FAI officials visit AMA
From the Copilot’s Seat by Gary Fitch, Executive Vice President
This is my first opportunity to welcome our new AMA president, Rich Hanson, and Robert “Bob” Brogdon, District V vice president (VP), to the Executive Council (EC). Rich doesn’t need an introduction because he is a former District X VP who served for many years, and has spent the past nine years as our government advocacy go-to person. Bob is new to the council and is working hard to represent his district. Both men will be assets to the EC.
When you read this, the 2017 AMA Expo West will be in the books. If you live in the western part of the country and attended, we appreciate your support!
AMA is working to make its events more meaningful for our members, and if you didn’t attend this year, please consider spending a day or two with us in California next January, talking with the vendors, and seeing the latest technology. The AMA EC and our government advocacy staff will be there to talk with members as well.
AMA Expo East will be held February 24-26 in Secaucus, New Jersey at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. This is AMA’s first year for the event.
Our goal is to increase the number of vendors and consumer offerings. There will also be a swap shop/flea market and an opportunity to purchase models and accessories from estates that have been donated to AMA.
Come and say hello. We look forward to seeing you in Secaucus.
Last November was a first for AMA and the FAI. The FAI president, Frits Brink, from the Netherlands, FAI CIAM president, Antonis Papadopoulos, from Greece, and FAI Secretary General Susanne Schödel, from Lausanne, Switzerland, traveled to AMA. This is the first time that the three top FAI officers have visited the AMA.
The FAI is the World Air Sports Federation and was founded in 1905. It is a nongovernmental and nonprofit worldwide organization with the aim of furthering aeronautical and astronautical activities, ratifying world and continental records, and organizing international competitions. AMA’s FAI competitors are familiar with its rules and regulations.
The FAI representatives came to AMA to address the EC and senior staff and bring us up to speed on what they are doing. They had a keen interest in viewing the rapidly growing sport of FPV multirotor racing. Chris Thomas, president and founder of the MultiGP drone racing league, came to Muncie, Indiana, drawing FPV racers from 300 miles away, to put on a day of FPV races. (MultiGP is also AMA’s newest Special Interest Group.)
The FAI elite had the opportunity to watch how things are done in this country. They recognize that this is becoming an important worldwide airsport and will be working to develop and enhance their rules. A special thanks to Chris for coming to AMA and putting on a great show.
In December 2016, Nevada was considering a tax on all drones, which would have likely included model aircraft. Through AMA’s efforts, we notified our members for an immediate—the same day with only a couple of hours to respond—call to action.
Our members did just that and the response was so timely that the next day we received a call from our legal team in Nevada saying that all of model aviation is excluded from any tax. AMA and our members came to the rescue!
If you hear of onerous proposed legislation, immediately notify your associate vice president, district vice president, or our government advocacy team.
For you Adult members, did you notice the booklet of member benefits that came with your new or renewed membership?
AMA’s Marketing and Education departments believe that the booklet puts this in one neat package that you can keep and refer to. Please read it and take advantage of our club programs.
On the subject of such offers, now is the time for clubs to apply for programs such as Flying Site Assistance Grants and Take off And Grow (TAG). Although AMA has limited funds to give to our clubs each year, we often don’t get enough applications to exhaust the allocated funds.
This is free money for our clubs, and as we increase the number of organizations that apply, the EC will consider increasing the amount of money allocated. Talk with your club officers about this and have them check out AMA’s website. You have to act now in order to qualify for 2017.
Thanks for reading. Please help secure the future of model aviation and take a youngster flying!
