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PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT

Involve the Community: Protect Your Flying Site

by Dave Mathewson, AMA President

When I was a district vice president, hardly a month went by when I didn’t get at least a couple of calls from club officers saying that their club flying site was in jeopardy of being lost and asking for help and advice on what to do to save it.

The first thing I would do is to ask the officer to tell me what the club has done over the years to be involved in its community. Do the members run an event and donate some of the proceeds to a local charity? Do they hold “try model aviation days” to attract their neighbors to their fields? Do they participate in events that introduce model aviation to groups like the Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, or 4-H groups? Or do they maybe become involved in their community’s parks and recreation programs, or make visits to senior citizen centers?

If the answer was no, or “we’ve been thinking about doing some of that,” it’s almost always too late. If a club can point out several instances of where it has become involved in giving back to its local community then, there’s almost always a chance something can be worked out.

As you might expect, charities appreciate all the financial support they can get. In return for a club’s generosity they will almost always stand up for the club when issues arise.

Parents appreciate the fact that groups such as model airplane clubs take an interest in introducing their children to a new recreational activity. Parents who think you’ve done something nice for their kids can be some of the most vocal in support of what we do. When you need it, ask for their help. Town boards and town councils will stand beside you if they feel that your group has had a positive influence in offering some type of benefit to the constituents that they represent.

If a club has chosen not to do any of this, more often than not it is left standing alone in a fight to save a flying field. There’s much more to running club events than the prospect of making a few dollars for the club treasury. There are several intangible benefits that may not be evident the weekend of your event, or maybe not even in the near future. But by becoming involved in your community, what you’re banking is “good will” and you can’t put a price on that. Q
 

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