View from HQ by Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director
Looking back on 2016
As 2016 draws to a close, I can report that it’s been another successful year for AMA. Membership continues to grow. Several months ago, I predicted that AMA would break the 200,000-member barrier in a couple of years. It now looks as though we might hit that mark in 2017. This is great news for several obvious reasons, but probably none more so than the fact that strength in numbers is so important when it comes to AMA advocating for our members on important legislative issues.
Our government relations team has worked hard this year to address legislative concerns at the federal, state, and local levels that could have a negative impact on model aviation. Only a few short years ago, we typically had to address a few issues annually at the federal level. In 2016, we worked on behalf of our members to address more than 275 proposed bills and local ordinances, many that had the potential to negatively impact our members. Because of the hard work of our government relations team, we were successful in securing positive results with most of these pieces of proposed legislation.
For a number of years, there has been some confusion about whether or not AMA members could operate their aircraft at an altitude above 400 feet. Many modeling disciplines, including Soaring, International Miniature Aerobatic Club, turbine flying, RC Pattern, as well as others have traditionally exceeded the 400-foot limitation.
In a letter dated July 7, 2016, the FAA reiterated that AMA members operating within the provisions set forth in the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (the AMA amendment), which was part of the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act, had that ability. The caveat is that model pilots need to operate safely and not cause an eminent threat to other users of the airspace. Of course, this is something to which, as responsible modelers, we should subscribe anytime we’re flying and at whatever altitude we are flying.
AMA is unique in the association world because our membership has the ability to directly and individually vote for and select the association leadership.
In 2016, we continued to build on our digital outreach efforts. Communicating with our membership is important to keep everyone informed about the important issues that face us. In late 2015, AMA launched AMA Air, a monthly webcast (air.modelaircraft.org).
In 2016, AMA Air grew to be an important conduit between AMA and its membership. It has received accolades from thousands of our members who view the newscast each month. In 2017, look for us to take AMA Air from a monthly to bimonthly production.
AMA’s Education Department launched UAS4STEM, a concept that involved completing predefined tasks such as hypothetical search-and-rescue operations, using technology and model aircraft. Participants must be between the ages of 11 and 19. During the year, several regional competitions were held across the country, culminating in a national fly-off held in September at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. The core mission of UAS4STEM is to use model aircraft to teach and engage young people in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This year’s program was successful beyond anyone’s expectations and we look forward to its exponential growth in the coming years.
In 2016, AMA chartered clubs continued to engage in efforts to support local and national charitable organizations through events such as National Model Aviation Day. This is important because it shows our friends and neighbors that we are an asset in our communities. Outreach such as this pays dividends when our clubs are in search of a new flying site or working to preserve a site they currently have.
I wrote this column the day after the results of this year’s AMA elections were announced. We have a new vice president in District V, Bob Brogdon, and a new AMA president, Rich Hanson. Congratulations to both Bob and Rich, and thank you to everyone who took the time to run and be part of the process. And thank you, especially, to those of you who took the time to learn about the candidates and to vote.
A special thanks needs to go to outgoing president Bob Brown and his wife JoAnne who have devoted more than a quarter of a century volunteering their time and effort in support of AMA and its members.
AMA is unique in the association world because our membership is able to directly and individually vote for and select the association leadership. I hope you took advantage of this opportunity and cast your vote for the candidate of your choice.
See you next time …
