Bob Brown AMA #24
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Former AMA President Passes - Obituary - AMA Press Release
Bob Brown, AMA’s newest president emeritus, has passed away after a brief illness. Bob, 75, a member of the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame, served two terms as AMA president from 2012 through 2016. He died May 14 in his home state of Pennsylvania.
As president of AMA, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the hobby—meeting with other aeronautics groups and national leaders.
In addition to serving as president, Bob was an AMA District III vice president from the late 1980s to 2011. He also was a Flying Site chairperson from 1985 to 1988 and was instrumental in helping acquire the current AMA Headquarters and National Flying Site in Muncie, Indiana. As chairperson of the Property Acquisition and Development Committee from 1990 through 2005, he led the effort to obtain and develop property adjacent to the flying site.
Bob was appointed co-chair of the AMA Publications Committee in 1995 and assumed full chair in 2000. He also chaired the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) Site Committee starting in 2000 and had chaired the IAC Maintenance Committee.
A modeler for more than 60 years, his first aircraft was a Free Flight model. His passion later turned to RC Pylon Racing and he and his teammate set several world Pylon and Control Line Speed records from 1972 through 1982. He chaired the RC Pylon (F3D) Team Selection Committee from 1979 until 1994 and developed the selection process. At the Nats, he served as Pylon pit boss from 1982 through 1995.
On the international side of the hobby, Bob chaired the FAI F3D Subcommittee and was selected as the F3D World Championships jury chairman 10 times. Before his death, he was a member of the FAI Executive Committee. In November 2016, the FAI presented him with the FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma. This award is given to those who have served the cause of aviation in general, specifically sporting aviation, through their work, initiative, devotion, or in other ways. In October of 2017, the FAI awarded him the FAI Gold Aeromodeling Medal.
Also in November 2016, Bob and his wife, JoAnne, were honored by AMA and received the AMA Outstanding Service Award for Couples for their many years of service to AMA. He was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Bob had been a member of the Southern Tier Aero Radio Society (STARS) club in western New York. In his later years, he became interested in multirotor racing and how to make it part of the aeromodeling hobby. He enjoyed attending the MultiGP International Open and many other events held at the IAC.
AMA wants to thank Bob for his tireless efforts in advocating for the hobby that he loved and for his contributions to model aviation.
Donations to the Telford Scholarship will be accepted in Bob’s honor
Words and memories can only go so far... I got into film making because I was naive enough to think that I could freeze time. My grand father was the one who got me into Radio Control hobbies, and I saw many of the same qualities in Bob Brown as I had known in my grandfather. He was always happy to great me with a smile, and as I tear up in writing this post, I don't know how the next RC event will be with out him. It is with a heavy heart that I post this. MultiGP will remember you forever. Thank you to KillaVolt, Joe Herbert, Academy of Model Aeronautics, Matt Ruddick, Dillon James, Shaun Taylor, and the AMAZING group of people in the MultiGP Drone Racing Community who all had a huge part in making this video possible.
Posted by Reese d'Aquin on Friday, May 15, 2020