AMA MEMBERS
AND COMPETITION
By Tony Stillman, Safety/Technical Director | tonys@modelaircraft.org
Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday season and that you received all kinds of model aircraft goodies! With a new year comes new enthusiasm to get those new models done over the winter and ready to fly as soon as the weather breaks!
This is also a great time for everyone to review the AMA Safety Program and, if you are a member of a club, take the time to read the club’s flying site safety rules and procedures. The AMA Safety Program has gone through some changes, especially throughout the last few years. It is a good idea for club safety officers to spend some time at your monthly club meeting to review these safety documents and have a discussion on overall safety at the flying site.
You can find the AMA Safety Program by going to the AMA website at www.modelaircraft.org and logging on. It is important to log onto the website each time because some items are not available to you unless you are logged on as a member. Go to the top of the main website page and find the heading “AMA Safety Info” and click on it. This will take you to a place where you can find all of the safety resources. The FAA Trust Test can be found here, along with AMA Flight School. Take a few minutes to review the resources available in AMA Flight School.
Next, click on “AMA Documents.” You are taken to a page where you can find valuable information about all aspects of the hobby. You especially want to review Club Information, Flying Sites, and the Safety & Member Benefits documents.
Bookmark this area of the website so you can come back to it and find documents that you might want in the future. Subjects such as the Large Model Airplane Program or Turbines have information for obtaining the waivers to fly these models.
Most clubs are also planning events for the upcoming flying season, so take some time to review your event lists, keeping in mind events that other clubs might have on their schedules. It is a good idea to communicate with any clubs within 100 miles or so, so that you can ensure that events are spread out.
I want to make you aware of a special event happening in 2023 at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. It is the 2023 Nats! This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first National Aeromodeling Championships held in St. Louis in 1923.
This competition involved one event for Free Flight and was held as part of the NAA National Air Races. AMA will celebrate the anniversary of this milestone during the Nats, which are scheduled for July 6-31, 2023.
The fun does not end on July 31! The FAI F3C/F3N World Championships for RC Model Helicopters, featuring aerobatics and freestyle aerobatics, begins on August 1. We are expecting a good turnout of teams from around the world to compete this year. This event only comes to the US every 10 years or so, and you don’t want to miss your chance to see it in person!
If you have not competed in the Nats, or have not in a while, this will be a perfect opportunity to come and experience it for yourself. In addition to all of the regular competition events, there will be special nostalgia events spread throughout the month. Each discipline has been encouraged to add a special event to their activities, so you definitely want to check that out.
One special event that will happen is the 100th anniversary of the Mulvihill event that was held at the inaugural National Championships. Mulvihill is a regular event at the annual Nats, but this year, the family of Bernard Mulvihill is schedule to present the perpetual trophy to the 2023 Nats winner! That will be something to be a part of for sure! A history of the inaugural National Aeromodeling Championships can be seen in the “In the Air” column starting on page 14.
You can find updated information about the 2023 100th anniversary of the Nats at www.modelaircraft.org/nats. You can register online to attend as well. I am looking forward to seeing you at the 2023 Nats!
