President's Perspective
Well, the election is over, and I received more votes than my "opponent," so I guess that means you have me for another term. I always hesitate to say that there is a "winner" in an AMA election, as the person with the most votes is the one who has to do the job after the election! Rich Hanson, my opponent, is the District X Vice President, and does a great job of representing the members in his district. I am sure he will continue to be a huge asset to the Executive Council. As in most years, I am disturbed by the fact that so few AMA members actually voted. Only about 12% of the membership voted this year, which is typical of the turnout in an AMA election.
President's Perspective
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE is frightful, but the fire is so de . . . Hey, I can't even get the fire warm for the last week! We had a very mild winter going, until the last ten days. The last ten days give real meaning to the term "building season." You know, it's funny how time, and the gradual change that time brings, makes many terms either obsolete, or no longer recognized. The "building season" doesn't have the same meaning now as it once did. I guess the question is, what do people who fly ready-to-flys do in the winter? Seriously, as the times and the membership change, so does the language. When you are the AMA president, people sometimes ask the strangest questions.
President's Perspective
Well, the IMS Convention '99 is over, and it was, by all accounts, a huge success. That is not to say that it was without a few problems, but they are nothing that we can't fix for next year. Most of the problems were outlined in my last column, so there were very few surprises. Congratulations to the AMA staff, and particularly to Jay Mealy, for a job well done! Environmental and wildlife issues are becoming more and more a factor in our ability to get flying sites.
President's Perspective
THOSE OF US WHO were fortunate enough to be raised in this great country have gotten into the habit of taking our freedom, as well as our protection, for granted. Unfortunately, few of us ever give much thought to the fact that freedom and protection are usually on opposite sides of the balance beam. If you stop to think about it, people who require a high degree of protection give up a lot of freedom in order to have that protection. How many celebrities have you heard make statements to the effect that they would give anything to be able to simply go shopping, or whatever, without being noticed. They have to give up a lot of freedom in order to gain an acceptable level of protection.
President's Perspective
I'll say one thing about being president of the AMA: it's not a good position for those who have an aversion to traveling! The month got its start in Lausanne, Switzerland, where I served as the US voting delegate at the CIAM, the Aeromodeling Commission of the FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale). If all of those acronyms confuse you, don't worry; they are really harmless parts of the international aeromodeling bureaucracy. Of all the countries in the world, the United States takes part in the greatest number of aeromodeling events, and has historically done quite well in most categories. Influence that the US has on the formation and rules of international aeromodeling has been the subject of many a discussion among those members involved in this activity.
