Competition Newsletter
Meeting Report: Executive Council and Contest Board Chairmen
D. J. Lindley, Contest Board Coordinator
On May 5–6 an extraordinary joint meeting of the Executive Council (EC) and the Chairmen of the Contest Boards (CBC) was held. These two bodies act jointly on matters affecting Contest Board procedures and many of the general rules governing flying and competition. In the past, most actions were accomplished by mail, and this often took an inordinate amount of time. This year the joint meeting was held to address publication problems with the AMA Rule Book and to introduce the chairmen of three new boards—R/C Soaring, R/C Helicopters, and R/C Racing—into the mainstream of the governing process.
Chairmen began arriving early Friday afternoon, May 4, and those who arrived in time visited AMA Headquarters to see firsthand the facility. Later arrivals gathered at the Marriott Hotel, Dulles International Airport, and discussions continued long into the night.
Working Sessions
Saturday morning, May 5, the group met briefly in joint session in the atrium of Headquarters. The Contest Board chairmen then retired to an upstairs conference room to work on details of proposals they wished to bring to the floor for joint action. All proposals that had been forwarded to individual chairmen or the coordinator were discussed in this session. Some did not even receive a motion or a second; others were discussed and voted on before being taken to the joint meeting.
It became clear that the primary issue was streamlining the rules‑making procedure so the Rule Book could be published and delivered to members before the first of the year in which the rules become official. After an extended dialogue with Carl Wheeley, Publisher/Editor of Model Aviation and the person responsible for assembling the rules for the printers, the group constructed a timetable based on the worst-case schedule under current methods. Working backward from the printing deadline, a schedule was put together that would allow timely publication of proposed rules. The net result was that the latest date for proposals to be in the hands of the Contest Boards would be July 1 of the second year of the rules cycle.
A proposal to advance the cutoff date for rules proposals from September 1 to July 1 was taken into the joint session after lunch. It was recognized that this would create an unreasonably short cutoff this cycle and would exclude Nats results from the cycle. The proposal was voted down by the Executive Council and the Board chairmen, leaving the alternatives of issuing the books late or changing the rules‑making process. In examining the timetable, the Cross‑Proposal/Interim Vote portion of the process was found to take an inordinate amount of time and became the focus of suggested changes.
Back in separate session, the CBC grappled with the problem. Joe Friend (R/C Aerobatics Board) drafted a schedule that the joint session accepted unanimously. The solution retains the September 1 cutoff date and the publication requirements. The key change is that the Interim Vote for selecting among Cross‑Proposals no longer exists. Instead, the membership will be expected to make Cross‑Proposals to their Board members during—and soon after—the Nats. The Board chairman will poll his members, write the rules proposals, and deal with the original proposer.
In practice, this is not much different from the present procedure: Cross‑Proposals are already received from the membership, and Boards often select among special forms. Under the new procedure the Board chairman is explicitly responsible for polling members (by mail and telephone) and selecting the proposal to be taken to the joint session.
This revised procedure was accepted unanimously by the Executive Council and the Board chairmen and will be used in the current rules cycle. It is expected to help solve the recurring problem of late Rule Books.
Other Announcements
- US CL Team Manager: David Elias, Tequesta, FL, has selected Bob Hunt, Newton, NJ, as Assistant Team Manager for the 1984 U.S. Control Line team.
- US FAI R/C Aerobatics Team Selection Committee: Ron Chidgey, Pensacola, FL, has been elected chairman.
- US FAI Indoor Team Selection Committee: Erv Rodemsky, Irvine, CA, has been elected chairman.
- US R/C Helicopter Team Trials: Following FAI/CIAM recognition of Class F3C R/C Helicopters, Canadian hosts offered to hold the 1985 World Championships near London, Ontario. U.S. team‑selection trials are scheduled for September 23, 1984, at Lincroft, NJ (site of the East Coast R/C Helicopter Championships 1976–1983). Trials are open to anyone qualified to fly F3C maneuvers, who is a current AMA member, and who has a $10 FAI stamp on their AMA license. The 1985 U.S. R/C Helicopter team will consist of the top three finishers plus an alternate; trophies will be awarded through third place. For more information, send a stamped, self‑addressed envelope to Horace C. Hagen, CD, 15 Parkway Place, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
Other Actions (proposals and results)
- Proposal (District IX FF Contest Board member): Place FF Scale proposals in the Free Flight Board instead of the Scale Board. Result: Failed to receive a motion in the CBC.
- Proposal (District IX FF Contest Board member): Revert to just FF, CL, and RC Boards. Result: Failed to receive a motion in the CBC.
- Proposal (District VII Indoor Contest Board member): Separate the AMA Rule Book into distinct sections representing each Contest Board, each with its own General section. Result: Passed CBC and EC; the CBC will prepare a rewrite for the next Rule Book.
- Proposal (District VII Indoor CB member): Allow a "no" vote in the Interim Ballot. Result: No action (moot with deletion of the Interim Vote).
- Proposal (District VII Indoor CB member): Provide recourse to a proposer whose intent is changed by editing or Cross‑Proposals. Result: Resolved by instructing Contest Board chairmen that Cross‑Proposals must be basic proposals addressing specific details without changing the original intent; chairmen should check wording with the original proposer before submitting for Final Vote.
- Proposal (District VII Indoor CB member): Publish names of Nats Executive Committee members so membership can provide input to Nats planning. Result: No action in joint session, but the AMA President assured the chair that this would be done.
- Proposal (District II Scale CB member): Form a Free Flight Scale Contest Board and remove that activity from the present Scale Board. Result: Failed to receive a motion in the CBC.
- Proposal (District VIII CL CB member): Require proposers to have qualified by placing in a certain number of contests within a specified period before their proposal will be considered valid. Result: Failed to receive a motion in the CBC.
- Proposal (District VIII CL CB member): Establish an appeal mechanism in the proposal‑editing stage and require independent review of Cross‑Proposals by the CBC. Result: Failed to get a motion in the CBC and is moot under the revised Interim Vote procedure; it may be revisited later.
- Proposal (District VIII CL CB member): Establish a procedure for proposal withdrawal by an advisory committee. Result: Failed to receive a motion in the CBC.
- Proposal (District VIII CL CB member): Establish guidelines for appointment of advisory committees based on "interest spheres" instead of by Districts. Result: Failed to get a motion from the CBC; the proposer was asked to resubmit with more precise details.
Other issues taken to the joint session will be listed in the Executive Council minutes. The marathon sessions of May 5 ended at 1:00 a.m. on May 6. The CBC reconvened at 9:00 a.m. on May 6 to finalize commitments; by 10:30 a.m. members were heading to the airport.
AMA Rule Book Correction
The 72 MHz R/C frequency listed on page 128 of the 1984–85 AMA Rule Book is incorrect. R/C 50 should read 72.790 MHz. The error appears under the heading "License‑free channels authorized for aircraft use."
Conclusion
My impression of the Contest Board chairmen is very positive. In 15 years as Contest Board Coordinator I had met only three of the present eight chairmen; previously our work was by phone and mail, so their writing styles and voices were familiar, but it was valuable to put faces and personalities to those voices. I was especially impressed with the chairmen of the three new boards. If their boards' members are as willing and eager to contribute as their chairmen, we will benefit from the new boards. The meeting with the Executive Council was effective, and the President concurs. We hope to repeat this joint meeting on a biennial schedule.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
