Stories

AMA youth member, Trey Hackman,  was selected as one of the 25 student ambassadors for the Back to Space program. Hackman is from Brownstown, Ind. The student ambassador competition was open to U.S. citizens enrolled in grades 8 through 12 and included students from all over the country. The Back to Space program allows student ambassadors to meet astronauts and discuss how to bring STEM into popular culture. Back to Space LLC was founded by Danielle Roosa, the granddaughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa. The program's objectives are to preserve the legacy of the Apollo astronauts by focusing Americans on the 50th anniversary of Apollo; prepare and inspire high school-age students to focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Apollo history and the future of spaceflight; and propel the United States to commit to finding a pathway to STEM education. The applicants were able to submit either an essay or video on one of four topics. Hackman chose to do a 3-minute video on the historical significance of the Apollo program. The winners of the program were invited to a gala event hosted by Back to Space on Oct. 19 at Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas. Hackman attended the gala with his parents. Hackman has been involved in model airplanes for around seven years. He believes that building model airplanes is a great hobby for the younger generation. Efficiency and endurance are what captivated Trey to the hobby. Last summer, Hackman worked at an egg farm to save up money to attend one day at Flite Fest. Trey is excited for the ambassador program because he will have the chance to meet some extraordinary people. Trey Hackman is the youngest member of the Southern Indiana Flying Eagles. By joining the club, he was able to meet people that shared his passion for aviation. Trey also enjoyed being able to connect with people outside of his age range. After high school, Trey plans to attend Purdue University.

The Sedalia RC Flyers were selected as a 2018 Site Improvement Grant recipient. The club was able to add 400' of 1.5" underground conduit, 425' of 2-2-4 wire, a 100' power panel and multiple outlets to their building at the club flying field. Ten club members donated their time and energy to help install the additions to the field this fall. After 27 years of flying at the club field, the club finally has power to their site.

The Douglas County R/C Flyers acquired access to Kingery Ranch in Yoncalla, Oregon in May 2018 to develop a flying site. The area provided a great overfly space and level ground for a runway, however, a problem was found with the soil conditions. When the clay like soil dried out, it left large cracks in the surface and was capable of consuming the landing gear of any size aircraft.  In September 2018, the Douglas County R/C Flyers received an AMA flying site grant of $610.43. With the combination of the grant, member donations and club funds, the club was able to form a work party and install a geotextile fabric runway. The completed runway is 47 feet wide and 420 feet long.

Congratulations to Mike Rowe (Lancaster, PA), winner of this year’s AMA Foundation for the Future Sweepstakes. Mike has won a ride in a P-51 Mustang during AMA Expo West in Pomona, CA.

Mike is excited about this opportunity. "This is awesome," he said. "I'm very excited! Since I was a boy, I've imagined how cool it would be to fly in a P-51 or a Corsair. Thanks AMA!"

Mike started building drones about six years ago as something to keep him busy during the winter. About two years ago, he got into airplanes. He enjoys building them and he is gradually getting better at flying. He recently renewed his membership with AMA for his second year. As he started out with drones, his main focus is on RC airplanes right now.

Mike is a Property Manager for his family business of Mobile Home Parks and Self Storage. Even though the hobby doesn't directly impact his job, he occasionally looks for an excuse to get out of work and go flying.

Again, congratulations to Mike!

The Wintonbury Flying Club recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $75. The club is located in Wethersfield, CT. The club had a Seabury Resident appreciation day at their flying field in Bloomfield on Aug. 5. The clubs flying field is located to the rear of the Seabury Retirement community and both groups share the use of the field for flying and enjoying the walking paths that surround the field. The AMA would like to thank the Wintonbury Flying Club for hosting an event to appreciate their neighbors. 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.

The Rowlett RC Club hosted a successful event for their local Cub Scout Pack 1020. The event was hosted at the clubs flying field at Springfield P ark in Rowlett, TX. Last year, the event was rained out. This year, approximately 30 kids came to the event. The club members helped the kids with flight instruction, simulator time, and hands on flying. There was also a raffle and the club gave away a RTF plane. There were also other prizes that were donated by Lone Star RC Dallas. Congratulations on hosting a successful event.

The Blacksheep RC Modelers had their 11th Annual Warbird Fly-in on June 30. The event was hosted at Corsair Field in Danville, IN. The club’s event was open to the public and had a good turn out despite the hot and humid weather. There were many planes including Warbirds from WWI, modern day and giant scale models. There was a bomber gathering, a T-28 gathering and an EDF gathering featuring Motion RC EDF jets. Each registered pilot received a prize that was donated by the event sponsors. The prizes included a DX8E radio, multiple AS3X 6 channel receivers, tee shirts, hats and two micro planes from Horizon Hobby and Spektrum. Each year, a plane wins the title of Director’s Choice, Pilot’s Choice and People’s Choice. This year Director’s Choice was awarded to club member Stephan Woods’ large Balsa USA Fokker DVII. Pilots Choice was awarded to John Lawyer’s phoenix A-26, a rare plane that was nitro powered. People’s Choice was awarded to Bryan Baumer’s Freewing F-4 Phantom. The event also had an open raffle and proceeds went to support the club. The AMA would like to thank the Blacksheep RC Modelers for hosting this event each year. To learn more about the club and their events, click here.

Summertime is busy with visitors at the International Aeromodeling Center. One of the places many stop to see is our Walk of Fame, where hundreds of people are honored by their friends and loved ones. The Walk of Fame is a great way to remember friends, honor loved ones, and be a permanent part of aeromodeling history. The Walk of Fame is growing and becoming more popular each year and is quickly filling up! We just had 64 bricks engraved and are in the process of placing them in the Walk. We also just started a special 'Supporting Clubs' section in the Walk that features clubs who have donated $1000 or more to the AMA Foundation. We are grateful for all the support of the foundation and the programs it supports and are glad to recognize these clubs that go above and beyond! If you are interested in learning more about or would like to purchase a brick in the Walk of Fame, visit our Walk of Fame page here. [gallery columns="4" size="medium" ids="4909,4906,4908,4907"]  

RC Resale has had a busy year selling planes donated to the AMA Foundation to raise funds for our educational programs, but we still have planes left to sell! On June 22, join us for an Open House at the International Aeromodeling Center. We will open up our storage pods so you can get an up-close look at the planes available. The storage pods are located behind the Maintenance area, near site 3. The yellow star on the map below shows where we will be. Stop out and see us on Friday, June 22 from 12pm-2pm.

McAlister's Deli in Muncie, IN will host a fundraiser for the National Model Aviation Museum on June 13th between 3pm and 9:30pm. Stop in and grab a bite to eat and a portion of the proceeds will support the National Model Aviation Museum's Museum in a Box outreach program! McAlister's Deli is located at 600 E. McGalliard Road. Check out their menu online here. Learn more about the National Model Aviation Museum here. Thank you to McAlister's Deli for supporting AMA and the Museum!