AMA News
Sig Memorial Scholarship Awards
Douglas R. Pratt, Director of Internal Communications
It is our pleasure to announce four deserving young model fliers have won grants from the Glen Sig Memorial Scholarship Fund for 1989: Melissa L. Davidow, Alan W. Hansten, Douglas E. Hart, and Andre E. Leger.
The Glen Sig Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1980 after the death of Glen Sigafoose in an air‑show crash. Glen and his wife Hazel founded Sig Manufacturing in 1953 and built it into a major model‑airplane manufacturer. The fund is managed by the AMA to ensure its perpetuation. Awards are made based on the number of applicants and demonstrated financial need. Several AMA members have donated to the fund, permitting increases in scholarship amounts.
- Melissa L. Davidow — Reno, NV
Graduated from Hugulett High School with a 3.52 GPA. Member of the National Honor Society for three years; has letters in music and scholastic categories. Placed first in the Western Nevada Regional Science Fair and the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium. Builds model cars, trucks, and planes; has built balsa structural models for train layouts. Attends Portland Community College, working toward a degree in veterinary medicine and plans to transfer to Oregon State University. Also received scholarships from Readers Digest and John Ascuaga’s Nugget.
- Alan W. Hansten — Bliss, ID
Graduated Bliss High School (1988) with a 3.3 GPA. Attending the College of Southern Idaho, majoring in agricultural engineering. Former National Honor Society member. Began building models in third grade; enthusiastic R/C flier who has conducted 4‑H flying demonstrations. Member of the Gooding County Prop Nuts.
- Douglas E. Hart — Bushnell, IL
Graduated Bushnell‑Prairie City High School (1989). Attending Southern Illinois University, majoring in aviation maintenance technology. Has built over 20 model planes, including original designs, and has taught others to fly R/C. Active in the community — designed entrance signs for the town — and plays trumpet for church and social functions.
- Andre E. Leger — Austin, MN
Graduated Austin High School with a 3.5 GPA. Attending Austin Community College in a pre‑law program. Assisted in editing the MACA newsletter and promoted control‑line activities. Has built over 50 combat planes and placed second in the 1987 Nationals in Lincoln.
AMA Offers New Renewal Service
AMA is pleased to announce a new service allowing 1990 AMA members to renew their 1991 memberships by toll‑free telephone. Details:
- Service period: July 1 through September 30, 1990
- Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Phone: 1‑800‑832‑8312
- Payment: Visa or MasterCard only
- Scope: Renewals only; no other services; calls cannot be transferred to other AMA departments
- Billing: Charge accounts will not be billed until October 1990
This service is intended to spread the renewal workload, save costs, and get membership cards mailed earlier.
Note: The space provided in AMA News for commentary is the personal viewpoint of the author and may not represent the official position of the AMA Executive Council.
Executive Director's View From HQ
Vince Mankowski, AMA Executive Director 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090
A few current issues and observations from Headquarters:
- International team and FAI costs
Recent increases in transportation and logistics (fuel shipment, model‑box shipping) have sharply raised the cost of supporting international teams. An FAI budget that was roughly $100,000 five years ago has grown to about $250,000 and is expected to rise further. The Executive Council has charged the FAI Executive Committee with proposing a plan to reduce future FAI expenses by about half. Options under consideration include sharing CIAM meeting representation costs with relevant Special Interest Groups, seeking NAA corporate assistance for logistics, and encouraging frugality among participants.
- Membership focus: competition vs. sport
AMA sees increased membership as leverage in government relations. Most new members start as sport fliers; competition participants typically develop from that larger base. This strategy aims to broaden the entry level and sustain competitive ranks over time.
- Property acquisition and development — Indiana site
AMA now owns 949.26 acres of farmland in Indiana. The site is currently leased and in production; AMA will receive 50% of the farm lease income. Initial environmental issues were discovered (old hog‑feeding pits under metal buildings), and plans are in place to clean and remove the material. Electrical service work and well upgrades are underway for the metal buildings. PADCOM (Property Acquisition and Development Committee) will meet in Muncie with Special Interest Group representatives to further define the master plan.
- Youth programs and staff additions
AMA is developing a national youth program and requests that clubs and individuals with successful youth programs send guidelines, materials, or examples to Headquarters to build a national file. New staff: John Watterson has joined to manage computer services; he previously worked in Prime computer technical support and was Director of Computer Operations at a nearby university.
- Competition logistics anecdotes
Examples shared include a team fuel shipment issue and an unexpectedly high model‑box transportation bill; these illustrate why policies must be reviewed and adjusted.
Till next month.
Other News and Notes
- FAA and awards: AMA works with the FAA on aviation education and scholarship support. Alexander J. Fleming of St. Simons Island, GA, received an AMA award and plans to attend Georgia Tech to pursue aerospace engineering.
- FAA films: The FAA film "Silver Eagle" and other safety films are available through FAA Film Service (c/o Modern Talking Picture Service, Inc., 3000 Park Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33709). Request a complete film listing by mail.
- Reston R/C Club newsletter: Edited by Jim Ralph (13645 Dorsonck Court, Herndon, VA 22071). Copies available if you send a stamped, self‑addressed envelope (use a large envelope and include 45¢ postage).
- Air Show Team Advisory Committee: Met in Atlanta to review the IMS consumer show. Vince Mankowski attended and provided meeting photos. The meeting was the first held in the Southeast; the 1991 meeting will return to Toledo.
- Columbia R/C Club (St. Louis): Club built a custom display rack for a local hobby shop (photo and report from Mel Muskopf).
- Ocean County Modelers (Jackson, NJ): Ron Pavesi, a teacher at Point Pleasant High School, combined classroom instruction with model construction and demonstrations, teaching electronics, radio gear, woodworking, and math through model projects (report via Charles T. Wiskow).
- Public relations reminder: Clubs should invite local, state, and federal officials (senators, congressmen) to events and meet‑and‑greets to promote model aviation and expand influence.
- American Recreation Coalition (ARC) dinner, June 1990: President George Bush received the Sheldon Coleman Award for support of outdoor recreation. The presentation involved an AMA member, highlighting AMA's connections in the outdoor recreation community.
District I Report
Don Krafft, District I Vice‑President P.O. Box 1828, Duxbury, MA 02331 | (617) 934‑6248
Associate Vice Presidents:
- Drew Davenport — 33 Ash St., Townsend, MA 01469
- Bob Landry — 80 Main St., Essex Jct., VT 05452
- Frederic J. Olsen — RR 3, Box 140‑35, Newport, ME 04953
- Robert P. Sawyer — 18 E. Shore Rd., Box 97, Goldsboro, ME 04607
- Richard Sherman — 28 High St., Plymouth, NH 03264
- Bob Wallace — 91 Sylvan St., Avon, CT 06001
Frequency Coordinator:
- George Wilson — 82 Frazier Way, Marstons Mills, MA 02648
Notes from the August 1990 column:
- Photo credits corrected: The Aeronca C‑3 was built by Henry Sherred Jr. of Dexter, ME. It was constructed from a Megow kit in the late 1940s and was rebuilt and recovered recently.
- A Pattern airplane photo shown at the IMS Pasadena show was on the same film roll as other pictures; the owner has been contacted and further details are expected.
- 495th Scale display: Approximately 22 models were displayed at the show; photos of available models will be shared where possible.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
