District IV—Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia
Jay Marsh
Vice President
jaymarsh@ama-d4.org
3227 Pine Needles Rd., High Point NC 27265
Tel.: (336) 687-0973; www.amadistrict-iv.org
www.facebook.com/amadistrictIV
I have been writing about protecting your “privilege” to fly. Here is an example of being proactive by doing exactly that.
On May 7, 2016, in conjunction with International Drone Day, the 20 listed AMA clubs from in and around the Washington, D.C. area held DC Drone Day in 17 locations.
- Capital Area Soaring Association (Rockville MD)
- Chesapeake Bay Miniature Aircraft Association (Baltimore MD)
- Chesapeake Bay RC Inc. (Crownsville MD)
- Culpeper Model Barnstormers (Brandy Station VA)
- District of Columbia RC Club (Boyds MD)
- Eastern Shore Aeromodelers (Hurlock MD)
- Fredericksburg Aeromasters (Fredericksburg VA)
- Free State Aeromodelers (Beltsville MD)
- Giant Scale Aero Modelers Association (Chantilly VA)
- Loudoun County Aeromodelers Association (Leesburg VA)
- Mavericks R/C Flying Club (Monrovia MD)
- Northern Virginia RC Club Inc. (Centreville VA)
- Patuxent Aeromodelers (Hollywood MD)
- Pegasus RC Airplane Club (Hagerstown MD)
- Prince Georges RC Club (Upper Marlboro MD)
- RC Modelers of Baltimore (Parkton MD)
- Southwest Area Park Modelers (Lansdowne MD)
- Sunday Flyers Club (Middle River MD)
- Virginia Flyers (Manassas VA)
- Virginia R/C Helicopter Association (Bealton VA)
Our mission was to educate the public in safe, responsible, and legal ways to have fun flying drones and to introduce them to model aviation and the difference between a drone and a model airplane. The clubs opened their fields to the public and the AMA provided advertising and publicity (www.dcdroneday.com), which brought thousands of people out to see what drones are all about.
Although we had a slow start, the poor weather moved out and it turned into a beautiful day. The Manassas Air Show attracted the most visitors, but the average at our fields was approximately 25 guests. Members of the media attended and held many interviews with our club members, including one telephone interview by the BBC in London.
Families showed up and many kids and adults got a chance to fly on a buddy box with an instructor. Several fields served food and held drone races, and DCRC had a raffle giving away a drone. All of the participating clubs demonstrated model airplanes and the way we fly safely.
Frequently asked questions from the public were about how dangerous drones are and what the rules are. Once answered, the questions turned to “how do I get involved?” Many clubs signed up new members. Social media lit up and it appears everyone had a good time.
Our efforts will continue this year with air shows at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, held at the Front Royal, Leesburg, and Culpeper County airports, and more. The area clubs will continue handing out literature to visitors and answering questions. If your club would like literature to help educate the public, please email me.
The important part is that we stood together as a team and showed what the AMA can do to make a difference. We did have an impact, and now thousands of people know more about model aviation than they did. This will assuredly be heard in the halls of Congress.
Associate Vice Presidents: Delaware: John Kirchstein, (302)731-2831; john@kirchstein.net; Mark Weiss, (302)547-4917; markw@ama-d4.org; North Carolina: Rick Cawley, (919) 630-1649; racbgc@embarqmail.com; Mark Smith, (704) 798-2776; mark@ama-d4.org; David Trogdon, (910)654-1220; frogman28472@embarqmail.com; Maryland: Richard “Rick” Moreland, (301) 261-7366; rmoreland1@verizon.net; Virginia: Nic Burhans, (540) 219-9646; nic@ama-d4.org; Randy Elliott, (540) 239-0645; Randy.Elliott@nordsonxaloy.com; Rusty Kennedy, (757) 812-2812; rusty@ama-d4.org; Terry Terrenoire, (412)760-4593; terry@ama-d4.org; FF AVP: Bob Sowder, (540) 525-7086; bsowder@rbnet.com. CLA VP and FF/CL Contest Coordinator: John Tate, 10 Hanbury Ave., Portsmouth VA 23702; (757) 399-5376; jtate22@cox.net. RC Contest Coordinator: Andy Kane, 305 Natick Ct., Silver Spring MD 20905; (301) 785-3022; andykane01@gmail.com. Webmaster: Jack Upchurch, webmaster@ama-d4.org. Government Relations Coordinator: Ray Stinchcomb, (443) 618-8998; govrelations@ama-d4.org.
