View from HQ
Joyce Hager Executive Director
Or better yet, come out and watch others enjoy the hobby!
AS I WRITE THIS, we are preparing for the spring Executive Council (EC) meeting scheduled for May 4-5. The next EC meeting is scheduled for July 15.
Agendas for EC meetings are posted on our Web site prior to the meetings. Feel free to review it and pass on any questions to your district vice president. You elect a person to sit on the EC and represent your interests and the long-term goals of the organization.
In addition to having a 14-member EC, we have many committees charged with reviewing specific items. These committees, in turn, make recommendations to the EC concerning various issues. Nearly all of the committees have at least one representative from the EC.
I thought it would be of interest to list the various committees and the EC member(s) on those committees. The president of AMA is an ex officio member of all committees, and most have at least one AMA employee assigned to them.
- Bylaws Committee: Rich Hanson, chairman, District X; Bruce Nelson, District XI; Dave Mathewson, District II; and five additional members at large.
- Budget Committee: Russ Miller, chairman, District IX; Doug Holland, Executive Vice President; two members at large; the AMA comptroller; and myself.
- CARE (Committee to Achieve Responsible Environmental Solutions): Sandy Frank, chairman from District VIII, and six members at large.
- Education Committee: Charlie Bauer, of District VI, and six members at large.
- Expenditure Review/Finance Committee: Chairman Doug Holland and Russ Miller.
- FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) Executive Committee: Dave Brown, AMA president; chairman: Bob Brown, District III; and one member at large.
- Frequency Committee (no EC representation): Bob Underwood, coordinator, District VI; associate vice president; seven members at large; and an advisory council composed of various industry leaders.
- Hall of Fame Committee (no EC representation): The committee is composed of all past AMA presidents, the current AMA president, and one representative from each district.
- Insurance Committee: Don Krafft, chairman, District I; Doug Holland; Dave Mathewson; and an insurance-company representative.
- Leader Member Committee: Rich Hanson, chairman; Dave Brown; and Charlie Bauer.
- Museum Steering Committee: Doug Holland, chairman; two members at large; and several individuals representing other museums. In addition, a committee made up of Michael Smith, museum curator, and six other individuals reviews acquisitions.
- Nats (National Aeromodeling Championships) Management Committee: Charlie Bauer; Ron Morgan, Nats manager; and additional members representing the various venues. There are 17 representatives in all.
- Property Development and Planning Committee: Bob Brown, chairman; Chuck Foreman; and Rich Hanson.
- Publications Committee: Bob Brown, chairman; Charlie Bauer; and Dave Mathewson.
- Safety Committee (no EC members): Don Lowe, chairman; three members at large; and a three-member Turbine Advisory Committee.
- Scholarship Committee: Charlie Bauer.
- Special Interest Group Committee: Chuck Foreman, chairman; Jim McNeill, District V; and Rich Hanson.
There have been several committees formed to review an issue. Once the issue has been discussed and accepted or rejected, the committee is automatically disbanded.
Currently we have ad hoc committees for election-process review, park flyers, and contest-director/event-director review.
If you have an item you feel should be reviewed by one of the committees, feel free to send it directly to the appropriate EC member or to AMA Headquarters.
AMA Competition Regulations: I apologize that it has taken so long to get the AMA Competition Regulations, better known to our members as “the rule book.” I know this has been an issue for many members, but it was unintentional. Because of the new rule-book cycle of three years, there were many amendments. Change in personnel and some other unforeseen problems added to the delay.
By the time you read this, the rule books will be in the mail to those members who have requested a copy. If you haven’t requested your copy, you may do so by E-mailing Amy Wilson at [email protected] or contacting me. Each member is entitled to one free copy. Additional ones may be purchased through our merchandise store.
Members with access to our Web site can find the entire rule book there in PDF format. It is important to note that only the official, bound, printed version may be used in case of protests or other disputes involving events contained in the regulations.
I appreciate everyone’s patience and will make sure that this does not happen again when the next cycle occurs.
In last month’s column I listed the events scheduled at the International Flying Site in Muncie IN. If you are planning a vacation to the site, please call ahead and make sure it will be open for the type of flying you plan to do. Or better yet, come out and watch others enjoy the hobby! The National Model Aviation Museum and museum store are open weekends from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
In the event of changes to the schedule or more detail about scheduled events, please check out our Web site, the competition news listing, or the “Contest Calendar” in Model Aviation.
Now go and enjoy flying or building.
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
