View from HQ
Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director
Achievements in 2013
AMA spent much of 2013 researching and planning to replace its association management and content management systems. The current system, built in the early 1990s, is antiquated and unable to provide the features and functions an association such as AMA needs. The new system will allow us to provide better support to our members, improve communication with members and clubs, and better connect with prospective members. This is a large, time-consuming project that requires many staff resources. Plans are to implement the new system in 2014.
During the FAI General Conference in Antalya, Turkey, the AMA National Model Aviation Museum was accepted into the FAI Recommended Museums Program. The program recognizes “worthy and notable museum collections that document the history of air sports, aeronautics, and astronautics.” A plaque recognizing this accomplishment was presented by FAI President John Grubbström and Michiel Kasteleijn, president of the FAI Aviation and Space Education Commission, to Art Greenfield, head of the U.S. delegation. Jonathan Gaffney, president of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), presented the plaque to AMA President Bob Brown at the 2013 AMA Expo. The AMA National Model Aviation Museum is one of only three U.S. museums holding this honor.
AMA’s education outreach efforts took huge strides forward in 2013 and the program received significant recognition. “Wings Over Indiana,” a special one-hour edition of the science series Indiana Expeditions, received two Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The television special, created in collaboration between AMA, WFYI Productions, and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, was made possible by a NASA grant. The show profiles astronauts and both model and full-scale aviators of all ages, and highlights the value model aviation brings to aviation and aerospace engineering.
AMA’s collaborative efforts with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) helped introduce model aviation to more than 200 CAP squadrons across the country in 2013. Many youth members in these squadrons will go on to become both modelers and aviators.
In the second year of a three-year Alcoa Foundation grant, AMA continued to develop AeroLab II, a course that uses model aviation to teach science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). AeroLab II has been so well received by Alcoa that it is being translated into eight languages for worldwide distribution.
AMA Flight School, AMA’s online educational resource, grew exponentially in 2013. In early 2014, Flight School’s interactive learning management system will be launched, creating a virtual classroom for visitors.
AMA has received multiple recognitions for its education outreach efforts, including the Brewer Award from the NAA in 2011 (considered to be the foremost award for education outreach in aviation). In October 2013, AMA received the Outstanding Contribution to Education Award from the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. This was the first time the award, sponsored by Ball State University, was presented to an organization, and we’re extremely proud of the accomplishment.
The FAA will soon act on AMA’s request to be recognized as a community-based organization as defined in Public Law 112-95 (enacted by Congress in 2012). AMA submitted its request earlier in 2013 and expects to receive a letter from the FAA recognizing us as such. After this step is completed, the next step will be to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the FAA and AMA outlining how the organizations will work together. The MOU has been finalized and is now with the FAA’s hierarchy for final approval. If all goes as planned, the MOU will be signed by Jim Williams, UASIO manager, and AMA President Bob Brown at the AMA Expo in Ontario, California, on Saturday, January 11, 2014.
It was a positive and productive year for AMA in 2013. We accomplished much, but there is more to do, and we intend to move into 2014 full speed ahead.
To each of our members, thank you for making 2013 a fantastic year and thank you for belonging to the world’s greatest model aviation organization.
See you next time ...
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
