Indoor flying season
Flying Site Assistance by Tony Stillman, Flying Site Coordinator
fsac@modelaircraft.org
Hello again everyone! It has been a very busy summer at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. With Nats and the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree recently completed, we are finishing our summer and fall events.
By the time you read this, we will be preparing for colder weather and the winter months. That means getting those indoor models out and ready to get over to the gym for some indoor fun. However, until then, we are enjoying some of the best weather of the season with cooler temperatures and moderate winds.
If you have followed this column for the past few months, you are aware of the push by AMA to help all clubs that have flying sites within 5 miles of an airport with a tower (or air traffic control facility located at the airport) to establish an operational agreement. AMA’s Safety and Member Benefits department contacted all current AMA chartered clubs earlier this year. At this point, approximately 2,000 clubs have responded to us and roughly 600 of those clubs have identified themselves as having an agreement with the airport, or needing one.
We are currently emailing all clubs that indicated they have no agreement, or a verbal agreement, in place and are providing them with a sample agreement they can use to establish arrangements with their airport or air traffic control facility.
We will soon be moving into Phase 3, which is to reach out to airports or air traffic control facilities on behalf of the clubs that requested our assistance with this step. Our main goal is to ensure that clubs are not under unnecessary and unreasonable constraints because of misconceptions or misinterpretations by local airports or FAA representatives.
If you are the club officer designated as the contact liaison with AMA and would like to get a copy of the sample agreement, please contact Ilona Maine via email at ilonam@modelaircraft.org.
The Flying Site Improvement Grant application has changed slightly for 2016. Submissions are now made electronically on the AMA website! Some of the rules and requirements have also changed, as well as what can be included in the grant request.
Please click on the AMA Documents tab under “Members & Clubs” on www.modelaircraft.org and then select Flying Sites from the content listing. This will take you to a section where you will find the Flying Site Improvement Grant document and complete information with instructions on how to apply. The deadline to apply for a 2016 grant is March 1, 2016.
I hope that you will take the time to fill out this form and submit an application to improve your flying site. After all, it is free money!
