Executive Director View from HQ
"Pure heaven is when I am flying."
Deadlines and the Grand Event
No deadline is ever a good one, but the one for this column falls just one day short of the Grand Event.
Most AMA Headquarters employees are involved in preparing for this event. Many volunteers and employees will be donating their time this weekend to ensure participants have a great time learning about radio-control cars, boats, rockets, and airplanes, and to help make this a successful event.
- Radio-control cars
- Radio-control boats
- Radio-control rockets
- Radio-control airplanes
Summer workload and member service
Summer is a very busy time for us. Employees are not only charged with keeping up with their day-to-day work, but also with managing the events held on site.
I realize that members who are not involved with these activities are still entitled to good service. Should you have a problem contacting employees during the summer months, please let me know. I can be reached by e-mail, telephone, or snail mail.
Property improvements
The weather has been cooperating with us. It is hot, but so far there has not been much rain.
- The water main has been installed from the front of the property to the back; we are waiting for the water company to hook us up. This is the first step toward installing permanent bathroom facilities and an RV dump station on site.
- Contractors have completed paving the two gravel roads. It not only looks good, but there is no more dust.
New administration building
The New Building Committee met for the second time to review and select an architect for the new administration building. Of 11 firms, four responded; three of the proposals were excellent. All three were invited to give a presentation, and we selected a firm located in Muncie.
I will keep you informed each step of the way. If you have any questions concerning this project, please contact me.
Letter from Bill Riley
On a lighter note, I would like to share the following letter from Bill Riley:
"I guess one thing you can say about flying RC aircraft is that it is a heck of a lot of fun, to say the least. However, if you are the type of person who likes to share your hobby with others, believe me, there is plenty of interest if you just take the time to look around.
"I have been building and flying RC airplanes for the past 33 years. When I started, there was no one around at that time to teach you how—at least where I lived. At that time, a friend of mine (Rich Zgol) and I decided we would get into the hobby, so, as they say, we went the whole nine yards. We bought a radio, a kit, and an engine and headed for the flying field that just happened to be a one-hundred-acre field.
"After a while, trying to teach each other to fly, it didn't take me long to know what to take to the flying field on Sunday afternoon. For a successful day, I took a radio, an airplane, and a grocery store sack. You know what the sack was for.
"Well, after a year, I finally knew enough to keep the plane in the air, off the highway, and enjoy the sport. Today, pure heaven is when I am flying. I put it in the same class as a good meal. Well, so much for now—let's get back to the sharing.
"The club I belong to is the Alleghany Highlands RC Club in Covington, Virginia. The District IV club has a membership of about 25 members. After flying for several years and feeling that maybe someone else would enjoy my sport, I decided to look around and see if I could scare up some interest.
"Behold, I received an invitation to go down to Clifton Forge Middle School to the Gifted and Talented class, and teach aerodynamics one day each spring as the class studied aviation. Boy, was that a blast.
"These students are not only sharp, they are about the nicest and most well-mannered group I have ever been associated with. These guys and gals know when to talk and when to listen. They know a lot about aviation, too. They have a teacher, Mrs. Pace, who is not only a good friend, but knows how to teach in a way that, when the end of the year comes, there isn't a student or parent who doesn't wish to remain in that class another twenty years.
"This is one lady who will be missed when she decides to hang it up." The relationship with the classes at the middle school has lasted for eleven years, and I hope it will last for another eleven.
"Another place I have been involved with teaching about RC flying has been the local library, in their summer reading program. You haven't had fun with this hobby until you share books on flying with about twenty-five or thirty preschoolers. That in itself is an education. To me, that is what you call real joy. Another group you may want to get involved with is the local YMCA.
"I just wanted to let all you RC jocks know that keeping this hobby to yourself will give you self-satisfaction, but if you share with others you may help keep someone out of trouble or maybe shape a whole lifetime of joy for someone."
Thanks for sharing this story, Bill.
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager Executive Director jhager@modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
