200 MODEL AVIATION
Executive Director Jim Cherry
hey say confession is good for
the soul—but it’s lousy for the
reputation. I began last month’s
column with, “For the first time in my
flying/building career, I am so far
behind that I cannot justify buying one
more thing until I finish some of the
other projects that are calling my name
every time I go into the workroom.”
Well here comes the confession: I
wrote those words and only two days
later, at the Westchester Radio
AeroModelers (WRAM) show in White
Plains, New York, I purchased
something else.
Is it an addiction when you buy more
things when you cannot finish what you
have? There must be some fancy
medical term for this affliction. My wife
has come up with one: no self-control.
That’s when I lapse into my wellrehearsed
speech that goes, “Of all the
sports and hobbies around, at least
modeling keeps me home at night.”
Another often-recited speech is the
one that always comes up when people
find out what your hobby is. Someone
will ask, “Well, isn’t that expensive?”
I always follow that with a question
of my own. “Do you own a boat, hunt,
fish, restore cars, camp out, or collect
something?”
Don’t talk to me about expensive
hobbies! I truly think modeling is
misunderstood. The common person
does not know what it is to risk four or
six months of emotional building time
every time we fly. I have not yet heard
T
of a set of golf clubs being lost because
of a bad putt—I’m sure it has happened,
but you know what I mean. Boats can
sink, cars can crash, but the risk is not
comparable to the emotional investment
we face every time we fly. (If you’re
into skydiving, the preceding does not
apply to you.)
Brad Porter of Auburn, Washington,
has contributed to this month’s column
with the latest installment of “You know
you’re a modeler when ... ” offering
some Soaring, RC Combat, and 3-D
additions.
• “You know you’re a thermal duration
pilot when you nearly run off the
highway watching hawks circling.
• “You know you’re a thermal duration
pilot who is up too high when you
have to ask spectators if they can still
see your plane.
• “You know you’re a thermal duration
pilot when you cancel all your
afternoon meetings because there are
two puffy clouds in the sky.
• “You know you’re an RC combat pilot
when your workshop is built into the
back of your pickup.
• “You know you’re an RC combat pilot
when you hear yourself say, ‘Nothing
a little strapping tape can’t fix!’
• “You know you’re a slope soarer when
you find yourself scrambling up steep
hills with a plane in one hand and a
transmitter in the other.
• “You know you’re a slope soarer when
you’re more interested in checking out
the dunes than the beach.
• “You know you’re an RC glider pilot
when you think ‘if it weren’t for the
wife and kids, I’d trade it all for a
hang glider.’
• “You know you’re a scratch-builder
when you peer into the recycling bin
and see your next three projects.
• “You know you’re a park flyer when
you volunteer to make extra runs to
Target to see if AirHogs has put out
anything new.
• “You know you’re a 3-D pilot when
you respond to ‘check out that
waterfall’ by looking to open sky.
• “You know you’re a 3-D pilot when
you have scuff marks on your rudder.”
The AMA is changing, as do all
dynamic organizations. Retirements and
staff changes have put some new faces
in positions at AMA HQ in Muncie,
Indiana. Other positions have been
combined to better serve the
membership and be more cost effective.
On page 183 you will find the 2008
AMA Organizational Chart. I hope this
diagram will help you understand the
operations better. MA
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
The AMA is changing, as do
all dynamic organizations
View From HQ
05sig7.QXD 3/25/08 7:58 AM Page 200
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/05
Page Numbers: 200