AMA News

AMA NEWS

MAYOR OF NEW YORK HONORS AEROMODELERS

As part of the Model Aviation Day activities at Rockefeller Center last October, the Mayor of New York City issued a beautiful framed proclamation. Unfortunately, the certificate was done in colors which make it difficult to reproduce the words.

But the words are significant, since they indicate very high level endorsement of model aviation. We thought, therefore, that you might enjoy sharing these words with us:

"Aeromodeling and competition among owners of remote control scale airplane models is one of the nation's fastest growing participation sports. The Academy of Model Aeronautics, which is the governing body for all model aircraft competition, currently has more than 60,000 registered competitors. It is also estimated that there are perhaps three times that many who build and fly model airplanes, without entering competitive events.

"Aeromodeling is a skilled and sophisticated sport and hobby, model airplanes have flown as high as commercial airliners, traveled as fast as racing cars, and have been used for aerial photography.

"Today's display and exhibition of model airplanes at Rockefeller Center attest to the technological talents and creativity of airplane modelers, and to the increasing popularity of this fast-growing sport.

"Now, therefore, I, Abraham Beame, Mayor of the City of New York, do hereby proclaim Saturday, October 15, 1977, as 'MODEL AVIATION DAY' in New York City, and urge all New Yorkers to take note of this pastime and its practitioners."

1977 AMA ELECTION RESULTS

Earl Witt continues in office as secretary-treasurer for 1978-79, but opponent Alex Chisolm was a strong runner. Witt got 9,084 votes to Chisolm's 4,048. Just over 14,000 votes were cast in all—24.4% of the total members who were eligible to vote.

In 1975, the last time the secretary-treasurer office was up for election, there were just over 4,000 votes, about 8.5%; this was an extremely low vote—probably occasioned by only one S-T candidate. For the presidential elections in 1974 there were 8,000 votes (19%) and in 1976 there were almost 9,000 votes (17.5%). The 1977 S-T election was the biggest ever, both in number of votes and percentage—a positive factor being an easier-to-use ballot.

Chisolm got 31% of the votes that were cast for either himself or Witt. But he won only his own district (X).

Again this year the number who voted were far less than those who renewed membership during the voting period. By the voting deadline in November we had more than 22,000 members signed up for 1978, so many thousands who could have voted did not.

Note: There were 1,537 invalid ballots—499 were blank (no choice indicated!), 162 were received too late, 876 were not signed.

Totals of Votes for Secretary-Treasurer, by District

• Witt*:

I 682 II 1197 III 1569 IV 645 V 941 VI 925 VII 343 VIII 917 IX 628 X 371 XI 731 No Dist. 25 Total 9,084

• Chisolm:

I 172 II 360 III 423 IV 190 V 308 VI 358 VII 360 VIII 255 IX 166 X 123 XI 2 No Dist. 14 Total 4,048

• Write-Ins:

I 0 II 0 III 0 IV 0 V 3 VI 8 VII 0 VIII 4 IX 0 X 0 XI 0 No Dist. 4 Total 19

Vice-President Election Results

• District I: Candidate Cliff Piper* — Vote 796; Write-Ins 21
• District II: Candidate Don Lowe* — Vote 1,228; Ralph Pennetti — 846; Write-Ins 2
• District III: Candidate Jim McNeill* — Vote 438; Julie Woods — 29; Lee Webster — 5
• District IV: Candidate (other write-ins) — Vote 19
• District V: Candidate Kenneth Morris* — Vote 723
• District VI: Candidate Hardy Brodersen — Vote 514
• District VII: Candidate Geoff Styles — Vote 59; Other Write-Ins 2
• District VIII: Candidate Vince Mankowski* — Vote 356
• District IX: Candidate Gerald Deneau* — Vote 184
• District X: Candidate Homer Smith* — Vote 321
• District XI: Candidate Charles Thomas — Vote 280; Write-In 1

*Elected for 1978-79 term.

THE 1978 NATS

At press time no definite location for next year's National Model Airplane Championships had been finalized. Three possibilities, however, were being explored actively.

Rickenbacker Air Force Base (formerly known as Lockbourne), south of Columbus, OH, was being pursued as a follow-up to the 1977 Nats at March Air Force Base in California. Both are Strategic Air Command bases and it was hoped that the successful experience on the West Coast would lead to continuation of AMA/Air Force cooperation.

Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey was also being explored when it became known that a site nearby might be available for Free Flight events. Since the 1974 AerOlympics at Lakehurst, AMA has been invited back there, and many local and regional meets have been held there, but the lack of an adequate FF site had prevented Nats planning. Since discovery of the nice site possibility for FF, negotiations for Lakehurst were reopened.

Lake Charles, Louisiana, is available but with some problems concerning a headquarters area on the airfield, plus some changes to use of the airfield that needed exploration concerning possible effects on Nats operation.

Thus, all three possibilities had, at press time, details that needed checking out and coordination to determine whether all the ingredients necessary for a National Championship were available. None had completely satisfactory situations so some compromise appeared necessary no matter which would become the final choice. The prime goal of the current effort, therefore, is to decide which compromise would be best. It was hoped at Thanksgiving time that announcement of the choice might be made by Christmas.

1977 AMA ELECTION RESULTS

Earl Witt continues in office as secretary‑treasurer for 1978-79. His opponent, Alex Chisholm, was a strong runner. Witt got 9,084 votes; Chisholm, 4,048. Just over 14,000 votes were cast — about 24% of the total members eligible to vote.

In 1975, the last time the secretary‑treasurer office was up for election, just over 4,000 votes were cast (about 8.5%) — an extremely low vote, probably occasioned by there being only one S‑T candidate. Presidential elections: 1974 — 8,000 votes (19%); 1976 — almost 9,000 votes (17.5%). The 1977 S‑T election was the biggest ever in both number of votes and percentage, a positive factor being an easier‑to‑use ballot. Chisholm received 31% of the votes cast.

Again this year the number voting was far less than the renewed membership during the voting period. At the voting deadline of November 2, 22,000 members had signed up for 1978; thousands could have voted but did not.

Note: 1,537 invalid ballots — 499 blank (no choice indicated), 162 received too late, 876 signed. Totals follow for votes by district.

Vice‑President Election Results

• Cliff Piper* — elected
• Don Lowe (write‑in)
• Ralph Pennetti (write‑in)
• Jim McNeill* (write‑in)
• Julie Woods
• Lee Webster
• Other write‑ins

Also elected for 1978-79 term:

• Kenneth Morris*
• Vince Mankowski*
• Homer Smith*

(See official AMA tabulation for district breakdowns and vote totals.) At press time no definite location for next year's National Model Airplane Championships had been finalized. Three possibilities were being actively explored: Rickenbacker Air Force Base (formerly Lockbourne), south of Columbus, Ohio, was being pursued as a followup to the 1977 Nats; March Air Force Base, California; and Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey. Both Strategic Air Command bases were hoped to provide a successful experience, and a West Coast site would lead to continuation of AMA/Air Force cooperation.

Lakehurst was also being explored because a site nearby might be available for Free Flight events. Since 1974 the AerOlympics at Lakehurst have been held and AMA has invited back local and regional meets, but a lack of an adequate Free Flight site had prevented Nats planning there. With discovery of a new site possibility, Free Flight negotiations at Lakehurst have been reopened.

Lake Charles, Louisiana, was available as a fourth possibility but presents new problems concerning headquarters area and the airfield; some changes in use of the airfield would need to be explored with regard to possible effects on Nats operations.

Thus, at press time none of the three primary possibilities was completely satisfactory; some compromise appeared necessary. The prime goal of the current effort was to decide what compromise would be best. It was hoped an announcement might be made by Thanksgiving; otherwise a decision might come by Christmas. what the coming year will look like. Too, it is possible to even tell the mood and enthusiasm of the membership by the renewals. Now for the good news! On top of 1977, which has proven to be a record year in every way for the Academy of Model Aeronautics, the renewals arriving at HQ are far ahead of the past year! And remember that in 1977 AMA topped 68,000 in membership.

With this sort of an enthusiastic start, 1978 should be GREAT. While the national economy is running tippy-toe on quicksand and the world mood is testy and abrasive, bordering always on open belligerency, if 68,000 of us can keep calm and keep our wits about us, at least our part of the world is more stable. AND BEST OF ALL—MUCH HAPPIER!!! And this all comes about because we are doing SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO. The magic of it all comes because we have found it to be much more fun doing it together. We are learning so much from each other that it is almost unbelievable! And we are never satisfied! We insist on learning still more.

An example of what I am driving at is indicated by the fact that I go to the trouble of writing this column, and you take time to read it and often respond. The same goes for the columns of the AMA Vice Presidents (your personal representatives in AMA). Expand that thinking still further and look at the eagerness-to-share expressed by all the technical articles in this fine publication, Model Aviation. Then multiply all of this opportunity for expansion of our fun and our education by the number of other excellent publications offered us as aeromodellers. Place on this same plate of potential all of the info and camaraderie (togetherness!) that goes into all of our excellent club newsletters. ALL of this writing is not printed in ink, but is printed with love! Love for each other and for what we believe in. We simply find it easy to express all this by using a model aircraft as our means of "getting there."

Benefit of all of this falls as much in the lap of the world around us as it does on us personally. Because of our hobby or sport we are much happier, much more stable, and much more intelligent people! Whatever we are doing, let's keep it up! Let's keep those renewals and new membership applications proving that we are right!

Looks like I preach on this corner once a month, doesn't it! It is because I believe in what we do!

1978 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION BLANKS

Pads of AMA Membership Applications for 1978 are now available from AMA HQ for all clubs, hobby dealers, or other interested parties. A simple phone call or note to AMA HQ at 515 Fifteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20005, will do it.

For the hobby dealer, having AMA application blanks on hand for your customer is a very wise and appreciated service!

LONGEVITY—A CHALLENGE!

Some out-of-town modelers stopped by my place a few days ago and I casually mentioned how many flights I had "milked" from some of my old models. This always brings astonishment, because the "life" of the average model airplane, if flown, is not often very short. A long time ago I developed a wreck-rebuilding habit that grew out of sheer determination and cussedness. When I tore up a model I had to salvage something for my pride, so even though the crash reflected on my flying skill, if I was able to rebuild the wreck it proved that my construction work was sound. This spirit of determination was known nationwide when I utterly destroyed a model in Control Line Stunt at a long ago Nats, worked all night gluing pieces together, and placed near the top in the event the next day. MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS and AIR TRAILS magazines both ran cartoons with their Nats coverage with captions stating "Johnny Clemens Flies Again!" I still have that old stunt ship. When my visitors looked it over they declared it to be at least 97% glue. Since they had watched me fly in the past, they also said that I probably was the BEST GLUE PILOT of all time.

My old "Nobler" actually has about 3,000 flights on it (16 years) and I have a couple more with between one and two thousand flights. But modelers have a tendency to be cruel to each other once in a while, and when I brag about how many flights I have put on my planes some of my buddies claim I AM JUST TOO CHEAP TO BUY NEW ONES. GLUE AIN'T CHEAP!

HELPFUL HINT - ADHESIVES

If you are using any of the adhesive-backed foam tapes for wing saddles or servo mounting or such, don't waste your time putting the adhesive side against bare wood, especially balsa. It just won't stay stuck. Seal the wood first with dope or sealer, or better still, with a film of epoxy glue rubbed in. How do I know about this? Something important of mine just came loose!!

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME -

Watching your newest masterpiece crash when you are helpless to stop it can sure teach you how to curse in body language! But building little pieces of magnet into each part might keep the crashed pieces all in one easy-to-pick-up heap—just like Monokote helps us carry it all home in a plastic bag. Always be neat!

U.S. AIR FORCE, SCOUTS, AMA AND OTHERS

Thanks to the U.S. Air Force for joining in a "good thing" and helping to involve AMA in it; we are being effective in a new group of organizations aimed toward helping youth. My primary point of contact is through an energetic and personable officer at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Tex. Captain Michael Rooney, Capt. Rooney's title is U.S.A.F. Scouting Liaison Officer, and his program's title is "U.S. Air Force Cooperation with National Scouting Organizations." As a bit of purely personal observation, I am enjoying working with Mike because not only is he personable and energetic, but we are the same height (dynamically short!) and can enjoy looking at each other eyeball to eyeball. Recently Mike invited me to participate in the SOUTH CENTRAL REGION AERODEO hosted by Carswell AFB, and it was a notable weekend of youth involvement celebrated along with the annual Carswell Open House. Since the Air Force Thunderbirds flew in and their sparkling exhibition, the Thunderbirds themselves attended the barbecue held in a Carswell hangar, giving the 353 Explorer Scouts a chance to meet them in person. I was particularly impressed with the fine PR idea of having several photographers with Polaroid cameras to take instant pictures of the Scouts meeting the Thunderbirds. These pictures were then given to the young folks to have autographed by the Thunderbirds.

Incidentally, that would be an excellent idea for AMA Club banquets and other occasions where you might have notable guests. I am personally going to do this at the FAI meeting in Paris so that the delegates from other countries will not forget the folks from the U.S. of A!

Planning and execution of the AERODEO at Carswell was a well-coordinated action involving also GENERAL DYNAMICS, BELL HELICOPTER, and the VOUGHT CORPORATION, as well as the Air Force. Instructors for the seminars were provided by NASA, the FAA, local universities, and military professionals. Three hundred and fifty-three Explorer Scouts and advisors were certainly more knowledgeable and more air-minded after that fine weekend!

An example of the cooperation that is being generated between all these organizations is the photo that was at the head of my column last month. It was a picture of a meeting between Lt. Col. Don Cherry, leader of the Thunderbirds, and myself, discussing safety. The photo was taken by Ed Glover of the Vought Corporation and the leg work of getting it to me was done by Rooney and his partner, Capt. Sam Davis.

AMA was involved in the Boy Scout Jamboree at Moraine State Park, Pa., attended by over 100,000 adults and 28,000 Boy Scouts from our 50 states and 25 foreign countries. AMA's involvement was primarily through the handsome volunteer efforts of members of the GREATER PITTSBURGH AERO RADIO CONTROL SOCIETY. The Society's secretary, Dallas Hartford, had "ARCS" members staffing a Model Aeronautical exhibit and overseeing the Scouts' building of 1,500 "Decis" (Frank Elling's AMA CUB design) provided by the Hobby Industry Association. The HIAA was "in person" for three days by Walt Cadell, HIAA's Executive Director, and Rich Palmer, Chairman of the HIAA Public Relations Committee. The HIAA Delta Dart program is the hobby industry's very effective example of "learning through doing."

AMA has been rather at a loss for a good "out of house" youth program in the past, mainly because we were practically alone in the action. Hopefully, by developing and cooperating in these new fields with new friends, we can all become more helpful to our young folks!

TRAVEL IN BEHALF OF AMA

As I leave on another trip to represent all of you in AMA's international affairs, some thoughts occurred to me. With the really evil luck I have had this past year, if "my ship comes in," you can bet that I'll probably be at the airport!

From the papers it looks like the prevalent classes of airline travel now are FIRST CLASS, TOURIST, ECONOMY, and HOSTAGE. At last until they invent much smaller "hostages" our model airplanes are safe. Maybe it isn't really wise to keep building them larger!

THE END—AND THE BEGINNING

As the year ends, time comes for counting our blessings. Please believe that I count each of you among my own blessings. Without you my efforts this past year would have been fruitless.

And I shall count you among my blessings for the coming year. Having been president of AMA for the past four years is a privilege, in truth I don't know what I'd do without you!! THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND!

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Tell me which option you prefer and I’ll proceed. I examined the scanned page image you provided. It does NOT contain the continuation of the PRIMARY ARTICLE titled "AMA News." The visible material on this page is other items (district reports and photos — e.g., "VI DISTRICT REPORT"), so there is no "AMA News" text to extract or correct here.

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No "AMA News" continuation found on this page

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Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.