Stories

Mike "Crash" Hancock was born October 14, 1966 and was a native of Waco, Texas. In his younger days, he crashed just about every plane he put in the air, earning him the nickname Crash and it stuck. Crash was in the hobby for 40 years and was most well known for founding and hosting the longest running RC aviation podcast, "The CrashCast" (https://www.thecrashcast.com/) which started in 2009. In all, there were 360 episodes covering virtually every topic you can think of related to RC aviation. Every Wednesday night, modelers could listen in to the live show, join the chat, and then stay and listen to the often silly and off-topic 'after-show' that wasn't recorded. Crash started his show by saying "If it flies, and it's RC...I like to play with it!" From micro to giant scale, wet fuel and electric, airplanes, sailplanes, helis and multi-rotors. He even designed, manufactured via CNC, and sold his own line of quad frames out of his garage. Crash was also well known for doing everything in his power to help out a fellow modeler, whether he knew them personally or not, and even if the issue was not RC related. He had a truly charitable heart and attitude that made him a very easy person to befriend. Crash touched literally thousands of modelers' lives around the world with his podcast, and was always available to help out with building advice, flying advice, or anything else one might need.  He truly enjoyed the hobby and those who participated in it. 'Build something, fly something, and enjoy this great RC hobby’ was the way Crash ended each of his podcasts, but also how he lived his life. Many came together to honor his memory by purchasing a brick in the AMA Walk of Fame. Crash touched so many lives, that the money was raised in less than one day and the fundraiser stayed open for a few weeks, raising over $1700 to give to Crash's family to keep The CrashCast online.     Additional links: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2988021-The-Hobby-Lost-a-Friend-Crash-Hancock CrashCast listeners FB page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/167851760066170/?ref=bookmarks AoA (Angle of Attack podcast) - angleofattackpodcast.com Thank you to Nik Zinsli for sharing about Crash in order for this blog to be written.  

Join us for a special AMA Foundation RC Resale sale during the Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo, April 7-9, in Toledo, OH. We will be set up upstairs in room 207 at the SeaGate Convention Centre, near the swap shop area. Thank you to the families of William Irving, Wayne Nyberg, and Charles Rife, and to Charles Sylvia for donating the collections to make this sale possible. The Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo is North America’s largest and longest running R/C model expo. This three day event showcases all types of R/C models including planes, cars, and boats. Along with all the exhibitors, there will be an R/C model competition, speakers, swap shop, and an auction. This event runs April 7 through April 9 and is fun for the whole family. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.toledoshow.com/ Here's a sneak peek at just a few of the planes RC Resale will have available! [gallery ids="3547,3548,3549,3550,3551,3552,3553,3555,3554"]

Secaucus, New Jersey was the site of AMA Expo East in February. Many AMA staff members attended to run the show, but this was a special trip for foundation staff as we were going to pick up a donation to take with us to sell in the expo's Swap Shop. This donation came from a good friend of ours, Charles Sylvia. You may remember Mandee’s blog post about her trip with Tony to visit Charles back in October to pick up his first donation to the AMA foundation and now he was donating again! Mandee and I flew into LaGuardia airport and took our first New York City taxi ride into New Jersey. There we picked up our (not as small as we thought it would be) cargo van. We had a Cessna 310 to take to Charles as trade for another plane and then he was donating twelve additional planes to the foundation! Once we had the plane loaded and secured, we were off to New Hampshire. It was already dark and we had a four hour long drive ahead of us. We entered our destination into the GPS and Mandee nervously pulled off in our rented van. We made it to our hotel just after midnight to get a bit of sleep before heading out early to meet Charles. [caption id="attachment_3434" align="alignright" width="150"] Chrystal, Charles, Mandee[/caption] The next morning, we were welcomed into the home of Charles and his wife, Fran, where Charles already had all of the planes lined up and ready to load into the van! Charles is very organized and had a file to go along with each plane so that the new owner would have all the information they could ever need to know about their plane. Charles helped the two of us safely load them in the back of the van and we were also able to visit a bit with them while we were at it. Once we had the planes secured and took a photo documenting the occasion, we were back on the road. [caption id="attachment_3442" align="alignright" width="150"] Mandee driving on the George Washington Bridge[/caption] We thought we had the difficult part behind us, the long drive at night and loading up all the planes…but then we realized that we were going to have to drive back through New York City to get to the Meadowlands Exposition Center. Did I mention that Mandee is terrified of bridges? Well, I learned that about her on this trip. And she learned that there a lot of bridges in New York/New Jersey! As we got closer and closer to the George Washington Bridge, I tried as best as I could to calm Mandee’s nerves about driving a cargo van across it…in very heavy traffic. As you may be able to tell in the photo, she’s a little tense.  But, we made it! Once we pulled into the Expo Center, the relief of making it was so overwhelming to Mandee she had tears in her eyes and I believe she almost kissed the ground. And now, we actually had the hard part behind us! [caption id="attachment_3437" align="alignleft" width="150"] Mandee, Frank, Chrystal[/caption] The next few days were a whirlwind of activity in the Swap Shop. We got to meet so many people including District II AVP, Frank Granelli, who lent us his expertise in our booth.  One of our customers, AMA Member Frank Costello, came to the expo after hearing we were selling a C-47 twin. It had been a long-time dream of Frank’s to own this particular plane. We were excited to help make this dream come true…but not as excited as Frank was to take his plane home! [gallery columns="2" ids="3432,3431"] We had a great time at Expo East and sold all of our planes with the money raised benefiting AMA’s educational/youth programs. The foundation team is so thankful to everyone who made this trip so successful; Charles and Fran, Frank, and all of the members who are giving each plane sold the opportunity to fly again! It was a busy weekend but Mandee and I managed to make it into the city one night for dinner and a show...but don't worry, we left the driving up to a professional! [caption id="attachment_3441" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Mandee and Chrystal on Broadway[/caption]   Chrystal Pearson Development Communications Coordinator AMA Foundation

The Celina Flying Sportsmen have recently been awarded with at $175 Award Recognition and Grant by the AMA Foundation. The club hosted their annual Swap Meet where dozens of vendors filled 70 tables to get people started in the hobby of R.C. model flying. The club was featured in Hometown Station, WLIO Lima Ohio,  for the success of the event. Eric Nelson, a member of the Celina Flying Sportsmen R.C. Club said, “The hobby's been growing like mad. The Academy of Model Aeronautics (A.M.A) was about at 165,000 people. This year, I saw the numbers we’re up to 195 thousand, that’s worldwide.” Gaining attention and growth into the hobby is something that is always appreciated by the AMA Foundation. We thank the Celina Flying Sportsmen R.C. Club for their efforts in sharing the passion of flying. The AMA Club Recognition and Reward Program was established to encourage clubs to promote model aviation. The AMA offers clubs cash incentives for positive local media coverage for a public event, public service, club announcement, or other coverage. Click here to learn more about this program.

At Sibley-Ocheyedan Jr. High in Sibley, Iowa, students had the chance to learn while having fun from Dave Herbert, a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Dave came in and spoke to two classes and discussed over 12 machines. He also did a FPV Demo for one of the classes that came into to hear from him. The students were thoroughly impressed by Herbert's presentation and remained intrigued with his discussion. He finished his presentation by allowing the students to come up to his table and see all machines that he had brought to show the class. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSfpfXMg8Us&feature=youtu.be[/embed] The AMA Foundation would like to thank Dave Herbert for introducing students to the model aviation hobby and teaching them how to get involved. Allowing students to see what potential they have in the hobby is what makes the work of the AMA possible.  

Congratulations to Kevin Conners of Westbrook, CT, the 2016 winner of the AMA Foundation for the Future Sweepstakes. Kevin and his brother-in-law flew to California for the ride and to attend AMA Expo. Kevin was really excited to win. He had been checking modelaircraft.org to see if a winner had been selected. “When I called you and was told I had been selected, I was surprised, and excited, and felt very fortunate to be the winner. The ride in the P-51 will be remembered and treasured forever!” Kevin said. Dr. Kendall Wagner has agreed to donate another ride in 2017. Stay tuned for more information, and make sure to visit our website to learn more about Kevin and his experience, amafoundation.modelaircraft.org.     [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OXGNvIaocM[/embed]

Coachella Valley Radio Control Club enjoyed their weekend hosting an annual War Birds Fun Fly benefiting Wounded Warrior Project and Rebuilding American Warriors.  The event had more than 30 pilots flying model military airplanes from World War I and II. Coachella Valley Radio Control Club has remained a Gold Leader Club for consecutively 12 years. They allow anyone at any age  to join their club if they wish to fly planes and are passionate for the hobby. “This is just one of those thousand points of light for people to enjoy that helps others at the same time. We are so proud of our facility and the fact that it was built with no public money” said club President, Dan Metz. The AMA Foundation admires the non profit club for working to make a difference in the community and sharing their love of model aviation to all. To view the full story, view here.  

High school graduates Connor Barnes and Tyler McCormack might have different career goals in mind, but the one thing they have in common is that they’re passionate about aeromodeling. [caption id="attachment_3361" align="alignright" width="300"] Tyler McCormack (left) and Connor Barnes (right)[/caption] Connor of Mooresville, North Carolina, began flying RC Giant Scale aircraft when he was 11 years old, and Tyler, Sandown, New Hampshire, began when he was 10. Both attended the RC Scale Aerobatics Nats this year. Connor was judging and Tyler was competing in the event. They seemed to be having fun at the event, held at the International Aeromodeling Center, Muncie, Indiana. Connor and Tyler said that they plan to continue flying. Tyler plans to fly model aircraft at night, but Connor hopes to fly something much larger while studying commercial aviation and unmanned aircraft systems at University of North Dakota. Tyler’s scholarship of $9,500 is helping pay for his education at Northern Essex Community College, where he is studying computer sciences and information technology. After graduation, he hopes to get a job in that field. “It’s gonna help out a lot the first two years,” he said of the scholarship money. Some of Tyler’s aeromodeling friends told him about the AMA scholarship program and he decided to apply. “I was fairly surprised about the amount. I was shocked,” he commented. It was clear that Connor also felt fortunate to receive an AMA scholarship. “It means a lot being [selected]. I know I have the support of AMA and it shows that they really care about the future,” he said. “It’s very nice of [AMA]. An aviation career is really expensive. It’s not the tuition but it’s the flight costs. For a year it’s about $20,000 on top of the tuition.” Connor, who received a $2,000 scholarship,  had some advice for other prospective college students who are considering applying for an AMA scholarship. “It never hurts to apply for them. It’s always worth a shot because you never know how many will apply.” On the subject of applying, high school seniors can now apply for 2017 AMA scholarships. The link to the scholarship application is available at amaflightschool.org/ama-scholarships and applications are due by February 1, 2017.

If it weren’t for Bob Underwood’s hard work and dedication—and the help of other members of the AMA Scholarship Committee—AMA might not be celebrating awarding a total of $1 million in scholarships. Bob, a chairman and member of the AMA Scholarship Committee for approximately 35 years, was instrumental in the scholarship program’s success. He was thrilled when he found out that the program had reached this milestone. “I felt very happy about that. That was very nice,” Bob stated. “In those early years [of the program], we were giving away a total of $2,000, or $3,000, or $4,000 a year. “The fact that it did eventually reach that sum is great. I am so pleased to see us hit that $1 million number!” According to Bob, the late Cliff Telford established the AMA Scholarship Committee in approximately 1970, and Bob joined the committee in 1973. The committee members spent countless hours setting up criteria and guidelines by which the scholarship candidates could be evaluated. [caption id="attachment_3351" align="alignleft" width="300"] Bob Underwood (right) and Jeff Troy (left) at AMA's 75th anniversary celebration in 2011.[/caption] In the early days of the scholarship program, it was funded purely by donations and later by setting aside 15¢ of dues collected from each Open paid member. That figure was later increased to 30¢ per paid Open member, according to Bob. Today, the program is funded through donations, member dues, and endowments. Gordon Schimmel, who became the chairman of the AMA Scholarship Committee after Bob retired, had some nice things to say about him. “Bob was not the only person to recognize that the strength of model aviation was in the educational growth of future generations, but he was (and is) an outstanding example of AMA members who walk their talk through decades of service to the organization. His dedication and support of the scholarship program, as well as other committee work over the years, was fundamental in helping the Academy become what it is today—a highly respected leader in the field of aerospace education.” Gordon added that while serving on the committee, Bob was also “serving in numerous other capacities for the AMA, including stepping in as interim executive director at a critical time when the Academy was being relocated from Reston, Virginia, to Muncie, [Indiana].” Bob retired from the scholarship committee in roughly 2009. In addition to serving as interim executive director for AMA, Bob has held leadership roles in two clubs, created an annual model air show to raise money for the Missouri Park Board Scholarship Fund, served on the Radio Control Contest Board, was elected District VI vice president in 1983, and was inducted into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997. He currently serves as an Associate Vice President for District VI, is a voting member of the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame Committee, and is a member of the FAI Executive Committee.

Gateway RC Club held its annual fundraiser for USMC Toys for Tots in Jacksonville Florida. Despite the destruction of shelter from Hurricane Matthew, the event was able to donate $682.93, toys and 24 bicycles. The event came together with more than 30 flyers. Guests entry fee was an unwrapped toy worth $10 and a bicycle if they had an extra one. The club has been known for working hard in the past to donate more bikes than any other organization. For more information about the Gateway RC Club, view here. The AMA Foundation thanks the Gateway RC Club for bringing people together to support a meaningful cause.