New Comers
The most enlightening point that I can pass along this month is the dramatic change in the dues structure for Juniors (age 15 and younger), which will start in 1998! As a result of a recommendation in the Education Committee report at the July meeting, yearly dues were reduced to $1. That's one buck-less than a medium frozen custard cone, and one-third the rental price of a BlockbusterTM video! The rationale behind the committee suggestion stemmed from conversations at the Indoor Nats, and various teacher conventions. Last month's column included a group of 10 church youngsters who attended the unofficial Nats events, but weren't able to muster the $70 for AMA memberships.
New Comers
NEVER FLY the model until it's finished! While that seems like a logical statement, everyone has a different view of what "finished" means - including me. I recently took a just-completed Thingamabob to my local club field for its maiden voyage. I had checked all those necessary things, like center of gravity (CG); which way the rudder and nose wheel wagged when I gave it right (or left); whether the elevator and transmitter agreed on what up or down was; and if the throttle was going to "throttle" the engine when I moved the stick toward the bottom of the box. The hinges were subjected to a tug; the screws on the servo arms were checked. Right down the line, everything looked fine. So-o-o, I threw it in the van, remembering fuel and other essential stuff, and trundled off to the field.
New Comers
The brain is an interesting thing! Seemingly unrelated bits of "stuff" somehow wind their way through the brain's recesses and grab hands with other bits, creating a series of thoughts and revelations that become meaningful. At the Toledo show, a representative from one of the distributors was pondering a problem. During the last few years, sales of Radio Control (RC) Almost-Ready-to-Flys (ARFs) and kits have done a turnaround - kit sales have faltered and ARFs have soared. The rep's concern (or the company's) centered around the fact that the turnaround results, not necessarily in a decrease in overall sales, but in a decrease in the sales of related products, such as covering materials, etc. When his statement hit one of my brain recesses, it linked up with thoughts that I had expressed years ago, about why the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) loses members.
New Comers
DID YOU EVER SIT AROUND and have one of those brainstorms that sounded great, then acted on it before you considered it further? My brainstorm was to call Frank Tiano, Scale Top Gun CEO, and convince him that we ought to do a Delta Dart building session for kids during the Top Gun event! Frank was gracious, and he agreed that it sounded like a neat thing to do - even when I suggested flyoffs during the noon air shows on Saturday and Sunday. His only admonition was that he wouldn't be able to handle the arrangements, so it was up to me! I should have relied on Management 101 at that point, but I never had the course! So I called Jay Mealy at Headquarters (he is great with kids and a gem of a Dart instructor), and he thought the idea was great. Therefore, I passed "lesson one" of Management 101: Get someone else to do the job! Jay's time is crunched, so he needed someone else to set up a group of local instructors. I sat back in my chair at "AMA West" (my home) and paraphrased Alexander Graham Bell's comment and thought, "What hath I wrought?"
New Comers
THIS MONTH'S COLUMN was prompted by a trip to Toledo and the ever-popular Expo put on by the Weak Signals. While it is not the last or only trade show of the year, it does tend to reveal trends. When you stand in the AMA booth show after show, certain aspects of the hobby/sport emerge through the items displayed and the questions and concerns expressed. Another guide, at least for us AMA Headquarters types, is the difference in the personalities of each show. Yes, it's true - each show does exude a different feeling, because of the manner in which the show is advertised, what is displayed, and where it is located. All of these factors can be very important, not only to the show organizers and exhibitors, but also to the visitors.
