VIEW FROM HQ - 2012/06

It’s a busy time
of year at the
International
Aeromodeling
Center (IAC) in
Muncie, Indiana.
Our Membership
Department is
working overtime
processing new and
renewal membership applications.
The AMA Competitions
Department is busy processing
sanction applications, CD applications,
and getting ready for the first round
of voting by the AMA Contest Boards
that will determine the changes in the
AMA competition rules for the 2013-
2014 rules cycle.
Safety and Member Benefits has just
completed the annual club charter
renewal process and finished all of
our insurance policy renewals for the
coming year. We were able to bring
all of our policy premiums in under
budget—not by much, but still under
budget—despite the less-than-stellar
claims year we had in 2011.
AMA’s Marketing Department
doesn’t have a slow period, although
the department’s focus changes during
the year. The Toledo Weak Signals’
R/C Expo in Toledo, Ohio, the Radio
Control Expo (RCX) in Long Beach,
California, and the National Retail
Hobby Stores Association (NRHSA)
show in Las Vegas, typically round out
the year for AMA.
We were pleased with the success
of all the shows in which we
participated this season. Now the
Marketing Department’s efforts will
shift to outdoor events, including
the events held at the IAC such as
the Extreme Flight Championships
(XFC), the National Electric Fly-In,
the International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association (IRCHA)
Jamboree, Warbirds Over Indiana, and
the five-week-long 86th Nats.
AMA’s Education Department
participated in a successful launch
of the CSI: Flight Adventures exhibit
at the Children’s Museum of
Indianapolis. CSI: Flight Adventures
is a collaborative effort between the
museum, NASA, and the AMA.
Opening day attendance exceeded
8,000 visitors.
Additionally, AMA again
participated in the National Science
Teachers Convention where model
aviation was introduced as a tool to
teach science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) courses in the
classroom to thousands of teachers
from across the United States.
April wrapped up with members of
the Education Department attending
the USA Science and Engineering
Festival in Washington, D.C. Between
these major events, we launched our
new youth e-newsletter that is sent
electronically monthly to thousands of
young aviation enthusiasts across the
country.
The National Model Aviation
Museum played host to the Muncie
Symphony Orchestra. The evening
brought members of the Muncie
community, many of whom had never
before visited, to the IAC where they
were introduced to model aviation
and had the opportunity to view the
museum’s extensive collection of
model aviation artifacts.
Some minor remodeling in the
museum allowed us to create an
additional 1,100 square feet of exhibit
space that from now through the
end of July will house Take Flight,
an educational, hands-on exhibit for
children that our museum has on loan
from Oregon’s Science Works Hands-
On Museum.
With the March issue, the AMA
Publications Department launched the
redesigned Model Aviation magazine.
We were overwhelmed by the positive
responses we received from our
members about the new look and feel
of AMA’s flagship publication.
With that project complete, the
department turned its focus to
completing the Model Aviation archives
update, which should be available on
our website by June 1. Much work
has gone into this resource, which will
make every issue of Model Aviation
magazine since it was first launched in
the 1970s available to our members.
Along with the archives, the
Publications Department staff is
continuing work on a digital version
of Model Aviation and a tablet version
of the magazine, which should be
available by midsummer 2012.
I’ve touched on some of the high
points, which amount to only a
fraction of the effort that our staff puts
into supporting the AMA membership.
There are countless other things that
take place virtually every day behind
the scenes that probably don’t get the
attention they deserve, but play an
important role in ensuring that your
AMA membership helps you to enjoy
model aviation to the greatest extent
possible.
Not every staff member is a modeler,
but each one cares about aeromodeling
and works hard for those of us who
are.
FAA’s NPRM
Please take a moment to read Bob
Brown’s “President’s Perspective” this
month as well as Rich Hanson’s article
in the “In the Air: AMA in Action”
section of this magazine.
As we wait for the impending
release of the FAA Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) on small,
unmanned aircraft systems, it’s
important that we all continue to be
informed and as engaged as possible if
and when we need to respond to the
proposed rule.
As many of you are aware, the
release date for the NPRM has been
postponed several times since its
original expected release date in early
2011. The date changes make it nearly
impossible to keep our members as
informed as we would like.
The best way to get the most current
information is to regularly visit the
Government Relations page on the
AMA website. Please take a moment
to do that when you can.
See you next time