In
the association management profession, as I'm
sure one will find in all aspects of work and
life, there are defining moments—an event or
happening that makes a benchmark or place in
one's mind. In that same vein, I have often
used the phrase "cashing that psychological
paycheck," meaning an event that gives great
personal reward for something one has done or
had a large influence on bringing to fruition.
The Toledo Weak Signals R/C Expo, in its 53rd
year, is one of the largest modeling shows in
the nation. Your AMA has always had a booth at
the event and was again present.
On Friday,
the first day of the show, I was standing in
the booth meeting fellow modelers when a man
came around the end of the aisle and glanced
my way. A look of "I recognize you from the
picture" registered on his face as he started
my way.
"Are you Jim Cherry?" he asked. I
replied appropriately.
"I knew there was a
reason I had been keeping this in my basement
for a long time," he said. Dennis Miendersma
of Westmont, Illinois, handed me a square box,
with brown paper wrapping, he had purchased
from an estate sale many years ago. As I tore
open the paper, it revealed the original box
and its contents: a Thimble Drome PT-19 flight
trainer (with the original $10 price tag still
attached), just like the one mentioned in my
first column in February.
Dennis cashed a huge
"psychological paycheck" for me that moment.
He asked me to keep the airplane for as long
as I am the AMA executive director, and when
my tenure ends I am to make sure the PT-19 is
donated to the National Model Aviation Museum.
Actions such as this and countless others make
this profession and sport so rewarding.
Dennis, thank you again. You exemplify sharing
the love of modeling. The PT-19 is sitting in
my office next to the .049 engine—one of the
first items I brought in when I set up my
office.
Jim Cherry (L) accepts a gift from Dennis L.
Miendersma, a lifelong
model aviation enthusiast who sympathized with
Jim's account
of lessons learned as an adolescent modeler.
In April the Executive Council (EC)
revised the requirements for clubs applying
for Leader Club status. The EC noticed that
many active clubs were prevented from
achieving Leader Club status because of one
requirement or another.
Many clubs that
qualified in a number of ways could not meet
the requirements as they were outlined in the
program. In reviewing the five basic
requirements, the EC agreed to revise them to
six and allow the district vice president (VP)
to waive one, provided it is not safety
related.
One of the requirements is that club
membership be open to all AMA members. The
Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) in New
York has a membership cap that was originally
mandated by the municipality that first gave
the club permission to use the land for its
site. The club members have since purchased
the land, but the restriction remains in
place, although anyone may fly at the field as
a guest of a member.
This membership limit
would have disqualified WRAM from Leader Club
status in the past. Under the revisions the
district VP can waive this requirement and the
club, which is extremely active in the
community, could apply for Leader Club status.
I know of a group that has not been an AMA
chartered club for a full five years. It is
seeking to become a Leader Club. That
five-year requirement could be put aside at
the discretion of the district VP.
With the
VP's power to waive one of the six basic
requirements, many more clubs are now eligible
for Leader Club status. If your club has not
looked into the Leader Club Program or has but
has not qualified in the past, this is the
time to review the requirements for the three
levels of Leader Club status.
Leader Club
designation has rewards on many levels,
including pride within the club membership and
good public relations within the community. It
has an influence on awarding AMA grants and
programs. Check out the revised program at
www.modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/708.pdf .
As
you celebrate Independence Day in whatever
manner you choose, don't forget those
individuals and organizations—past and
present—that make our freedom to celebrate
possible. MA In the spirit of flight. Jim
Cherry (L) accepts a gift from Dennis L.
Miendersma, a lifelong model aviation
enthusiast who sympathized with Jim's account
of lessons learned as an adolescent modeler.
MA
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry, Executive Director
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