AMA RULES CYCLE COMPLETE
Safety/Technical Director’s Corner
By Tony Stillman, Safety & Technical Director | tonys@modelaircraft.org
As I write this, it is late August, and the various Nats contests are nearly over. It was been a good Nats, despite attendance being lower than expected because of lingering COVID-19 concerns.
As many of you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of havoc at AMA Headquarters as well. One major issue was the delay of Rules Proposals voting. Most of the AMA competition classes had rules proposals submitted in 2019 and 2020 that were scheduled to be voted on in the fall of 2020; however, the Contest Boards unanimously voted to delay this process until the fall of 2021 because most events were canceled in 2020.
We are completing the voting process, with the final vote scheduled to take place on August 31, 2021. By the time you read this, all votes should be tallied, and the new 2022-2023 Competition Regulations will be in the process of being updated to include any new rule proposals that passed the final vote. These latest versions will be available on the AMA website in early December 2021.
I recommend that anyone who is interested in flying in an AMA competition event next year download the latest Competition Regulations for the event(s) you are planning to participate in and review them for any changes. You should print a copy for yourself and keep it in your flight box so that you can refer to it as needed.
I want to thank all of the AMA members who are serving on the Contest Boards. These volunteers, who are active in competition, review and vote on these proposals. The board members do this to further the events in which they actively participate. You can find the Contest Board listing on the AMA website by logging in at www.modelaircraft.org. Move your mouse over the word Event in the heading listing. A blue box will open and you can find Contest Board Members in the left column. Click on it to go to a page where the various Contest Boards and their members are listed. You can quickly email those individuals from that page.
January 2022 starts the next rules cycle. Proposals can be sent in by filling out the form on the AMA website. Proposals will be accepted until March 15, 2023.
Have you ever considered becoming a Contest Director (CD) or an Event Manager (EM)? AMA CDs and EMs play important roles in supporting and promoting the sport and hobby of model aviation by organizing competitions and events for participants.
Typically, a CD or an EM will be a key figure for a club that wants to host activities at its club field. These events are great ways to raise money for the club and increase activity and excitement for the hobby.
Many clubs have hosted annual events for years, and these can draw pilots from many states to attend. Some of the largest events in the nation started as simple AMA sanctioned events with only a few pilots, but throughout the years, they have grown into major regional and even national gatherings!
By becoming a CD or an EM, you can help your club to grow by hosting events and encouraging club members to participate in the fun.
If you are interested in becoming a CD or an EM, go to the previously mentioned Events tab and look for Become a Contest Director/Event Manager.
If you have any questions about this, feel free to reach out to me!
Until next time!
