2022 ANNUAL REPORT
By Chad Budreau, AMA Executive Director chadb@modelaircraft.org
FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AMA has published an annual report highlighting significant accomplishments. The 2022 Annual Report highlights AMA’s many accomplishments throughout the previous year. In 2019, we showcased new marketing efforts to grow the hobby. In 2020, we celebrated how our community rallied together during COVID. The 2021 Annual Report featured the generosity of our members and their contributions. The 2022 Annual Report is packed with numerous victories for the hobby, as well as new initiatives for our clubs.
The most notable achievement in 2022 was the culmination of 12 years of working to earn AMA the designation as a community-based organization (CBO). CBO recognition is important for many reasons. This validates and gives credibility to our safety program among stakeholders and regulators.
Although AMA has been shaping regulations for decades, legislation gives CBOs a more formal seat at the table when the FAA considers recreational regulations. This designation opens the door to additional advocacy efforts, to include applying for FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) status and higher altitudes for our clubs’ flying sites.
Throughout the 2022 Annual Report, we also highlight new programs and features to support and grow our 2,500 clubs and flying fields across the country. We introduced new club award and recognition programs, a more robust flying field search tool, and created more tools for club officers, including an improved online club roster and new online club chartering. In 2022, AMA also started the process to earn our clubs’ FRIA status so that club members can continue operating without the need for Remote ID equipment.
All members will benefit from new projects that were released in 2022, including AMA digital membership cards. When members log into their membership profile on the AMA website, they can view their AMA card on their computer and mobile device. On the membership profile page, members can now print their AMA cards in color or black and white. Members can also enjoy other features, including a relaunch of the National Model Aviation Museum virtual tour, the ability to reserve camping at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, online, and new Life Membership benefits.
In 2022, AMA completely restructured how we communicate with our members through email. All of AMA’s electronic newsletters were reformatted into a single weekly email titled AMA This Week.
Equally important, each member will find that AMA This Week is customized to his or her interest. For example, Control Line (CL) members will see more CL content in AMA This Week.
Thank you to the staff, Executive Council, and volunteers for another successful year. Most importantly, thank you to the members for your continued support to grow the hobby! AMA’s Vision Statement includes a commitment for “continuous improvement.” We look forward to continuing to improve and grow the hobby in 2023.
You can read the 2022 and past annual reports at www.modelaircraft.org.
