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The most
important thing we
"seasoned pilots" can do is pass it on.
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Writing
this monthly column and the topics I cover are
a matter of timing. If I had written this two
days earlier it would have been on a different
topic.
As I write, AMA Headquarters has been
closed for the past two days because of the
blizzard that hit Indiana along with most of
the Midwest and Eastern United States. The
local paper reported that this was the third
largest snowfall since World War II. (This is
supposed to make me feel better?)
When I
started working here in December 2006, the
staff had questioned—sometimes in an unspoken
manner—why a Florida boy would want to move to
Muncie, Indiana, and its non-Florida-type
winters. One must question a person's sanity
in moving north in time for winter!
As you
would expect, in Florida we would fly
year-round. Building season was when you got a
new airplane or tore up everything flyable and
had to stop to fix something to fly. It
generally wasn't dictated by the weather.
Having done 90% of my RC flying on the south
side of the Mason-Dixon Line, there was a
blurry line between the "building season" and
the "flying season." I now truly understand
the aspect of weather-driven "building season"
and the pent-up energy looking forward to
spring and the flying season.
With 14 inches
of snow and the 5-foot-high drifts, I have
begun to question my own sanity. By the time
you read this, the snow should be gone and
spring flying will have returned—along with
the feeling in my nose and feet!
Even with the
snow covering the National Flying Site in
Muncie, Indiana, the staff has been looking
forward to the summer season with the 2007 F3D
Pylon World Championships June 23-28 and the
National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats)
June 29-August 5.
Pulling off such a
coordinated feat will be no small job. As in
the past the AMA staff is supportive in
staging the Nats events, but the real
organization comes from the different Special
Interest Groups (SIGs) that are planning the
events. Volunteers who make things happen here
at AMA are the lifeblood of any of these
events.
While the Nats is a customary annual
event at AMA Headquarters, new for 2007 is the
XFC: the Extreme Flight Championships, which
is slated for June 15-17. I always wanted to
attend the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in
Nevada but was never able to make the trip.
Although the TOC is history, the XFC offers an
expanded venue featuring the world's best
fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft pilots.
I
encourage you to plan a family trip to Indiana
this summer. Visit your AMA Headquarters and
enjoy the different competitions that are
scheduled.
If your travel plans cannot include
a Muncie stop, I would encourage you to become
more involved in your local club. We all know
the 80/20 rule; 80% of the work gets done by
20% of the club.
Imagine what else could be
done if we could slide the participation up to
50% or better of all club members'
involvement. What new facilities could the
field have? What new or additional programming
could your club offer?
The new AMA Take off
And Grow (TAG) program is a great way to get
others involved in the sport. You can learn
about it at
www.modelaircraft.org/tag.
Remember, someone took time to teach you how
to fly. Most projects or efforts go wanting
because of lack of volunteers and leadership.
Those already involved in the activity would
welcome the help, and you may just make a few
new flying friends!
I wish to thank those
members who E-mailed me about my first
Executive Director's column. My first
encounter with glow .049 engines struck a lot
of memories within the membership. It was
gratifying to learn of others who have similar
beginnings in modeling.
The most important
thing we "seasoned pilots" can do is pass it
on.
MA
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry, Executive Director
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