AMA—keeping up
with the times
Bob Brown
Is your family budget the same as it was in 2003? I doubt it. Most of us realize that the cost of living has significantly increased. The AMA has been able to provide many benefits based on a dues structure that was generated 13 years ago.
To accomplish this, we have held our costs in line by generating efficient programs. Programs involving government relations were never projected to the extent we have now. The AMA Executive Council (EC) has recognized the issues. At the May EC meeting, council members voted to increase dues to reconcile with today’s finances. Please review AMA Chief Financial Officer Keith Sessions’ “AMA in Action” article on page 13 for additional information.
April and May were busy and productive months. I spent most of my time traveling and involved in activity with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the FAA, and attending Joe Nall Week at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina.
The meetings with the FAI were fruitful. In recent years, the AMA EC has directed a drastic cut in the FAI budget. To contend with this, various AMA Special Interest Groups and individuals have stepped forward with funding.
Those who attended the FAI meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, in April included Chuck Etherington from the National Free Flight Society; John Langford, National Association of Rocketry; Derek Koopowitz, National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics; and Steve Neu representing the electric-powered aircraft community. This team helped generate a confident presence for the AMA.
Discussion revolved around sUAS and its incorporation within the FAI. John Langford and I were among several who were charged with exploring and developing a competitive aspect for the activity.
AMA member Carl Dodge, of Richmond Heights, Ohio, was named the winner of the prestigious Andrei Tupolev Medal for his outstanding achievements in F2A Control Line Speed. The award was established in 1988 to recognize extraordinary performance in aeromodeling.
Rich Hanson, AMA’s director of public relations and government affairs, AMA Executive Director Dave Mathewson, Education Director Bill Pritchett, and I represented the AMA at the Unmanned Systems show produced by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) in Atlanta.
It was rewarding to meet a number of our members and many remarked on AMA’s efforts and programs. I also had the opportunity to meet three previous beneficiaries of the AMA Scholarship Program. It was great to see that our scholarship efforts have contributed to today’s aviation world.
I was involved in the presentation of the FAA smartphone application, B4UFLY, by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. This app will assist fliers to operate in a safe and responsible manner and the AMA looks forward to working with the FAA in its development.
The app is an extension of our Know Before You Fly program, in which we focus on educating those using the National Airspace System. If you are unfamiliar with this program, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.
A highlight of our continuing efforts with the FAA was the fact that Michael and UAS Integration Office Manager Jim Williams visited the AMA booth.
Another discussion involved the president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Mark Baker. Mark illustrated an understanding of AMA’s current direction and philosophy. I hope our future alliance with the AOPA will be constructive.
Other interesting discussions were conducted involving Dr. David Vos, Google vice president in charge of Project Wing, and Ben Gielow of Amazon Project Prime Air. To say the future is here would be an understatement. The immediate prospects are unbelievable.
Thanks to Brian Wynne and the AUVSI team for involving AMA in their efforts!
I am proud of the AMA and enthused about the direction in which we are headed. My association with the membership spans several decades, and in that time, I have never seen the member involvement that we have today. To everyone, I say thank you!
