THE “BEST OF THE BEST”
By Chad Budreau, AMA Executive Director | chadb@modelaircraft.org
THIS PAST JULY, AMA conducted two world-class events: the FAI F3D/F3E World Championships for Pylon Racing Model Aircraft and The World Games 2022 drone race.
For anyone who’s been to AMA’s National Model Aviation Museum, you can see that competition is woven throughout aeromodeling’s history. Competition drives innovation by challenging members to push the boundaries of the hobby and aviation. It’s also a great outlet to forge new friendships and build camaraderie.
In the museum, just inside the main gallery, is a photo from 1914 of young modelers on the shores of Lake Calumet near Chicago. The crowd includes Illinois Model Aero Club members holding A-frame pushers for a hydro competition. Although seeing the photo in person at the museum is best, you can also view it in our digital archives at www.bit.ly/pastperfect1914.
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Hobbyists frequently competed to see who was the “best of the best” within their clubs. They soon began hosting competitions with neighboring clubs, but knowing who was the best regional aeromodeler for a particular discipline was not enough. Eventually, these modelers started competing to see who the absolute best was nationally.
Shortly after, AMA was formed in 1936. AMA was instrumental in organizing and fostering competition in the US. Similar model aviation associations in countries around the world were also coming into being. Eventually, hobbyists began to ask who the best of the best was in the world.
Through the NAA, AMA creates a pathway for members to compete globally through the FAI, the world governing body for air sports. AMA was honored to work with the FAI to host the 2022 Pylon World Championships at the AMA International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Teams from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Netherlands, Sweden, the US, and Venezuela gathered in Muncie for the July 8 opening ceremony, followed by a week of competition.
Concurrently, 31 pilots from 24 countries gathered for The World Games 2022 drone racing event in Birmingham, Alabama, from July 7-10, 2022. The World Games is conducted in partnership with AMA and FAI and is led by the International World Games Association under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. This is exciting because The World Games could lead to opportunities for model aviation and drone racing to be considered as an Olympic sport.
We don’t shed enough light on competition, especially global competition. Hundreds of AMA members volunteered to make events, such as The World Games 2022 and the FAI F3D/F3E World Championships for Pylon Racing Model Aircraft, possible. Practices, team trials, course setups, fundraising, and years of preplanning go into each global competition to learn who is the world’s best in a specific discipline.
Thank you to AMA members for continuing the spirit of competition that was ignited by aeromodeling hobbyists more than 100 years ago.
Learn more about The World Games 2022 and the FAI F3D/F3E World Championships for Pylon Racing Model Aircraft in previous episodes of AMA Air (www.modelaircraft.org/amaair), past email issues of AMA This Week (www.modelaircraft.org/newsletters/ama-week), and in other AMA outlets. We’ll also keep you updated about other global events for our Soaring, Free Flight, and Control Line members who are traveling to compete in Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, and Denmark. Good luck to these members who are representing AMA and the US!
If you are interested in competing globally, contact an AMA Special Interest Group representing your discipline at www.modelaircraft.org/special-interest-groups.
