Executive Director View from HQ: "This was a good group to host."
By now, some of you may have had a chance to read in the last issue of Model Aviation about problems that occurred with the mailing of the 1998 renewal notice. I want to assure all members that AMA HQ cares about the products we produce, and our goal is to provide the best product and service available.
In the past, procedures have been developed to help avoid certain issues; these procedures involve many people reviewing the forms for misinformation, spelling errors, etc. Unfortunately, what happened with the notice was not within our control. There was a mix-up concerning payment for the auditor's P.O. Box reserved for this mailing. It was corrected on September 26, and a new ballot will be mailed to the open members in District II and District VI with a postage-paid return postcard. Your vote is important to us.
1998 Renewal Notice
As of September 11, all 1998 renewal notices were mailed via first-class mail. Everyone should have received this information by now. To expedite the renewal process, helpful information was placed on the back of your notice; please take time to read that information before calling. Membership notices are customized to the individual. If for some reason you have not received your 1998 notice, don't wait—use the form in the magazine. Renewals must be received no later than December 15 in order to avoid interruption of magazine service.
No renewals by phone, please. At the present time, we are not staffed to take memberships over the phone. (I anticipate offering this service for the 1999 renewal season.) If you need to renew in a hurry, you may do so by faxing. Be sure to include all of the following information:
- AMA number
- Name and address
- Complete credit card information
This information is also helpful when calling the AMA customer service line.
Big Scout Weekend at the International Flying Site
Wow! What a busy weekend September 27–28 was. The International Flying Site hosted a Boy Scout jamboree, and more than 700 Scouts and leaders camped on the site. The weather was perfect; participants started arriving on Friday, September 26, and worked hard to put up their tents and get ready for the first evening's activity.
Saturday was when it all happened. Not only were the Scouts trying to obtain as many merit badges as possible, but they had other options. Thanks to several AMA employees and many volunteers from the local Muncie clubs, the Scouts were offered the opportunity to:
- Build Delta Darts
- Enter the Young Eagles program
- Do some buddy-box flying
- Try their hand at driving an R/C car
- Watch rockets
- Visit the AMA Museum
- Watch a local free-flight contest
This was a good group to host. They enjoyed the weekend, loved the facility, and experienced what was maybe their first taste of model aviation. More than 175 Delta Darts were built and flown that day, 70 Scouts were involved in rockets, an unknown number of Young Eagles flights were made, and 125 Scouts had their chance to try R/C.
AMA received coverage in the local newspapers and is looking forward to an article in its national publication. Not only did the AMA have the chance to expose more than 700 people to various venues, but it was a worthwhile community project.
I have to say that when the Scouts left the site on Sunday, it was just like they found it—clean. I have included only a few photos of the weekend event.
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager Executive Director jhager@modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
