AMA District III's Flying Wing Nutz was awarded a 2025 Take off And Grow (TAG) grant from the AMA Foundation. Club Secretary Mark A. Radcliff provided the following write-up about his club's utilization of grant funding:
Event Overview
The Flying Wing Nutz of St. Marys, West Virginia, AMA #4438, hosted their annual Fun Fly event on Saturday, September 6, 2025. The club had previously been awarded a TAG grant from the Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation, which initially led to the event being scheduled for May. Unfortunately, significant rainfall caused the flooding at the club field, necessitating the rescheduling of the event to September.
Event Participation
The Fun Fly was open to all area clubs and anyone interested in learning to fly a remote control (RC) airplane. Special guests for the event included the Civil Air Patrol Parkersburg, West Virginia, Composite Squadron. The day began with dry weather, though forecasts indicated a high probability of rain as the event continued.
A total of 22 pilots registered for the event, and the club welcomed a new member during the festivities. The Civil Air Patrol was well represented, with eight Cadets in attendance along with their squadron leader.
Activities and Presentations
Club members provided the Civil Air Patrol Cadets with hands-on flying experience using a buddy box system and an Apprentice aircraft. Utilizing funds from the AMA TAG grant, the club purchased a Ready-to-Fly (RTF) HobbyZone AeroScout training package from Horizon Hobby, which included the RTF model and a RealFlight Simulator.
At noon, the Wing Nutz Club surprised the Civil Air Patrol by presenting them with the complete RTF airplane package. This generous gesture was met with excitement and appreciation from the cadets and their squadron leader. The Wing Nutz Club also announced plans to partner with the Civil Air Patrol in the future to support their aeronautical education through activities such as RC airplane and drone flying.
Hospitality and Weather
Attendees were treated to a light lunch provided by the club, featuring hot dogs, salads, chips, desserts, and drinks. After lunch, the weather shifted as a rainy drizzle began and continued intermittently for the rest of the event.
Looking Ahead
Despite the weather challenges, the event was a success. The Flying Wing Nutz Club looks forward to ongoing collaboration with the Civil Air Patrol Cadets in future aeronautical education activities.
Thank you, Mark, for providing this write-up! The AMA Foundation is glad to hear that the TAG funding was put to good use, and we couldn't be more thrilled to learn that the Flying Wing Nutz obtained a new club member!
