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184 MODEL AVIATION
resident Dave Mathewson
mentioned in his December 2008
MA “President’s Perspective”
column AMA’s new endeavor. We are
attending statewide meetings of local
officials in an effort to educate and inform
those who have control over many
potential flying sites of the goals and
mission of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics.
To date, AMA has participated in the
Florida League of Cities annual meeting in
August, Texas League of Cities in October,
The National Recreation and Park
Association held in Baltimore, Maryland,
in October, and the National League of
Cities annual meeting held in Orlando,
Florida, in November.
To claim AMA had the most exciting
booth would be an understatement!
Grouped with the stoplight, park bench,
water meter, lawn equipment, EMS, and
other expected vendor booths at the
conventions was the AMA booth. We
offered a flight simulator projecting an
airplane on the screen and helicopters and
small electric airplanes flying overhead.
Each time an aircraft was flown above the
booth dividers, a rush of attendees would
come to see where it had originated.
Once an official was in front of the
booth, a flight on the simulator was almost
a given. This provided insight into the skill
it takes to pilot a model airplane, and the
person gained a better appreciation of our
sport.
The recurring question was, “What are
you selling?” The positive response was
that we’re not selling anything; we’re just
looking for flying sites! This reply was
well received and we provided those
inquiring with AMA materials developed
for this effort.
Mentioning the $2.5 million primary
insurance we offer through our chartered
clubs for flying-site owners was very
popular with administrators. Apparently
few organizations seeking permission to
use public lands offer their own insurance
coverage.
Once it was established that we were
not into helicopter or airplane sales, and
P
that we were seeking flying sites for our
members, the AMA scored big in public
relations. We hope that will carry over
when a local group stands before a
governing board or park council seeking
acceptance to fly on public property.
We plan follow-ups from the Academy
to notify the clubs where a local official
stopped by the booth in addition to direct
mail letters to all. Building relationships is
a long-term process. Clubs that have gone
out of their way to involve elected
officials in activities and functions tend to
have fewer problems in the long run.
Tony Stillman, vice president of District
V, talks with a delegate attending the
National League of Cities convention in
Orlando FL. AMA member Dean
Cardoza (R) helped staff the booth.
Excitement Above the Goal was the
theme, featuring a soccer goal with an
aircraft flying above, driving home the
idea that many sport complexes could be
used for flying model aircraft.
Dean Cardoza looks on as Tony Stillman
instructs a man on the flight simulator.
In the background, Jose Soto, District V
associate vice president, is telling the
AMA flying-site story.
Returning to Muncie, Indiana, from a
visit to Florida during the Thanksgiving
holidays brought home a point that has
been discussed in online forums, club
meetings, and nearly any gathering of
modelers across the nation. This had
nothing to do with modeling.
A young person was counting back
change to me after I purchased something
at the airport in Atlanta. Something
disturbed the normal flow of the
transaction and the cashier didn’t have the
cash register to indicate how much change
I should receive. With a panicked
expression, the person ran in search of a
handheld calculator and painfully entered
in the amount I gave, subtracted the
purchase price, and arrived at the amount
of change I was due.
I’m showing I’m old school and a longago
product of the JCPenney company
(read between the lines—before computer
cash registers), and was taught in school
and at work to count back the change to the
customer. It’s simple math: begin with the
cost of the item and count back the change
up to the amount tended for the purchase.
I have been told that the stores don’t
want the clerks to use their minds and just
do as the registers tell them to do. What we
have is the loss of a skill set, which mirrors
our own problem with the loss of building
skills as one generation comes forward
with only the ARF skill set. I don’t begin to
question the bonus of what ARFs and RTF
aircraft have done. They allow those who
have neither the time nor the skill set to
build a model the opportunity to become
involved in model aviation.
We all welcome them in that challenge
and joy of flight, but unlike my Atlanta
experience where a handheld calculator
saved the day, what’s to become of that
modeler who doesn’t have a clue about
repairing that model or properly
maintaining it? It’s something to think
about.
Maybe I’m looking for an answer in this
world of instant gratification. How do we
pass on those building skills to the next
generation? MA
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
How do we pass on those building skills
to the next generation?
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