View from HQ
The Nats has a core of dedicated people working to ensure its future.
By the time you read this, the AMA staff should be uttering one big collective sigh of relief. If you point your ears in the direction of Muncie and listen carefully, you just might hear it. Another Nats is done and gone! Whew!
It has been an intense time for everyone, with all of the competitors descending on the International Aeromodeling Center to participate in the world's largest aeromodeling competition. Hosting 1,200 competitors participating in more than 200 events during a six-week span of time requires much planning, forethought, and coordination—not to mention volunteer help.
Thanks to many dedicated people, I think I can honestly say that this year's event was a great success despite a number of significant challenges and some new faces around the competition site.
I was pleased to be a volunteer at a single Nats event several years ago while still in my old job as the president of the National Aeronautic Association. I was assigned the task of coordinating the lineup of competitors behind the pilot stations. It was a great experience and it gave me a real appreciation for the effort everyone put into this event.
But that was only one event and I wondered how things got done behind the scenes. How did the staff prepare for all these events? What did the maintenance crew do to prepare the pits? What role did the SIGs play? How did Nats Headquarters coordinate all of this and where did all the volunteers come from?
One thing you learn quickly when you're involved with these events is that although it may appear calm on the outside, there is usually a beehive of activity occurring behind the scenes that makes all the pieces come together smoothly. Competitors and spectators rarely see these inner workings, and that is the way it should be. I never dreamed I would someday be a part of this effort in the capacity of AMA's Executive Director.
As the "new guy," I got to see things firsthand this time, and it was still an eye-opening experience. This year's event was particularly challenging because of all the personnel changes that had occurred. I was new, our staff manager for the Nats was new, and so was the man in charge of maintenance, so I anticipated at least some difficulty as we began to welcome our contestants to Muncie.
Thankfully, the problems were few and far between, due in no small part to a solid core of volunteers and staff members who were willing to pitch in and do whatever it took to get the job done. Of course, we had a few snafus, but by and large, the people attending were highly complimentary about the condition of the flying site, the competition setup, and the organizational effort we all put into this event. It paid off in compliment after compliment from members who recognized all the hard work and effort our staff and volunteers put in behind the scenes.
We did a number of things to improve this year's Nats, but one effort in particular deserves special mention: the NatsNews coverage. I think it is a good example of trying to improve our service and adding value to your membership.
I challenged the staff to think differently about the Nats and deliver a product to our members that was more timely, informative, interesting, and entertaining. In years past, Nats coverage appeared in a special issue of MA which was published in approximately December of each year.
Although it was generally well received, the coverage certainly wasn't very timely, and some even complained that devoting an entire issue to competition was inappropriate given that the vast majority of members don't participate in competitive events. This is true enough, but competition drives a lot of the innovation and creativity in our hobby, so we wanted to find a way to address these issues and still provide the kind of quality coverage our members have come to expect.
If you didn't get a chance to see this daily newsletter coverage of the Nats, go to AMA's Web site and check it out at www.modelaircraft.org/events/natsnews.asp. You'll find information about all of the events with some great pictures that make you feel as if you were front row center.
More than 2,000 members received E-mail notification when the publication was posted each day so they were up to date on all of the events, including who was in the lead, what was happening on the field, and what the scores were. It was a great look into the heart of a competition with all the details that you would expect. Although we don't plan to offer a special Nats issue of MA this year, we are exploring additional ways to enhance our coverage of the event and add value for our members.
The National Aeromodeling Championships is a competition with great history and tradition dating back to 1923. You can see that reflected in the high esteem in which the event is held by staff, volunteers, and competitors.
It is the oldest continually running flying model competition with a wonderful tradition that helps bind this organization together. The Nats has a core of dedicated people working to ensure its future.
As we look to that future, one thing is certain. We will strive to keep this a premier event that attracts the attention and interest of all our members. Thanks to each of the volunteers and staff who helped continue this great tradition of competition called the Nats.
Safe flying.
Don Koranda Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
