Public Relations - An Update
As one of the most important years in the Academy's history comes to a close, it is a good time to review events of 1983 and plans for 1984.
Perhaps the biggest public-relations memory of 1983 was the opening of the National Center for Aeromodeling. After almost 50 years of growth, the Academy — and its members — now have their own office building, museum, library and visitors' center. Every member and many non-members who have visited the new building during the past several months have been delighted, in some cases almost overwhelmed, by the design, the orderly display, and the collection of models and memorabilia. Every person and company that contributed to the project is owed a debt of gratitude. Modelers who have not yet made a contribution (tax-deductible) to help pay down the mortgage are urged to do so.
The 1983 Nats was a great success in many ways. Having so many modelers and their families converge on Chicopee, MA (Westover AFB) produced extensive local publicity; model aviation should be better known in New England now than perhaps ever before. Thanks to the efforts of all who generated interest in the sport, we can count on a positive public image remaining in the minds of New Englanders.
Flying-site success stories came in all year. While some clubs lost sites (often due to noise complaints), many more clubs were granted permission to fly from public or private property. For example, the November issue of Model Aviation featured the Tri-Cities RC Club (WA), which secured a new field on Conservation District property; similarly, the Aeromasters in Raleigh, NC, gained a flying field on a former landfill. AMA has experience and materials to assist clubs seeking fields—contact HQ and let us work with you. This is one of the services your membership provides; use it when needed.
To encourage the building of scale models, AMA introduced the National Scale Award. At each major trade show, the aircraft judged Best of Scale by independent local judges will receive a trophy. Regional winners will be eligible for the National Scale Award contest; a National Scale Trophy will be presented to the overall winner. Judging will be done by non-AMA personnel.
A good public image is vital when a club seeks community support. Many clubs have conducted mall shows at shopping centers and, as a result, gained members and received public or private assistance when flying-field problems developed. With this in mind, AMA proposed (Model Aviation — September 1983) a National Mall Show Day for 1984. Response from chartered clubs has been very encouraging. Several clubs already have plans for early-1984 mall shows; dates may vary and that flexibility is acceptable in a volunteer arrangement. Clubs endorsing the idea have been sent informational packages and suggested press releases.
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AMA News
ACADEMY OF MODEL AERONAUTICS 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090
Club Patches / Emblems Needed
Previously donated patches are on display in the AMA Museum, but patches from a large fraction of the more than 1,700 AMA-chartered clubs are still missing. If you don't see your club represented, send your club patch so it can be properly displayed.
AMA HQ Services Staff
- Executive Director: John Worth
- Assistant Executive Director: Vince Mankowski
- Executive Secretary: Joyce Hager
- Comptroller: Gisele Jackson
- Competition Services Director: Micheline Madison
- Special Services Director: Carl Maroney
- Membership Director: Carol Merfeld
- Public Relations Director: Geoff Styles
- Special Events Manager: Douglas Pratt
- Publications Director: Carl R. Wheeley
- Administrative Coordinator: Bob Voislavek
- General Counsel: Jeremiah Courtney
- Assistant General Counsel: Jack Smith
FAI Chairmen
To improve publicity for the FAI team-selection committee chairmen, the present chairmen are listed here:
- Outdoor FF, F1A, F1B, F1C: Dr. Wayne Drake, 3290 SE Pelton, Troutdale, OR 97060
- Indoor FF, F1D: Ray Harlan, 15 Happy Hollow Rd., Wayland, MA 01778
FAI Combat
FAI Combat combines the thrill of the kill and the challenge of the hunt, making it enjoyable for participants and spectators. In mid-September I attended the team-selection meet in Nashville, TN. Thirty-seven combatants started and three were chosen for the World Championships team:
- Ron Colombo (righthand flier) — finished first
- George Cleveland — second seat
- Howard Rush — third seat
Tom Fluker, the reigning World Champion, will be back to defend his title. The selected team should represent us well at the World Championships next year.
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Executive VP's Report
Jim McNeill AMA Executive VP 617 South 20 Avenue, Birmingham, AL 35205
Today is September 24 and AMA is holding a ribbon-cutting Open House — everyone is invited. Come with me and I'll escort you through the whole event.
Meet the staff: Kathy Suprata and Linda Brown are handling registration; Kathy Ladow and Peggy Merritt are receptionists. The walls are covered with plaques honoring donors, workers and living legends. Donor contributions made this possible.
John and Joan Grigg are pictured in front of the new building; John is seeking another term as AMA President and has served with distinction. Volunteer workers like John and Joan sacrifice time to provide this organization.
Inside the museum there are hundreds of model airplanes — a cross-section of past, present and future modeling. This facility is not a tribute to AMA alone but to the membership whose donations and dues made it possible.
Also pictured are Velma Teubner and Johnny Clemens; Johnny, a former AMA President from Texas, is also running for president. This election has two excellent candidates — no matter who wins, the membership will have a good president.
See you next month.
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Executive Director's View From HQ
John Worth AMA Executive Director 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090
It Was Grand...
The weekend of September 24–25, 1983, became part of AMA history with the Grand Opening ceremonies of the National Center for Aeromodeling. The event was elegant, and the building was beautifully presented with new furniture, decorations, plants and fresh landscaping. Ideal weather added to the occasion.
About 200 people attended the ribbon cutting on Saturday at 4 pm. Speakers expressed emotion and the gathering recognized that, after 47 years since AMA's founding in 1936, the Academy now has a permanent home and roots for the future. This is a major milestone and sets the stage for the 50th anniversary celebration in 1986.
With the new building and museum content we can expect many visitors. We're not yet fully staffed to handle weekend and extra-weekday visitation, but hope the 1984 budget will allow expanded hours and staffing so members can visit without interrupting basic HQ operations.
A Great Nats...
The 1983 National Model Airplane Championships was unique in that it paid for itself. A preliminary financial report shows the event went slightly into the black — the first such result in many years. History indicates that with about a thousand entries the Nats needs no subsidy. This year's location (first time in New England) drew close to a thousand competitors plus helpers, officials and spectators. The event was a morale booster for the planners and operators.
Planning for the 1984 Nats is already underway; a meeting in Reno, NV, set the dates for August 5–12. Earlier announcement of dates and location helps competitors make vacation plans. Travel distance may be an issue for some, but a Nats is always worth the trip because of the people you meet.
RC World Champs...
As this issue went to press, the 13th World Championships for RC Aerobatics were about to begin in Pensacola, FL (October 10–15). Thirty countries registered. Notable competitors included Hanno Prettner (Austria), Wolfgang Matt (Liechtenstein), Dave Brown (USA) and Ivan Kristensen (Canada). A young German flier, Lossen, was a dark-horse candidate to watch. Results will be reported in next month's Model Aviation.
Renewal / Ballot Time...
By the time you see this, over 85,000 membership renewal forms (including election ballots to open age-class members) should be in the mail. Mail yours back soon — by November 25 for the election deadline; by December 15 to avoid missing insurance coverage for 1984 and issues of Model Aviation.
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II District Report
John Byrne District II Vice-President 36-29 213 Street, Bayside, NY 11361 (212) 225-4319
Associate Vice-Presidents
- Pete Bianchi, 260 S. Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10705
- Frank Costello, 27 Kearney St., Dover, NJ 07801
- Frank Dresch, 9 Willow Ave., Piscataway, NJ 08854
- Roy Kuchinski, 7 Corverange Ave., New Hyde Park, NY 11040
- Hank Lake, 46 Covert Dr., Toms River, NJ 08753
- Adam Satter, 41 Perry Ave., Latham, NY 12110
- Lou Suter, 2082 Rabbit Lane, Phoenix, NY 13135
Frequency Coordinator
- George Myers, 70 Roebach Farm Rd., Hicksville, NY 11801
I attended a contest sponsored by the Rhode Island RC Modelers at the old Charlestown Naval Air Station. The site (an abandoned runway) has been designated an RC flying site. To interest more members in Pattern flying, the contest used a self-score-guess format: a specific number of maneuvers were given and the modeler guessed his own score; competitors were judged on performance and the winner was the one who guessed closest to his actual score. This format allows anyone to compete and is an excellent introduction to competition flying.
George McGinnis (Contest Director for the Nats Speed events) is organizing a new Control Line contest on October 30 at Legion Field, Robinson Street, Hanson, MA: a Triathlon. It is a three-event contest flown with the same airplane:
- Noise test — airplane must pass a minimum noise level; bonus points awarded for noise levels below the limit.
- Static judging evaluation.
- Flight demonstrating aerobatics and scale operation.
This triathlon tests precision flying and judgment under a predetermined set of circumstances. Control Line enthusiasts in District II can obtain details by calling George McGinnis at (617) 293-2804. I will assist with noise testing and judges have been selected from the Radio Control community with backgrounds in Aerobatics and Scale judging.
At this time, the District II President's Meeting is expected in late November to discuss future District activities. Please make every effort to vote in the upcoming AMA election.
Second (District) Thoughts
The more I travel our District, the more convinced I am that a Northeastern Regional Meet at Westover AFB in 1984 (and thereafter) is a "must" if we are to have another Nats there when AMA's rotation policy cycles back. Enthusiasm among District II modelers is high. There is a chance we might host the World Control Line Championships at Westover next year; building on that event we could produce a very comprehensive model-aircraft affair. Regardless of FAI developments, I believe we should move ahead with the idea.
District I VP Ed Izzo is agreeable to a joint venture combining Districts I and II in this effort. Let me know your thoughts — there are roughly 5,500 of you in the District and only one of me. A call or letter from each of you would be most helpful. My phone number appears above.
National Center for Aeromodeling
We hope to see many of you at the formal opening and dedication ceremonies of our new AMA world headquarters in Reston, VA, on the weekend of September 24–25. The event has been publicized for months and should be within comfortable driving distance for most District II areas. We thank everyone and all organizations who participated financially and otherwise in the development of this monumental project and those who will continue to help satisfy the mortgage with financial contributions.
Far and Wide
We made two trips to Western New York recently. On July 9 we attended the S.T.A.R.S. (Southern Tier Aero Radio Society) Spangled Scale Rally in Olean, NY — a huge affair with scores of great model airplanes. On August 13 we attended the Second Annual RC Scale Rally of The Flying Knights of Hamburg, NY, where President Gil Lange presented a sizable check to AMA President John Grigg as a contribution to the AMA Building Fund.
On August 14 we visited the Mammoth Scale Rally of the Somers (NY) RC Club; there were scores of wonderful models and many spectators. One popular feature allowed spectators to inspect models during a lunch-hour break.
Contests, Conflicts and Junior Participation
A frequent complaint is that a contest coordinator (CD) sanctioned a meet that conflicts with another. Two contests are not considered conflicting unless they offer the same events and are closer than the distance specified for their contest class (A, AA, AAA). If one club sanctions a Pattern meet and another sanctions a Fun Fly on the same date in the same area, the rules would not call them a conflict. Whether they actually conflict is a local matter — clubs must work out local scheduling and compromise where necessary. The contest coordinator cannot be expected to determine local conflicts; clubs involved should communicate directly.
Traditionally, Control Line and Free Flight categories offer separate Junior and Senior age-class events, often with lower entry fees for juniors. RC events are more commonly divided by skill level; juniors typically pay the same entry fee as adults (usually $10–$15). Reducing entry fees for juniors (for example, $3 for Juniors and $5 for Seniors) might encourage more youth participation. Currently, the cost for a father and son at an RC meet can run $20–$30, which is a barrier to junior participation.
Upcoming
In the next month I have the AMA Grand Opening, a 4-cycle rally in Hamilton, the World Championships in Pensacola, and a seminar in Pittsburgh. I look forward to seeing many of you at these events.
Enuf.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
