PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT
Incident Action
by Dave Mathewson, AMA President
Between 12 columns each year for
Model Aviation magazine, four for Park
Pilot magazine, and six for the AMA Insider,
I write 22 columns annually for AMA publications. In
each of these columns I try to keep our members
updated and informed about current issues affecting
the model aviation community and the positive things
that aeromodeling encompasses. So I gave
considerable thought as to whether or not I wanted
to write this particular column. In the end I felt
that this story is important and worth telling. Read
to the end and I think you’ll agree.
An incident occurred April 16 when an AMA member who
was flying a 450-size electric helicopter in a
Tampa, Florida, public park lost control of the
model and injured a young woman walking in the park.
It appears that after calling 911, the pilot and his
friends stayed with the injured person until EMTs
arrived, then picked up their equipment and left.
The local authorities will probably cite the men for
ignoring a local ordinance against flying in that
park.
This is an unfortunate incident that casts a cloud
over what we do as model aviation enthusiasts. The
local FOX News affiliate picked up on the story and
ran a piece that included video that, by most
standards, could be considered pretty graphic.
The potential for collateral harm to all of us as a
result of this incident is significant. I’ve been
asked a number of times whether or not the pilot and
his friends involved were AMA members. In the end
I’m not sure it matters. The news piece didn’t say,
“Park visitor injured by AMA member (or non-AMA
member) flying a model helicopter.” It said, “Park
visitor injured by toy model helicopter.”
The non-modeling public that watched that news story
will now have a negative perception of model
aviation and question the safety of our models. To
complicate matters further, the incident occurred in
a major metropolitan community park system that
already had a ban on flying models.
This incident will reverberate throughout the
country and, no doubt, will become a topic of
discussion with authorities of other park systems.
AMA has many chartered clubs that have operated
safely for years in local parks, and we are watching
closely to make sure that we do what we can to
support our members and clubs that may be challenged
now as a result of this incident.
However, what follows is the reason I decided to
write this column. I’ve been a modeler for a long
time. In all of those years, other than regarding
the frequency reallocation issue a couple of decades
ago, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the aeromodeling
community come together as it has with this
situation.
AMA has an internal response plan for incidents like
this. We were notified of the accident by an officer
of the International Radio Controlled Helicopter
Association (IRCHA), one of AMA’s Special Interest
Groups. This triggered our response, which included
working with IRCHA to identify a local responsible,
articulate, RC helicopter pilot, Rolando Perez, who
could speak on camera.
AMA’s public relations manager spoke with Mr. Perez
to go over significant points that should be made
regarding AMA’s Safety Code and record. In addition,
our PR manager spoke directly with the FOX reporter,
by phone about model aviation and all of the
positive aspects of modeling. A statement was issued
by AMA.
At the same time, modelers from 33 states and 14
countries – some AMA members and some not – came
together on popular Internet forums to express their
concern over the incident and what had happened to
this young woman. An initiative was even launched to
generate donations to help her offset expenses.
Members of the local RC helicopter community made
the effort to ensure that the local media were made
aware of all of the positive aspects of model
aviation and the value we bring to communities. As a
result, in a short follow-up piece FOX News spoke
about the positive “groundswell” of reaction from
the “national modeling community” and the concerns
expressed by modelers. Go to www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/422-police-interview-model-craft-operators
to see this coverage.
The mother of the young woman expressed gratitude
for the outpouring of support she has received from
concerned aeromodelers.
Sometimes it takes something like this to make
everyone realize that the common denominator between
all of us is model aviation. It doesn’t matter what
type of model we fly, or maybe even whether or not
we are all AMA members. While it was a terribly
unfortunate incident, it provided us with the
opportunity to show that the majority of us are
responsible, safety-conscious individuals, and that
we are protective of what we do as model aviators.
And this is why I wrote this column.
Out of a bad incident came a lot of good. The public
has now had the opportunity to see the positive in
what we do and that we are a caring, concerned
group. The efforts by everyone here will pay some
dividend somewhere. It was a good job by all. And
because of the actions of everyone involved in
reacting to this accident, I think I’ve maintained
my string of writing about the positive things that
aeromodeling has to offer.
See you next time…Q
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