District I
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
AMA clubs and members often engage in outreach initiatives in their community to introduce young people to aeromodeling. Unfortunately, most clubs are in rural locations and outreach efforts seldom reach urban kids.
The following report from Associate Vice President Steve Goler describes how he and AMA member Reggie Showers were able to introduce urban kids to aeromodeling, and the positive influences the hobby had on each of their lives.
A few months ago, I invited a friend to one of the model aircraft jet rallies at Plum Island RC Flyers in Newbury, Massachusetts. He took videos of the jets flying and showed them to one of his friends, Felicia Huggins, who is an advisor with the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) for John Pierce School and the Lincoln School in Brookline, Massachusetts.
METCO is a school integration program that enrolls urban Boston students in high-performing public schools in the suburbs to reduce racial isolation. Children get a great education, make lifelong interracial friendships, and are better prepared for working in a diverse global economy. I have had three younger siblings attend METCO schools and they are all today successful citizens making a difference in the communities in which they grew up. Felicia shared the videos with her students, who were excited after seeing the jet flights, and they wanted to know more about the amazing model aircraft and aeromodeling. The spark was lit.
Felicia asked if I would participate in a Zoom meeting with the children, and I jumped at the opportunity to share my knowledge of the hobby and how it helped me make career choices. I asked Reggie Showers if he would assist in the Zoom presentation and he agreed.
Reggie is a well-known AMA member and ambassador for the hobby who, through hard work and faith, has overcome life challenges of being a bilateral, below-knee amputee to become a world champion motorcycle racer, accomplished pilot, snowboard instructor, and inspirational speaker.
We began the Zoom session with a classroom full of inquisitive children. We offered a brief history of the AMA and its mission, with information about its 2,400 clubs, flying sites, youth membership, educational programs, scholarship opportunities, and its website links for more help.
We discussed the knowledge, skills, and relationships that we acquired from the hobby. Students asked questions about altitude, speed, distance, flight control, and how long it takes to learn to fly a model airplane, but surprisingly, no one wanted to know how much airplanes cost.
Reggie explained to them how people that looked exactly like them were the Tuskegee Airman and that their Black fighting squadron was a significant part of helping to win World War II. The point is that it does not matter what your skin color is, it is that you can do anything and be anything you want in this country with hard work and dedication.
We ended with drone videos and how drone flying can be one of many career paths stemming from the hobby, with examples of drone use in fire and rescue, home sales, medical deliveries, security surveillance, and aerial inspections. The sky is literally the limit when it comes to radio-controlled aircraft. The seed has been planted and people such as Reggie Showers and I are there to water the seeds to watch them grow!
Thank you, Steven and Reggie, for a great report on how we might engage urban kids in aeromodeling through METCO-type schools.
