184 MODEL AVIATION
regularly know of my use of the term
“psychological paycheck,” and the sensation
one has when it is cashed. It’s a feeling that
makes up for all the things that go wrong in
the day—a mental reward that you get when
you’re affiliated with a positive event or
happening of great importance to others.
During the FF portion of the National
Aeromodeling Championships, your AMA
awarded a check for $13,900 to Kyle Jones, a
17-year-old from Avon Lake, Ohio, as a part
of the AMA/Charles H. Grant Scholarship
Program.
Unaware that he had been awarded a
scholarship, Kyle and his father were
competing in the Nats when approached by
members of AMA’s Marketing Department
for an impromptu interview about “family
flying.” Kyle’s mother, a part of this grand
deception, had driven here from Ohio, and
was also a part of this mock—but real—
interview.
When the discussion turned to Kyle’s
future and education, Bob Brown, District III
vice president from Bradford, Pennsylvania,
stepped forward bearing an outsized check
made out to Kyle for $13,900.
The expressions on the father’s and son’s
faces were, as the saying goes, priceless. It
was a good day for cashing a “psychological
paycheck.” MA
In the spirit of flight.
Executive Director Jim Cherry
ctober is the month that keeps us on
our toes regarding the upcoming
holiday season. It offers enough
still-warm weather that those in the northern
areas can still slip in a few more flying days
before the crush of winter and the building
season begins.
Our members in the southern areas who
fly year-round still question why people live
where it gets so cold. Building season in the
south is when you have to stop and build
because you don’t have anything else to fly.
Alas, either way, the holiday season will soon
be here with limited flying for everyone.
You will be receiving your AMA membershiprenewal
information soon. More than ever, we
need your continuing support of AMA, and
prompt attention to your renewal form.
Many in the colder areas wait until the
next flying season to renew. Taken at face
value, that seems like a sensible thing to do.
Why renew when I won’t be flying until
spring?
In reality this practice costs the AMA
money, approximately $16,000, because you
will be one of the members receiving a
second or even a third renewal notice. I hope
you agree that those funds can be better off
used elsewhere.
In July, I had an opportunity to meet with
District II Vice President Gary Fitch for the
annual District II fly-in in Olean, New York.
Although the fly-in was held at the
Cattaraugus/Olean Municipal Airport, Gary
gave me a tour of Clapp Field, the clubowned
flying site. It is only one of two in the
nation designated as a National Aeromodeling
Landmark. The other is Torrey Pines in
California.
O
Less than 80 miles away, in Geneseo, New
York, the Flying Aces Club (FAC) was
holding its annual fly-in: the Flying Aces
Nationals. FAC is a national organization
devoted to FF models flown in competition
using rules aimed at making competition
flying fun.
The principal focus of the FAC is
scale models. The club members are
dedicated to the promotion of FF model
aviation—indoor, outdoor, competition,
FAC meets, or just for fun. Any power is
acceptable: rubber, gas, electric, or other.
This organization is not for nonflying or
radio-control models.
If the full-scale airplane being modeled
had fixed landing gear, then the landing gear
must be fixed on the model. If the landing
gear on the full-scale aircraft is not fixed, a
model can present the gear in the up position.
An impressive array of rubber-powered
airplanes, some electric-powered models,
and tissue-built aircraft with some of the best
workmanship I have ever seen were flown in
the contest.
The history of how FAC derived its name
from the old Flying Aces magazine can be
found at http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Flying_Aces_(magazine).
Those who make it to this back page
It was a good day for cashing
a “psychological paycheck.”
View From HQ
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
AMA was represented
at this year’s Flying Aces
Nationals in Geneseo,
New York, by (L-R)
Dave Mathewson, AMA
president; Gary Fitch,
District II vice president;
Bob Brown, District III
vice president; Ross
Mayo, event CD; and
Bob Clemens.
10sig6.QXD 8/21/09 1:01 PM Page 184
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/10
Page Numbers: 184