View From HQ
It's the camaraderie and friendships that are built along the way
I intended to write my column this month on the value of nonprofit organization volunteers such as those of AMA. However, just as I was about to begin, my telephone rang. The conversation began with, "Hey Dave, it's a blast from your past!" It was an old modeling buddy, someone I hadn't heard from in years and, frankly, may have even lost track of for a while. We first met as kids when our dads took us to different club events throughout the Northeast. He lived in Pennsylvania and I lived in upstate New York. This was long before the days of email and the Internet, so the only time we really ever saw or talked to each other was at modeling events. Yet, we became pretty good friends.
As life circumstances occurred we began to see each other less and less and before long months, then years, would pass before we ran into each other; still usually at some model aviation event.
It was great being able to spend some time together catching up, talking about our modeling activities, our kids, and even our grandkids. As the call ended, it made me think. Model aviation has been such a big part of my life, as it has for so many others. But model aviation isn't just flying a model aircraft. It's so much more.
It's the camaraderie and friendships that are built along the way. It's being with others who share the same enthusiasm for something that you do. It's watching each other's kids grow up, and maybe even grandkids. It's friendships that last a lifetime.
It's something to think about when someone says, "Tell me more about what you do as an aeromodeler."
AMA's year-end membership numbers are nearly finalized and it looks as though we will again face a small decline in members compared with 2010. However, there are some bright spots in the numbers. The decline has slowed significantly compared with previous years and for 2011 will be less than a 1% drop. And, if we factor in our increase in Youth members, as a result of our new Youth initiatives with the EAA, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and others, our 2011 membership is up slightly more than 2.5%.
Since its peak in 2003, AMA had suffered a loss of nearly 52.5% of our Youth members through 2010. With the help of our youth initiatives, we have stopped that trend. We continue to build on our education outreach efforts and will continue to promote model aviation as an excellent educational and recreational family activity. Aeromodeling can be a perfect stepping stone for our younger members to careers in aviation and aerospace.
The number of new members—those who have not been members in the past—is up significantly over last year. This is a good sign.
In late September, AMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the education wing of the FAA to work together to support AMA's individual mission and to support the education outreach efforts of the FAA.
There is an understandable concern in this country about where the next generation of engineers will come from. Along with the FAA, we believe that model aviation can be the impetus to get young people interested in aviation as a career. Using model airplanes to teach science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is an exciting hands-on way for a fun activity to educate young people in these critically important areas. We look forward to working closely with the FAA on this initiative.
Also concerning our education outreach efforts, I'm pleased to be able to tell you that AMA has been selected by the National Aeronautic Association as the recipient of the 2011 Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education. This prestigious award is presented to individuals or organizations honoring significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.
AMA was selected this year for "exemplary accomplishment and collaborative work with numerous aerospace organizations across the nation to assist students, teachers, and community leaders in understanding the science, skill, and beauty of flight."
Jonathan Gaffney, president and chief executive officer of the NAA and chairman of the Selection Committee, said, "I am particularly proud that the Academy of Model Aeronautics was named as the recipient for 2011. For 75 years they have maintained a focus on aviation education which has impacted millions of young people across the United States, and the Brewer Trophy is a great acknowledgment of their dedication and commitment to this very important cause."
Receiving this award speaks volumes about the emphasis AMA has placed on education outreach and is a reflection of the hard work of our Education Department led by Bill Pritchett, our Education Outreach Specialist Dr. Gordon Schimmel, and our Education Committee chaired by Travis McGinnis. AMA Executive Vice President Mark Smith will accept the trophy on behalf of AMA at an awards banquet in Arlington, Virginia, in early November.
For more about this prestigious award, see "In the Air" elsewhere in this issue.
You'll receive this issue of MA near Thanksgiving. I hope you all get to spend some time doing what you enjoy most and have a great holiday season.
See you next time.
Dave Mathewson AMA Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
