Let the Show Begin
Duke Iden
AMA Air Show Teams — Is one waiting for you?
What have the Show Teams been doing? What is an AMA Show Team, anyway?
As this is being written, about 400 men, women, and children are involved in Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Air Show Teams (ASTs). There are 38 teams that put on more than 440 shows for 3.6 million people a year.
If you are concerned that your local club and the AMA are not growing as fast as they could, look into an AST. If you are a hobby shop owner who would like to increase your customer base, check into getting a team to your town to put on a show.
The AST program's purpose is to expose the general public to the joys of model aviation. AMA ASTs put on well-planned, entertaining air shows.
Model Aviation publishes the names of the teams, where they are based, and whom to contact. Get in touch with the one nearest you, and talk to the necessary person(s) about putting on a show in your community; it can be an airport affair, a festival, or a "stand-alone" model air show sponsored by your club. You might want to find a service agency in your town that would like to have a service or fund-raiser — summer is here, and it's a great time.
If you look closely, you will see that there are not many teams in the South, Far West, and New England regions. Teams are needed in these areas! If some people you fly with are interested in starting a team, contact April Hathaway or Jay Mealy at AMA Headquarters. They will give you the scoop on how to get going and on financial and sponsor incentives available from AMA. You could also call one of the team managers listed in Model Aviation.
Some AMA ASTs are Control Line (CL) fliers only, and some of the Radio Control (RC) teams have Control Line acts. More and more RC teams are getting involved in CL because, aside from being fun to watch, CL shows can be put on at sites where RC is not permitted because of safety and size considerations. Also, more people can afford to get started in CL than in RC.
That is the primary purpose of the show team program — to get people involved with model aviation. Free Flight, Pylon Racing, Pattern — almost all phases of modeling are a part of the show team program.
Last year's highlights
To whet your appetite, here is what some of the ASTs did last year:
- The Tucson R/C Club Barnstormers (Arizona) saw world-class aerobatic flier Patty Wagstaff perform during the opening of a new airport.
- The Circlemasters from Sussex, Wisconsin, the Chicagoland Circle Cutters, and representatives from Sig Manufacturing flew at the Experimental Aircraft Association's Oshkosh '91 event.
- John Rynkiewicz, manager of the Expos AST of Pennsylvania, had Lefty, an Air Force Thunderbird pilot, fly his RC model on a buddy box at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
- The Capitol City Barnstormers of Sacramento, California flew for a group of delinquents — who knows? Maybe a kid traded the switchblade for an X-Acto knife after seeing the #114 team's inspiring show.
Forming an AST
Before you make the call to AMA or to a show team manager, you need to know the basics.
- Membership: You need six AMA members who fly.
- Officers: Two of these people will be officers — for instance, a president and a secretary.
Contact AMA Headquarters or a team manager for more detailed startup information and incentives.
Putting on a show
To put on a show you need planning, personnel, and a few essentials.
- Announcing: A public-address system and someone to announce. If no club member is willing, contact local radio or TV personalities — they might get hooked.
- Music: Music will do wonders to enhance your show. Find appropriate music to go with your acts; the local radio station can probably help and may have sound effects. Use your imagination.
- Length: Keep your show short — about 1.5 hours — and keep individual acts short. The general public's attention span is limited.
- Venues: Shows can be at airports, festivals, or as stand-alone events sponsored by a club. CL acts are useful where RC is not permitted.
Ideas for acts
All of these can be done with models that might already be on or over the club's flightline:
- Gliders
- Banner tow
- Fun-fly aircraft
- Combat
- Pattern
- WW I or WW II recreations
- Aerobatics
- Control Line (CL) acts
- Racing airplanes
- Large Scale models
- Audience-participation buddy-box flights (you might include the local mayor)
- Parachute troops
- Jets
As you develop your show, you can add novelty acts such as a witch, doghouse, car, lawnmower, etc.
Appearance
Remember, you are representing model aviation and the AMA. Look sharp.
- Uniforms: Decide on a uniform; many show teams wear navy blue slacks and white policeman's shirts, with AMA patches and pins added.
- Caps: Pick out the same color cap to complete the look.
Forming an AST doesn't sound too difficult, now does it? It's fun, rewarding, and it helps the hobby and AMA grow.
Duke Iden 1845 Reed Rd. Lima, OH 45804
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
