President's Perspective
Be helpful, answer questions, and inform AMA.
Many of our clubs have one. Some fortunate clubs might have more than one. Who are they? They are members who go beyond the call of duty to support model aviation, our clubs, and our members. They do this quietly, sometimes in the background, and often ask little in return other than an occasional thank you.
They might be:
- a club officer
- a newsletter editor
- the member who raises a hand at meetings and volunteers to organize the club picnic, fly-in, or other club event
The Carl and Beth Goldberg Vital People Award
In 1983 Carl and Beth Goldberg asked AMA to help create an award to recognize these people. Called the Carl and Beth Goldberg Vital People Award, it was presented annually to “vital people in the background of the modeling movement whose efforts enhance the enjoyment of the hobby and whose accomplishments are seldom formally acknowledged.”
The concept called for the award to be presented to six people annually and to include a plaque and a small monetary award funded by the Goldbergs. AMA would administer the program. The AMA Executive Council enthusiastically endorsed the idea and the first awards were made that year. After Carl passed away in 1985, the recognition program continued until it was discontinued in the early 1990s.
At our October Executive Council meeting, we discussed the value of the program and how AMA would like to do more to thank the members who make model aviation at the local level more enjoyable for all of us. We voted to resurrect the award as the Academy of Model Aeronautics' Carl and Beth Goldberg Vital People Award.
Beginning in 2009, the award will be presented annually to five deserving members. We wanted to keep the Goldberg name on the award because anyone involved in model aviation during Carl Goldberg's lifetime knows that he was the consummate modeler and epitomized the intent of this award.
Applications can be found on the AMA website. All it takes is one person or club to nominate a deserving individual. Recipients will be selected by a committee comprising one member from each AMA district. Winners will be announced in late October of each year.
Here’s an opportunity for you to do something in return for that person who works so hard to make model aviation better for all of us.
Contact with law enforcement
I had an interesting conversation with a member who was recently featured in his local newspaper with his models. Shortly after the article appeared, he came home one afternoon to find the FBI outside his house.
The agents were there out of curiosity more than anything else. They asked obvious questions, for example:
- How far away can you fly these models?
- How high can they go?
- What do they weigh?
- What kind of payload can they carry?
They were also there to learn more about what we do as model aviation enthusiasts. The agents were part of a counterterrorism unit and were doing their job to protect the United States and its citizens. It's what these officers do every day, and we should be thankful that they are dedicated to their work.
How we handle these situations is important. This member did exactly the right thing: he allowed them into his house, showed them his models, answered all their questions, and even invited them to the field. When the agents left, they were appreciative of the time and effort our member took to be helpful.
While an experience like this might be unnerving, it also presents an opportunity. Contacts such as this are occurring more frequently, and the way we react is important. A couple of years ago, the New York State Police Counter Terrorism Unit sent a letter to AMA-chartered clubs in New York. Similar contacts have happened in other states. The letter contained a simple request: they asked for our help. They asked us to be additional eyes and ears and to report anything we felt was suspicious. Who better to do this than those who are already modelers?
What should you do if contacted? Do exactly what this member did:
- Be helpful.
- Answer questions.
- Inform AMA.
Many of these initiatives are taking place at the local level, and one field office may not be aware of everything happening in other field offices across the country. We follow up on every one of these contacts to reinforce what the agents have already been told and to let them know that we are a national organization representing 150,000 members throughout the United States and want to help.
Being proactive puts us in a better position to be an asset to law enforcement and an advocate for model aviation and our members.
See you next time.
Dave Mathewson AMA President president@modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
