President's Perspective
In a few countries it's a matter of being recognized as a sport or being out of business!
That old question about whether we are involved in a sport or a hobby has raised its head again, and it is in a surprising area.
It seems that some airlines have tightened their policies regarding baggage allowance, but have included an additional allowance for pieces of sports equipment. I became aware of this while serving on a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) committee looking into travel problems for international aeromodeling competitions. This was in regards to British Airways, but I have since learned that it is apparently true for some U.S. carriers as well. As in Britain, the airlines’ policies include items such as golf clubs, tennis rackets, and more obscure equipment such as skateboards, but they do not include model airplanes. We are pursuing this as one part of a solution to the transport problem for aeromodeling championships.
Through the FAI, the international aeromodeling community has successfully sought to receive recognition for aeromodeling as a sport because of the many advantages it has brought to many countries. In a few countries it’s a matter of being recognized as a sport or being out of business!
Are there "costs" involved? They come in the form of some oversight by the sports administrations in those countries where such are in place. There is no such government support for sports in this country—at least not yet. In many countries, such recognition brings with it facilities for playing the sport involved as well as money to support their teams.
While I do not expect us to ever see support for our teams as a result of our being considered a sport, I do see the advantages it might have in terms of flying site availability and now in the area of transporting model airplanes on various forms of public transportation.
A start in that direction is for us to face the situation and refer to aeromodeling as a sport rather than a hobby. I know many members will not receive this well. Some consider that the difference is whether they compete, while others draw that line at whether they build their models. My point is there are many valid reasons for us to overlook our personal ideas in terms of what it is that we enjoy, and agree to call it a sport in order to make the most of the advantages that designation might have for us.
As I mentioned earlier, I am part of a committee charged with investigating ways we might ease the transportation problems that competitors from some countries are experiencing. I want to hear from any AMA member who has professional connections within the security area or in the baggage-transportation area for airlines. I need help getting to the right people who might help us achieve some regulatory relief from the inconsistency of application of the current rules.
It is apparent that a piece of equipment such as a model airplane engine that goes through security with no difficulty in one place and is absolutely refused at the next station needs better definition within the rules. Any help we can get in terms of domestic or international governing bodies will help.
AMA hosted a first in early December, when the International Aeromodelling Commission of FAI (CIAM) Bureau met at the AMA headquarters in Muncie, Indiana. I believe this is the first such meeting outside of Europe. AMA showed itself well and we received many compliments for our facilities and staff. I want to thank all of the people involved in this meeting for their efforts.
See ya next month!
Dave Brown AMA President President@modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
