to other areas of the magazine. Joe Nall is one of those events to put on life's to-do list.
Rocket launch and youth involvement
Regarding things experienced recently, the "rocket guys" were on-site in June. The Rocketeers of Central Indiana (ROCI) staged the 2007 National Sport Launch the first weekend of the month. AMA should be envious of the number of youth participating in this event. Having gone to many fly-ins, fun-flys, and other noncompetition events, the lack of youth involvement has always concerned me. Unless the flying event was specifically targeting youth, the average age of those attending was much higher than what I witnessed at the rocket launch. At times there were 15 or more Rocketeers waiting to set up their rockets on the 30-plus launch pads. My unofficial observation put the percentage of youth and adults at roughly 50% each. We must involve the youth of today for the future of modeling tomorrow. The challenge is, how do we do it?
TAG (Take Off And Grow) program
The first reports coming back in on the Take Off And Grow (TAG) program have been encouraging. Many clubs are utilizing the AMA-provided trainers and flight simulators. MA has recapped one club's TAG program success on page 10. If your club did not participate this year, look on the new AMA Web site for the opportunity to apply for 2008.
Many clubs that did not need the trainers or simulators requested the public relations materials and information to stage their own version of the TAG program. Either way, the outreach to attract new participants in our hobby/sport is commendable.
Club visits and awards
On a final note, the hospitality shown to me on a recent visit to Kansas City and the Shawnee Mission Radio Control Club at Shawnee Mission Park, and a related visit to the Omahawks in Omaha, Nebraska, was outstanding.
The visit with the Omahawks allowed District IX Vice President Mark Smith and me the honor of presenting a Gold Level Leader Club award to club president Steve Culver. Thanks for the hospitality and keep up the good work.
Remember: Someone helped you get started. Help get someone else started in enjoying our great sport!
In the spirit of flight,
Jim Cherry Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
