What a difference ...
From the Copilot’s Seat — Gary Fitch, Executive Vice President
What a difference a month ... and a year ... can make!
Enter the FAA reauthorization bill and the addendum that was attached and sponsored by Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma on our behalf. Last month it was a dream of your AMA Executive Council and our FAA workgroup, and today it is reality. To say it was a one-in-a-million shot would not be an understatement.
NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney had this to say: “I have spent well over 20 years here in the nation’s capital—including five years working as a senior staffer in the House and 12 years doing some heavy lobbying of two branches of government. That AMA was able to accomplish this is just remarkable.”
The Academy scored a major victory for its members when the FAA Reauthorization Bill was passed by Congress and signed by the president in February, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. The FAA still controls the National Airspace System (NAS) and we are waiting for its response to the new law.
There is still work for us to do, but what a difference a month can make!
It is February as I write this and there is still some snow around, but by the time you read this the weather will be warming and Northeastern residents will also be outside flying.
For many years the Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) Show, sponsored by the Westchester Radio AeroModelers, was held at the Westchester County Center Theater in White Plains, New York. This was the only trade show in the eastern part of the U.S., and it had experienced a decline in the number of attendees and a corresponding reduction of vendors. Parking was difficult and it was an expensive show to get to and attend.
Show manager Lou Scarlino, together with the WRAM members, made a gutsy call to move the show west, across the Hudson River, and south to Secaucus, New Jersey, roughly 35 miles away.
They selected the Meadowlands Exhibition Center, located in the Meadowlands Complex, which contains a number of hotels, restaurants, shops, and the stadium that the New York Giants (of Super Bowl fame!) and the New York Jets call home.
The venue is modern, with free parking and a lot of it. The big question and gamble was: will this change in venue change the fortunes of the WRAM Show and will vendors and modelers attend?
That answer came on the weekend of February 24–26, and in a big way. Although the number of vendors appeared to be up slightly, the modelers came out, filling the wide aisles. I had an opportunity to speak with Lou about the change and he was all smiles. Their gamble had paid off!
He has done a terrific job and really hit a home run this year. Lou told me that this would be his last year to manage the event. Lou, you are certainly going out a big winner and thank you for volunteering for this huge task. You have certainly made a difference for the modelers in the Northeast, and for the WRAM Show!
I spoke with a number of vendors and in every case it was a great event for them. One of them said it was better than the Toledo Show, and that says a lot! I have no doubt that next year’s WRAM Show will have more vendors and those aisles will again be filled with happy shoppers. What a difference a year makes!
On the AMA club business side of things, I have received calls and spoken with a few AMA clubs and AMA members of late concerning what their club bylaws should contain. I let them know that AMA published a set of guidelines for chartered club bylaws, which can be downloaded from the Documents section of the AMA website (number 535A).
Roughly 10 years ago, the Academy notified all clubs that they must amend their club bylaws to include a legal process of removing a disgruntled club member from membership. We have seen on numerous occasions where a club experienced the wrath of an unruly member.
Every club should have the legal ability to remove such a member and we need each club to comply with this request. If you haven’t already done so, please amend your club bylaws accordingly and send AMA a copy for our files. This will help to protect your chartered club status, as well as protecting us.
While you are at it, we could also use your field GPS coordinates, especially when applying for an AMA sanction for your next event.
Thanks for reading and until next month, help secure our future and take a youngster flying. ✈
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
