New Comers
Bob Underwood
Maybe it's the post-Christmas blahs (or bills), having to watch out when I walk on the frozen precipitation (that's snow, for you Floridians), or maybe it's just age, but three communications I had this week on separate occasions made it really tough to write this column. There was a letter forwarded to me, a phone call, and a face-to-face meeting. Only the letter had a negative tone, but each incident profoundly reinforced the helplessness and frustration I have felt throughout the years as an AMA employee, officer, volunteer, and columnist.
The tenor of this piece is not to blame or to excuse anyone; it is to explain some reasons for my discouragement—and perhaps yours.
Face-to-Face Meeting
A newcomer in a hobby shop was buying control horns for his first model and made an offhand comment about the shape of the nylon triangles. He wondered why the holes for the clevises extended beyond the mounting base of the horn itself, finding it neither attractive nor logical and even suggesting it was a waste of material. The store owner looked at me and said, "Do you want to explain?"
I explained that by extending the nylon you can place the pivot point of the clevis directly over the hinge line between the fixed and movable surfaces. That alignment produces equal displacement of the movable portion—up or down, right or left—for a given movement of the pushrod. It made sense to the newcomer.
We talked for about 30 minutes, covering a variety of tips and advice: try to make the servo arm/pushrod/horn arrangement at 90° (or centered), minimize bends in pushrods and avoid 90° bends in wire, consider plastic-rod-within-housing pushrods, support pushrods with hinges at several points, choose hinge types for their virtues, and pin some hinge types when necessary.
When asked what kit he was building, the newcomer admitted, with mild embarrassment, that he had purchased an XYZ Trainer. The store owner pulled an XYZ Trainer kit off the shelf and showed him the plans and instruction booklet. The booklet contained the basic explanation of why the control-horn hole should be aligned over the hinge line.
Neither the owner nor I chided the newcomer. We gave him our business cards and contacts for local clubs, and he promised to read the booklet carefully before going on. As he left we wondered how many other instructions had been ignored in his kit-construction process—and lamented how often people disregard instructions today, whether in models, inexpensive gadgets, or expensive cars.
Phone Call
A caller who had started an after-school youth program described it enthusiastically during a 40-minute conversation. He had thought his program was a lone pine in the desert; after talking with me he realized it was part of a growing forest. That realization made him eager to share his knowledge and seek help through the AMA's Youth Education Stipend (YES) program.
The Letter
The letter I received argued that the AMA lacks focus on youth and that no one was recognizing or addressing the issue in the writer's preferred way. Model Aviation began featuring my column in October 1994. I'm not naive enough to think everyone reads the magazine cover to cover, nor that my prose is indispensable, but wouldn't you think that in 2½ years a person concerned about youth or education would notice that AMA is making progress—or at least ask questions?
I see several factors that contribute to the problem:
- AMA members often don't read the material the organization provides. In my 11 years as an employee and three as an officer this has been repeatedly proven. For example, only about 10% of AMA members typically vote in yearly elections; of those, 10–15% ignore bold statements on the ballot about where to send the votes, causing many ballots to be discarded.
- Annual membership turnover is significant. Columnists and organizational communications often "preach to the congregation"—the members who already read the literature. Thousands of new members have never had the opportunity to read items published in prior years.
- In matters of education, everyone thinks they're an expert. What affects learners is the totality of their experiences with every person they meet. Personal preferences about models and methods vary widely; most are valid, but some are better suited to specific goals.
- AMA's goals are hampered by the multiplicity of interests within the organization. Aeromodelling encompasses such diverse types of models that basic building skills in one area may bear little resemblance to those in another. While the physical forces of flight are constant—building a hand-launch glider or a rubber-powered model teaches theoretical skills—consider branching out to accommodate other disciplines.
- Education is not just youth-oriented. I've tried to address newcomers from a skills-and-techniques standpoint rather than by age; to introduce the concept of using models as classroom tools to teach forces of flight; and to encourage individuals and groups to establish programs in their areas.
- A common, laudable goal is "the building and flying of model airplanes in every classroom in the United States." While everyone's enthusiasm is welcome, a professional educator would admit that achieving that goal nationwide is unlikely. Teachers are already buried under curriculum demands. If clubs and AMA can show that models help teach required topics, it becomes far easier to convince schools to adopt them.
Education Committee accomplishments
A few years ago I persuaded then‑Executive Director Jerry Rouillard and the Executive Council that education should be a strong focus. I suggested the creation of an Education Committee and the reallocation of some of my Technical Director duties so I could act as an Education Director. In the year since that committee was established, it has accomplished a number of things:
- Formed liaisons with many groups, including the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), state aviation groups, student associations, universities, 4‑H, and others.
- Had committee members attend teachers' conventions, present seminars, and mail more than 500 packages of materials to teachers (not counting convention distributions).
- Distributed several thousand dollars in grants through the YES program to chartered clubs that established educational programs.
- Provided more than $18,000 in scholarships for AMA youth.
- Held correspondence and meetings with interested parties about establishing programs.
- Made thousands of contacts by providing synopses of established programs and their contact persons through direct mail, shows, and the AMA web site.
- Invested approximately $18,000 to produce four programs with Indiana Academy at Ball State University in Muncie: two 50‑minute programs broadcast live to seven states (viewed by about 50,000 youngsters) from the International Aeromodeling Center; one broadcast from the Ball State studio; and one taped at the National Model Aviation Museum. An additional 50‑minute live program involved about 900 youngsters building AMA Cubs (Delta Darts). AMA also provided some Young Eagle flights for the EAA program.
The Education Committee is planning another electronic field trip with Indiana Academy and is excited about a mid‑July venture with EAA at Oshkosh featuring a weeklong program devoted to building and flying models. We hope to duplicate the program at Muncie with EAA's help.
Closing
My frustration is momentary. A few years ago I was asked to write a "beginners" column, and Model Aviation has given me leeway to address a wide range of topics. Small, local efforts can have big impacts.
On Christmas Eve morning last year, a family on our cul‑de‑sac invited other families to breakfast. My wife and I gave small gifts—Delta Darts, glue, building boards—and urged families to share some building time during the school vacation. The kids (ages three to 15) loved it; their Darts have been flown and crashed. I also gave the kids cards to give to their school librarians indicating that Rae and I would provide a year's subscription to Model Aviation for the library. The families' responses were terrific.
Schools can subscribe to Model Aviation for $12 a year. Has your club considered contributing a subscription to a local school library? It's an inexpensive way to get material into classrooms and into the hands of newcomers who may not have seen earlier articles or resources.
Cheers!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
