Stories

"After you see these things go, everything else doesn't exhilarate you as much as this does."

“I’ve been a longtime member of the AMA. My father and I joined in the late ’70s."

The following is a recent statement sent out by Amazon: 

“In 2013, we launched AmazonSmile to make it easier for customers to support their favorite charities. However, after almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped. With so many eligible organizations – more than 1 million globally – our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin. 

As the year is coming to an end, we want to talk to you about IRAs and the long-term impact that you can make on the model aeronautics community. RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions) are withdrawals that individuals with IRAs are required to take each year after the age of 72? (70 ½ if you reach 70 ½ before January 1, 2020) Typically, not taking your RMD, or taking less than required, can result in a 50% tax penalty.

Senior Director of Government Affairs

Academy of Model Aeronautics

As senior director of the AMA’s Government Affairs department, I oversee the advocacy team that provides liaison with the Federal Aviation Administration, government officials and agencies, zoning boards, and parks departments to promote the interests of AMA members and clubs. 

By Rachelle Haughn, AMA Foundation Donor & Programs Specialist

The pictures speak for themselves.

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest Florida coast as a Category 4 storm. The wind speed topped 150 mph. For AMA chartered clubs in Florida, this storm’s wrath meant destruction at their club flying sites—places that had served as a refuge from the stress of everyday life. Now, the storms of life were in the middle of their runways.

Veterans are ordinary people who have done something extraordinary. 

AMA is thankful for its many veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. This Veterans Day, November 11, 2022, make sure to thank and honor a veteran in your life. 

Among the veterans across the country is AMA member Rick Moreland. Rick served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner. “I was drafted out of high school, [served] two years, and got out in June 1968,” he stated. 

By Stephen Haston, AMA Foundation Director

All of our AMA clubs are fantastic, but I want to give a special shout-out to Tri-City R/C Modelers. Located in Richland, Washington, Tri-City has something for everyone to fly—3-D, ducted fan, electric, fixed wing, fuel/gas, Giant Scale, RC helicopters, park flyers, Pattern, and RC Pylon Racing.

A total of $69,201.91 has been awarded in grants.
Congratulations to the 2022 recipients of the Flying Site Improvement Grant and the Take Off and Grow Grant.

AMA Foundation Heritage and Legacy Society donor Robert A. Studinksi bequeathed more than $75,000 to the Foundation's Endowment Fund. The Academy of Model Aeronautics and the AMA Foundation would like to thank Robert Studinski and his family for this generous gift. The Foundation Endowment Fund provides funding in perpetuity to the AMA benevolent programs through annual earnings and returns, leaving the fund's corpus untouched.