THE FLY MORE, MOW LESS SWEEPSTAKES CLOSES SOON!
By Clarissa Poston, AMA Foundation Chief Communications Officer | clarissap@modelaircraft.org
HAVE YOU HEARD about the AMA Foundation’s Fly More, Mow Less Sweepstakes? This initiative is a fantastic opportunity for AMA members, donors, and the general public to support the hobby of model aviation, while also upping their chances to win big!
With the grand prize of a Lymow One Robotic Lawnmower, winning this sweepstakes will allow you to spend more time flying and less time mowing your flying field—all while supporting the AMA Foundation’s Club Support Fund, which directly aids clubs impacted by natural disasters, assists clubs with flying site improvements, and more!
The Fly More, Mow Less Sweepstakes would not have been possible without our sponsors: AJ Aircraft, Du-Bro, FrSky, Lymow, the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo, US Fabrics, and Warbird Pilots. We’re overwhelmingly grateful for their support. These great organizations donated amazing products to the cause, creating a great prize pool for our lucky winners!
Visit www.modelaircraft.org/flymore to view the exciting prizes donated by our sponsors. Learn about how becoming an AMA Foundation Torchbearer can get you up to 300 extra entries!
The Fly More, Mow Less Sweepstakes closes on October 20. Enter to win before it’s too late!
SOURCES:
AJ Aircraft
(734) 244-4015
www.aj-aircraft.com
Du-Bro
(847) 526-2136
www.dubro.com
Fly More, Mow Less Sweepstakes
foundation@modelaircraft.org
www.modelaircraft.org/flymore
FrSky
nasales@frsky-rc.com
www.frsky-rc.com
Lymow
info@lymow.com
www.lymow.com
Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo
info@toledorcswapmeet.com
www.toledorcswapmeet.com
US Fabrics
(800) 518-2290
www.usfabricsinc.com
Warbird Pilots
(203) 528-4352
www.warbirdpilots.com
WHAT EXACTLY IS FAI?
By Greg Principato, FAI President
president@fai.org
WHEN I BEGAN my job at the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) in 2016, I quickly found out that it included membership in the AMA Executive Council (EC). AMA has a good reputation in Washington, D.C., so I knew a bit about the organization. I also learned that NAA is the US member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), about which I knew little.
Fast-forward eight years and I found myself standing as president of the FAI at the general conference last year. I was honored to be elected and am in my first term as the FAI president.
During my nearly seven years on the AMA EC, I learned that there is a range of views in the AMA membership, and on the EC, about the FAI.
The FAI was formed in 1905 to promote this new technology called aviation and, on a global level, recognize and reward great achievement. Over time, FAI was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the global federation overseeing air sports. It is in this role that AMA interacts with the FAI.
Aeromodeling, including drones, is one of the 12 air sport commissions in the FAI. The commissions oversee competitions (the aeromodelling commission holds more than any other) and writes the sporting code that must be followed to set world (and national) records. Aeromodelers are the largest group of air sports participants among all of the commissions, and therefore, a very important part of the FAI.
One of the things I saw in my years on the AMA EC is that most AMA members do not know much about the FAI. Frankly, that is more the responsibility of us at the FAI. While serving as FAI president, I have heard a lot about how the FAI can better support elite participants and competitors in its competitions and record-setting activities. What I have also heard is that the FAI needs to do much more to promote our sports and show value to all air sports persons, whether or not they will ever compete or set a record. To be perfectly honest, I heard a lot about this when I was on the AMA EC.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to meet people from every corner of aviation, from bag slingers at airports to astronauts who traveled to the moon. Most of them first became involved in aviation because of air sports, with a large number of them having started in model airplanes, helicopters, and rockets. The community represented by AMA forms a major portion of the gateway to the aviation world and aviation careers.
Most of you who are reading this have not competed or set a record. I would be delighted if all of you wanted to do this, but if you do not, we at the FAI are working on ways to help you further develop your love for the hobby and sport of aeromodeling. We have members in 90 countries and on every continent. There are amazing things being done all over the world, including in Muncie, Indiana, at AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center, and at flying sites all over the US. We want to help share this information so that everyone can benefit. We want to do more to highlight people at elite levels who are accomplishing amazing things to help inspire modelers of all abilities and interests. I would love to hear from any or all of you who have ideas on how we can do this.
I was in Muncie at the FAI F3A World Championship for Aerobatic Model Aircraft and participated in the opening ceremonies. I look forward to seeing an article about the event in a future issue of Model Aviation.
The FAI, like the NAA, was founded in the early days when powered flight only had a future. We have done a great job recognizing the past and recognizing achievements in the present. We do not want to lose any of that, while also focusing on the future. Among your members are future pilots, astronauts, mechanics, engineers, and so forth. I am willing to bet that some of them will walk on the moon, as former AMA member Neil Armstrong did, and on Mars.
I want to thank AMA for the opportunity to introduce the FAI to you in this way. I want to thank all of you for your passion for aeromodeling and for aviation. I work for each of you. Please let me know how we can do better and support your growth in this hobby, this sport, and this community.
SOURCES:
FAI
www.fai.org
SPECIAL ELECTION DISTRICT III
THE DISTRICT III vice president special election that was originally planned for this year has been postponed and will now be rescheduled for the regular election cycle next year. This adjustment allows us to align better with our engagement efforts.
The nomination’s due date for this position will be decided once the Executive Council (EC) determines next year’s meeting schedule. The EC will approve the 2026 schedule at the October 2025 meeting.
Any AMA adult member may submit a nomination.
The District III interim vice president can be reached at amadistrictIII@modelaircraft.org.
We appreciate your continued interest and involvement in our community. We remain committed to fostering opportunities for participation and leadership, and we look forward to your engagement in the coming months.
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!
The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Member Gary Himes, Kansas City MO.
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 129.
—AMA Membership department
SUMMER HAS COME and gone, but looking back, it brought longer days, warmer weather, and the excitement of the Nats season at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana!
This was my second time experiencing the Nats since joining the National Model Aviation Museum staff, and I enjoyed the energy that filled the site at the IAC. It’s always exciting to see the crowds, welcome visitors to the AMA Headquarters and National Model Aviation Museum, and share the museum with new and returning guests.
In a previous article, I discussed the digitization project that I’ve been working on at the museum. As part of the process, I often research background information to help provide context for the items that I enter into the collections database.
In the Wischer Family Collection, I came across a fascinating set of slides from the 12th Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) F4 World Championships for Scale Model Aircraft, held at AMA’s IAC facility on August 22-29, 1992. (#0031, National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Indiana. Credit: Donated by William Wischer.)
This international event was organized by the late Bob Underwood Jr. and brought together competitors from 16 countries and slightly more than 30 entries. The US team placed second in the RC category and third in Control Line Scale competition (as mentioned in a January 1993 Model Aviation feature written by Bob Wisher, which can be viewed at https://library.modelaviation.com/edition/model-aviation-199301. Bob Underwood’s biography is available through the museum’s AMA History Project website at www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/UnderwoodRobertLBob.pdf.)
Notably, Ralph Burnstine (USA) took third place with his Pitts S-2 model biplane,
which was graciously donated to the museum in 2023 by the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York. You can now see it on display in our Scale Models exhibit.
What made this particular event even more special was that it marked the first world championships to be held at AMA’s current location in Muncie. Only three months earlier, AMA held its opening ceremony for the new venue, making the 1992 F4 World Championships a landmark event in AMA history. AMA didn’t officially move its headquarters from Reston, Virginia, to Muncie until summer 1993.
A key figure in making that transition possible was Gary Bussell, who was AMA’s District VI associate vice president. Gary played a significant role in the relocation of AMA Headquarters and the National Model Aviation Museum. He shared:
“Ultimately, I was a job runner for getting the headquarters and the museum built. My friend, David [Dave Snyder], and I gave a presentation to the Horizon Committee, and because he was a high-level officer with the Muncie Power Products company, he had a lot of connections that helped us get to that point.
“After that meeting, we ended up with a 1,000-acre deal. The property wasn’t very big then because we were still in the early
stages, but after crunching the numbers and exploring all of the different offers we received, we were able to get the museum building, the road that leads out to all of the flying sites, and the L-pad built.”
Even today, Gary continues to volunteer at the museum, whether by engaging with visitors or assisting Museum Director Michael Smith with various projects. You might even catch him out on-site enjoying various competitions. Whether it’s war birds, Scale, or aerobatics, Gary believes there’s something for everyone. “That’s the beauty of this,” he said. “You don’t even have to be involved in modeling and competitions. You can drive by, see it, and it doesn’t cost you anything.”
Be sure to check the museum’s digital collections monthly because new materials and updates are regularly added. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this, and I hope that this year’s competitors had a successful, safe, and exciting flying season.
