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MA is aimed
toward the AMA
membership in general.
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It
seems as though not a week passes in which I don't receive
an E-mail or a letter regarding the content of MA,
but this week brought an interesting situation. I received
two E-mails in succession. One member complained that we
covered "nothing but Electric" in our magazine and that we
had "abandoned" the gas modeler. In the next E-mail I read,
another member complained that we didn't have enough
coverage of Electric!
Does anyone out there have any idea how I should
respond to that pair of E-mails? Each was probably right
from his own perspective. One was an old-timer who had no
interest in this "newfangled" electric stuff, while the
other had decided that electric was the way to go. He was
thirsting for as much information as he could get and didn't
care about any "greasy gas-modeling stuff!"
Even within various aeromodeling categories, there is a
large variation in the information people are looking for.
Someone interested in RC electric micro-flight isn't looking
for the same information as someone whose interest at the
moment is electric power for his Giant Scale aerobatic
model! Both are interested in RC electric flight but
definitely not the same area. What a FF, CL, or Sailplane
modeler would be interested in is as diverse. The key is the
phrase at the moment.
Most AMA members are not flying the same type of models
today that they were five years or even one year ago. It is
a rare member who is involved in this sport for five years
and has flown the same type of models the entire time.
One still might be flying CL models, but he or she has
probably tried Stunt, Combat, Carrier, Racing, or some other
mixture of CL events. A FF modeler has probably tried some
type of Power, Gliders, and Rubber models, and an RC modeler
may have tried various categories of radio-control flight.
MA does its best to serve the broad spectrum of
aeromodeling disciplines. It tries to cover the newest
advances in aeromodeling with emphasis consistent with the
number of people who are taking part in or who could be
affected by that technology.
MA is not a magazine with a single focus for
someone who is interested in only one narrow aspect of
aeromodeling. It is aimed toward the AMA membership in
general. It serves a broad audience and a number of
functions. It is a way for AMA to distribute information to
its members and a way to distribute updates concerning
trends and advancements in the overall sport or hobby.
For those whose current aeromodeling interest has a
narrow focus, there are many other magazines and sources of
information. There are publications that concentrate on
nearly any specialty you can imagine. If there isn't a
magazine dedicated to your current interest, there is much
information available on the Internet.
For many, the best way to obtain information dedicated
to a specific discipline is through the significant number
of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that are a part of the AMA
family. In most of the major disciplines of aeromodeling, a
SIG has been formed and most produce newsletters to serve
the needs of their members; some even produce a whole
magazine dedicated to their discipline.
Interested in RC Racing? The
National Miniature Pylon
Racing Association (NMPRA) might serve your needs. The
Free Flight community is provided for by the
National Free Flight Society
(NFFS).
Do you prefer RC Aerobatics? Try the
National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA). Helicopter pilots, look
into the International Radio
Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA). Do you fly CL
Aerobatics? Consider exploring the
Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA).
For those who are interested in RC Combat, the SIG is
the Radio Control Combat
Association (RCCA), and the CL Combat group is the
Miniature Aircraft
Combat Association (MACA). The
International Miniature
Aircraft Association (IMAA) represents RC Giant Scale,
and RC Scale Aerobatics has the
International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC).
This isn't all of the SIGs. The list is long and most
have excellent publications dedicated to their focus.
MA is a broad-spectrum magazine, intended to keep
you informed of general trends in aeromodeling and
association news. Think of it as you would USA Today,
your local newspaper, or a general news magazine such as
Time or Newsweek.
These publications have some financial news, and
would headline a major financial event, but if you
want daily, detailed financial news, you would need to read
The Wall Street Journal or a similar publication.
I don't think anyone would say they weren't both needed
in order to be an informed citizen.
MA
Til next month ...
Dave Brown, AMA president
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