Awards and Scholarships

Winnebago RC Flyers

Congratulations to the Winnebago RC Flyers for being awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $523.60. Located in Oshkosh, WI, the Winnebago RC Flyers have been an AMA Chartered Club for more than 35 years. The Winnebago RC Flyers are known as an AMA “Gold Leader” Club. The club is always looking to add additional members who are interested in the hobby of model aviation. The Winnebago RC Flyers have been at their flying site for 10 years. The club is undergoing a construction project to build a shelter to protect members and guests from the sun and weather. The shelter will also be used as a place to organize club meetings, set up electrical charging stations, and a place to socialize with new members. The club has hosted swap meets to help pay for this construction but will be able to complete it quicker with this grant. Click here for more information on the Winnebago RC Flyers.

Wings Miniature Aircraft Society

The Wings Miniature Aircraft Society has been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $1,562.50. The club flies at the Abernathy Municipal Airport in Abernathy, TX. The Wings Miniature Aircraft Society, Inc. has been an AMA Chartered Club for more than 30 years. The club was last awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant in 2011. The WingsMAS are always looking for new members to join their club that are interested in the model aviation hobby. The WingsMAS lease part of a closed municipal airport as their flying site, however the part of the runway the club uses as severely weathered and cracked so the club underwent maintenance and repair to fix the issue. The club researched their options and installed an acrylic emulsion product to the runway. The WingsMAS also built start-up stands and picnic tables to be used during club meetings and flying times. Look here to check out the website for the Wings Miniature Aircraft Society.

Victor Valley RC Flyers

On behalf of the AMA, the Victor Valley RC Flyers have been awarded a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $565.98. The Victor Valley RC Flyers are located in the High Desert of Southern California. The club has been an AMA Chartered Club for 13 years (since 2002). The Victory Valley RC Flyers have an average number of 72 members per year. Club members fly radio controlled fixed and rotary wing aircraft, gliders, and helicopters. The club’s flying site features a 50’ by 550’ asphalt runway, three sun shades, picnic tables, and relief facilities. The club underwent a construction project to improve their site. The club installed a new petromat to repair and replace the existing rotting material, a new sign was installed at the field entry due to severe weather damage, and finally the onsite weather station was replaced due to above average winds. The new improvements will allow the club to fly, have fun, and enjoy their RC model planes. Click here to learn more about the Victor Valley RC Flyers.

United Flying Organization

The Academy of Model Aeronautics would like to congratulate the United Flying Organization for being awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $328.05. The club is located in Highland, MI. The United Flying Organization has been an AMA Chartered Club for more 20 years. The club may be small, but the members share a big passion for RC flying. The club’s flying site is leased from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and as a part of renewing their lease, the club agreed to build a handicap-accessible outhouse at the flying site. With this new addition, the flying site became accessible to many more members of the community. The total cost of the project was $3,280.46. Click here for more information on the United Flying Organization.

Tri-County Eagles

The Academy of Model Aeronautics would like to congratulate the Tri-County Eagles for being awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $467.50. Located in Mahopac, NY, the Tri-County Eagles have been an AMA Chartered Club for approximately 30 years. The Tri-County Eagles describe themselves as a relaxed group of RC pilots just out to have a fun, safe time flying aircraft with friends. The club has hosted several training events for Cub Scout groups and Civil Air patrol cadets to introduce them to model flying. The club made new upgrades last year such as a new flight line fence, plane restraints, and a wind sock, among others. They are now looking to focus on the damages to their runway. The runway has become uneven and will require special equipment to be repaired properly. The total cost to fix the runway was $4,675.00. Look here for more information on the Tri-County Eagles.

Texas City Radio Control Club

On behalf of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, the Texas City Radio Control Club has been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $950.00. Established in 1973, the Texas City Radio Control Club has been an AMA Chartered Club for 41 years. The club primarily consists of radio control aircraft members plus a few helicopter enthusiasts. The club is located in League City, TX and always welcomes visitors to check out the club. To improve their flying site, the club built a 19’ x 55’ shaded area for large gas planes to be assembled and disassembled. This was a high priority for the club as they previously did not have a shaded area. This shaded area will help to drastically improve the flying site and will hopefully attract new members to the Texas City Radio Control Club. Click here to check out the website for the Texas City Radio Control Club.

Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society

The Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society has been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $119.90 on behalf of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society has been an AMA Chartered Club for approximately 40 years. The club works to promote the design, construction, and organized flying of radio control aircraft. The STARS have almost 100 members who enjoy flying off the club’s nearly 42 acres of grass runways. The STARS host several annual events that have more than 500 people in attendance. The club has several elderly members with heart problems and they have even lost members due to heart attacks. The club is looking to purchase an AED Device for the safety of their members and guests. Look here to check out the Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society’s website.

Sod Busters R/C Club

The AMA would like to congratulate the Sod Busters RC Club for being awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $316.00. The Sioux Falls Sod Busters RC Club has been an AMA Chartered Club for 33 years. The club was founded in 1981 by Frank Zocco, who owned a hobby shop in Tea, SD. He paired up with other founding members to create what is known as today as the Sod Busters. The club has hosted an annual RC auction for more than 20 years. They also host an annual fun fly event. The club is looking to install a Geotextile US 230 runway mat. This mat will accommodate the many pilots who fly smaller electric aircraft. The club hopes to benefit from this project by enticing more people to fly at their field rather than at local city parks. Club members will provide 100% of the manual labor and the total cost of the project was $3,160.00. Click here for more information on the Sod Busters.

Shreveport Area Radio Kontrol Society – SHARKS

The Shreveport Area Radio Kontrol Society has been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $1,719.80 on behalf of the AMA. Located in Louisiana, the SHARKS have been an AMA Chartered Club for more than 30 years. The club’s flying site is located at the Northridge Air Park and has a 600 x 40 foot paved runway and covered pits. The SHARKS host meeting, assess dues, elect officers, and participate in group activities for the promotion and enjoyment of RC aircraft building and flying. The SHARKS are always looking to increase their membership with individuals who share their passion for model aviation. The club underwent a construction project to finish the interior of the building used for seminars on building projects, fundraising events for local charities, and where board meetings and other club events are located. Club members of the SHARKS provided manual labor to help complete the project. Click here for more information on the SHARKS.

Santa Fe Dam Radio Control Modelers

The Santa Fe Dam Radio Control Modelers have been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $650.00. The Santa Fe Dam Radio Modelers, formerly known as the Sierra Madre Radio Control Modelers, have been an AMA Chartered Club for more than 30 years. The club is located in Los Angeles County, California. Club members fly all types of model aircraft from glow (nitro) engines to slow stick aircraft to scale model fighters to giant scale aerobatic aircraft. The Santa Fe Dam Radio Control Modelers host monthly meetings, Float Fly events at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Center, Fly-Ins, barbecues, swap meets, and provided educational outreach to community schools and organizations. The club applied for this grant because their runway is more than 30 years old and was in dire need for repairs. There were large cracks in the asphalt and these had to be filled by a contractor. This is the club’s first time applying for this grant as they have previously used funds provided by club membership. The total cost of this construction project was $6,500.00. Before photo: After photo: Click here for more information on the Santa Fe Dam Radio Control Modelers.