200 MODEL AVIATION
Executive Director Jim Cherry
s I write this in the last full week in
July, the summer is half gone and
the National Aeromodeling
Championships—or Nats as it is referred to at
Headquarters—is past the midpoint.
Being a sport flier/builder, I never
participated in any serious competition
other than the fun-fly goofy stuff we would
perform once a year at the field. We’d
compete in things such as the shortest flight
or attach Dixie cups to the fuselage with six
beans in it and require the pilot to take off,
do a loop—an inside loop—and land with
all six beans still in the cup. That type of
stuff is fun but not real competition in any
measure of flying.
This is my first Nats. I have had a number
of members come up to me and say this was
their ... year at the Nats and they had watched
their own families as well as others grow up
coming to the events.
The Academy had an early start to the
summer with the XFC (Extreme Flight
Championships) in mid-June, followed the
next week by hosting the World
Championships F3D Pylon races.
Teams from the 16 countries that
participated in the F3D event were not even
home yet when the Nats Pylon competition
began, closing out the month of June. RC
Scale Aerobatics took over the flying site
after July 4.
During the week of July 8 the CL people
had center stage—and most other fields on
the site! In mid-July RC Combat pilots filled
the sky with wild bunches of airplanes that
looked and sounded more like a swarm of
mad hornets than something controlled by
transmitters!
Now the sailplanes with their quiet and
graceful flight dominate the skies in full
competition. The last week of July and first of
August we will welcome the RC Electrics
and FF members back to the National Flying
Site. August also brings the RC and CL Scale
competition to end the Nats. The big finish
for the summer is the IRCHA (International
Radio Controlled Helicopter Association)
Jamboree.
Walking the different fields and observing
the staging of the events has truly driven
home the aspect that AMA is a volunteer
membership organization. The individual
A
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that handle the
various competitions during the National
Championships represent the true strength of
AMA. If it were not for the many volunteers
who plan vacations around the Nats and
provide the leadership and management of
these events, none of this would happen.
Listing the people who volunteer to help
stage the Nats is a no-win proposition, but at
the risk of omitting someone I want to thank
some of those who make the Nats possible.
Since 1960 Ron and Jane Morgan have
participated in the organization of the Nats.
Ron is the director/manager of the Nats,
which is to say he oversees all the field
operations and coordination with the SIGs.
This is no small task when you have the
CDs and everyone else coming at you with
their needs.
Wayne Yeager is our RC category director,
Al (Handy Andy) Williamson is our RC
category manager as well as the on-site “Mr.
Fix-It,” and Joe Vislay is the assistant RC
director. Brenda Schuette is the CL manager
and keeps everyone from getting tripped up
during the summer. Phil Sullivan serves as FF
category manager. These individuals and
hundreds of others make the Nats possible.
While I was walking the flightline and
parking lots with their assortment of
trailers, trucks, cars, and campers, I found
the number of ways we transport our
aircraft amazing. From huge motor homes
to compact cars that defy physics of what
came out of them, every conceivable type
of transportation was employed. The
resourcefulness of our membership is also
evident as you tour the site.
It got me thinking about the comedian Jeff
Foxworthy and his famous “You know you’re
a fill-in-the-blank when ... ” line that has been
used by so many throughout the years. I was
wondering if anyone had ever put together a
“You know you’re a modeler when ... ”
litany? It could start out as You know you’re
a modeler when ... :
1) You’re as excited about the packing
materials of the box that new whatever came
in because it will make great receiver
padding in your next airplane.
2) Every time you pass a golf course you
think about how a great flying site was ruined
with sand and trees.
3) Everything you throw away is looked
at with a “could-I-use-this-somewhere-inmy-
next-project?” eye.
4) Your spouse notices mood swings
when it’s a beautiful flying day and nothing
you have is flyable.
5) You speak in strange tongues and
languages when you’re around other
modelers.
6) You’re as upset as your flying buddy is
when his airplane goes in.
7) You know never to ask another
modeler how many airplanes he or she has in
front of his or her spouse.
Well, you get the idea. How about it?
What’s your best “You know you’re a
modeler when ... ” line? Send it in and I’ll
share the best ones in future ED columns. MA
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
You know you’re a modeler when ...
Al Williamson (L) and Ron and Jane Morgan are three of many who volunteer their
time and expertise to make the Nats run smoothly.
10sig7.QXD 8/22/07 12:01 PM Page 200
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/10
Page Numbers: 200