Education Through Aviation
CAMPS, CAMPS, AND TRUST
By Kyle Jaracz, Education director | kylej@modelaircraft.org
You might recall that we were forced to cancel our in-person Camp AMA in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed the AMA Jr. Camp experience for younger students to engage in aeromodeling through live and on-demand camp. To date, nearly 1,000 kids have participated in AMA Jr. Camps.
Many opted to purchase corresponding Flight Packs to ensure that they had all of the materials needed to fully participate in the AMA Jr. Camp experience at home, at the club field, or in the classroom. If you are planning a camp experience in your community, feel free to utilize what the Education team has produced. It’s perfect for ages 5 to 13.
If you want to further push the curriculum, the 2020 AMA Jr. Camp includes an AMA ALPHA, while the 2021 AMA Jr. Camp includes an AMA BETA. Both airframes come with free educational curricula that advances the learning into middle and high school areas.
We were excited to again host campers from across the country at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, for Camp AMA 2021. We fine-tuned this year’s camping experience and offered special challenges for the students, as well as an increased ratio of instructors, counselors, and mentors to campers. Hampton Inn provided us with great rooms and a filling breakfast each morning, while Enterprise Rent-A-Car provided a large van for use during the camp.
The efforts of staff and volunteers created a world-class experience. We kit-bashed Hitec Multiplex Shark aircraft and the students’ creativity was on full display. Canards, multiwings, twin fuselages, and multiple motors were a few of the items that were attempted. We featured a day of learning FPV and micro-quad line-of-sight flying. This included flying indoors under the direction of guest speaker Tad Douce through the Drones in School program.
We put both the 103-inch AJ Aircraft SLICK 540 and the Extreme Flight 104-inch Extra through their paces. A special thanks to SAVOX for providing servos for the SLICK. “Smoke on” was generously provided by Showtime Smoke Oil and made possible by Holy Smokes systems. Desert Aircraft DA 120 engines provided excellent power.
Seeing the faces of campers as they buddy-boxed in these airframes was one of the highlights of my week at Camp AMA. Horizon Hobby provided myriad aircraft and batteries at low or no cost, and campers took advantage of these aircraft in sharpening their skillsets throughout the week.
AMA’s Social Media Manager Lee Ray brought out his hi-start aircraft and the campers got to experience soaring, some for the first time. We also provided AMA BETAs to the campers, allowing them to experience Free Flight with the AMA’s newest airframe. The winning duration flight in the early morning was 44 seconds—a notable achievement with limited lift in the area at the time.
We took the campers to the local Toys Forever hobby shop. Brandon Mundell and the team there provided the excellent service for which they are known within the community. This served as a good reminder to support local hobby shops.
The campers left filled with energy, enthusiasm, and an even more robust skill-set for both model aviation and life. I look forward to seeing the great things these youth will achieve in years to come.
It’s Time to TRUST
AMA is currently finalizing our Testing Administrator status with The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST), as the FAA has defined it. TRUST ensures that all recreational fliers understand their roles in the national airspace. The AMA staff worked closely with the FAA to ensure that TRUST was simple and easily accessible.
AMA has created a quick study guide (on page 38 of this issue), communicated with our membership via newsletters and emails, discussed the TRUST in our social media channels, and provided insight via FAQs, podcasts, and more. AMA has always supported safety in all we do and now provides an easy, free solution to take the test and receive an FAA certificate of passage. TRUST is a no-fail test. If an incorrect answer is submitted to a question, you will receive additional information and must try again.
Just as with FAA’s registration, we recommend that members adhere to the law and complete the TRUST test. Note that neither the FAA nor the AMA will retain any personally identifiable information. Your only chance to prove you have taken and passed the TRUST is to save and print the certificate that is supplied at the conclusion of the test. If you have any further questions, visit the FAQ in our blogs at https://bit.ly/35KqSMC.
Here’s to a fun, safe summer!
