In the Air
Membership news and updates
from AMA Headquarters
AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame
The AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame, established in 1969, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport of aeromodeling. These contributions can be made through volunteer or administrative activities, competition performances, product development, or a combination of activities.
The following people were inducted into the 2016 class of the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame:
- Lawrence Klingberg
- Rich Lopez (deceased)
- Paul MacCready (deceased)
- Skip Miller
- Luke Roy
- Carl Schmaedig (deceased)
- Bob Smith
For more information about the hall of fame, visit www.modelaircraft.org/museum/hoflist.aspx.
AMA Drone Report
AMA has formed a partnership with Aero-News Network (ANN) Airborne Unlimited Daily News to produce a weekly video series called AMA Drone Report.
The video series, which is available through AMA, ANN, YouTube, Vimeo, and dozens of other ANN syndication outlets, debuted January 23, 2017. The first episode featured coverage of AMA Expo West.
The fast-paced, mobile-friendly program features the latest news and educational opportunities in the recreational drone and model aircraft community.
“We are excited to work with ANN to highlight news and stories from the recreational community for the broader UAS industry. For eight decades, we have represented enthusiasts and we look forward to sharing our hobby and expertise through the AMA Drone Report in the years to come,” said Dave Mathewson, executive director of AMA.
ANN is the first 24/7, 365, real-time online news service, and is now entering its third decade of daily news production. ANN has produced more than 300,000 news stories, 7,000 podcasts, 3,000 Aero-TV features, and approximately 1,000 episodes of Airborne Unlimited.
News and story suggestions can be submitted to editor@aero-news.net or media@modelaircraft.org, or by calling (863) 299-8680.
For $15, registered NEFI pilots receive one raffle entry, discounted merchandise, and a pilots’ dinner on Saturday night. The event at AMA Headquarters kicks off Friday, June 16. Special activities include RC Combat, Pylon Racing, and a warbird gaggle. Event hours are Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon.
On Friday and Saturday, there will be a swap shop near the former AMA Nats Headquarters building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the AMA Foundation. Those who would like to sell their aircraft can rent an 8-foot table for $10. Contact Chrystal Pearson for more information at (800) 435-9262, ext. 278, or chrystalp@modelaircraft.org.
New this year is the Ready Made RC FPV Fest. The event, which will run concurrently with NEFI, is open to any FPV aircraft. The $15 entry fee includes an event T-shirt (first come, first serve). To keep the activity entertaining, the talented Joe Scully will be announcing. Event proceeds will benefit the AMA Foundation.
AMA membership is required to fly at NEFI and the Ready Made RC FPV Fest. Proceeds from NEFI benefit the Animal Rescue Fund in Muncie and the AMA National Model Aviation Museum. Register online for the FPV event at www.readymaderc.com and register for NEFI at http://nefi.modelaircraft.org.
Register for National Model Aviation Day
National Model Aviation Day 2017 is set for August 12 and your club can register today to participate.
The annual event, held to celebrate the joy of model aviation, is marking its fifth year. Clubs across the country can register their events at http://nationalmodelaviationday.org.
To have your celebration listed in Model Aviation magazine, please register by June 1. You can also order National Model Aviation Day T-shirts until June 1.
The AMA Foundation has been selected as the charity that will benefit from this year’s National Model Aviation Day proceeds.
Membership Meeting
AMA will hold a general membership meeting on the evening of Thursday, May 18, 2017. The meeting will be held during the annual Joe Nall Week, which is set for May 13-20, 2017, at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina.
THE NORTHROP FILES
AMA Plans Service houses all plans formerly sold through Model Builder, Bill Northrop’s Plan Service, and the Scratch Builder’s Almanac. There are more than 1,000 plans in the collection. The 54-inch Electricus sailplane, designed by Larry Jolly, was featured in the March 1983 issue of Model Builder. It has simple construction, features a polyhedral wing, and should adapt well to modern electrics. You can order the Electricus, plans number 3831, for $15 by calling AMA Plans Service at (800) 435-9262, ext. 507.
Artifacts Wanted
The National Model Aviation Museum is actively developing a multirotor display to showcase the history of the aircraft and needs your help.
One of the quadcopters that the museum has for the exhibit is the first multirotor that was commercially released in Japan, called the Keyence Gyrosaucer E-170. The next piece on the museum’s wish list is the first multirotor sold commercially in the US, the Dragonflyer, which was released in 1999 by Dragonfly Innovations.
The museum would also like to have an RC Flying Saucer, released in 1998, and a Dragonflyer III, released in 2001, also made by Dragonfly Innovations. More information about these products can be found at www.dragonfly.com/story.
If you own a Dragonflyer or other artifacts related to the development of multirotors that you would like to donate to the National Model Aviation Museum, please contact Maria VanVreede at (800) 435-9262, ext. 508, or email mariav@modelaircraft.org.
Membership Cards
The National Model Aviation Museum frequently receives calls inquiring about what it needs. One of the gaps in the museum’s collection is AMA membership cards (referred to as “licenses” at times).
AMA (functioning under the National Aeronautic Association) kicked off a nationwide membership campaign in 1937, with an announcement running in the June 23, 1937, issue of Model Aviation. By the September 1939 issue of the magazine, AMA was already redesigning its membership cards. The 1940 cards would be “two shades of blue” and “feature the AMA emblem, which was designed by Frank Zaic.”
Unfortunately, the museum does not have a copy of that card from 1940 in its archives. It does have at least one example (if not duplicates) of cards from the following years: 1942-1946, 1950-1951, 1955-1962, 1964-1967, 1969-1970, and 1973-2017.
Do you have any AMA membership cards from the years that are not listed here? If you do and would like to donate them to the museum archives, give the museum a call or send a message. AMA would like to add them to its collection. They are not only fun to look at, but also help document AMA’s history so that it can be preserved and shared with current and future model aviation enthusiasts.
Pictured with this article are some of the more elegant and fun cards that AMA has produced. To see more membership cards, check out an upcoming museum blog post online at http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amamuseum.
—National Model Aviation Museum staff
