Foundation News

The North Country Flying Tigers located in Saratoga Springs, NY, received an AMA club recognition reward for $175. Bob Lippman, President of the North Country Flying Tigers, was featured on Look TV to promote their 9th Annual Fun Fly Air Show. The event was held on July 9. Each year, the club holds a fundraiser for a charity. This year, the club had a silent auction and all the proceeds went to the Make a Wish Foundation. To watch the video with Bob Lippman, click here. The AMA would like to thank the North Country Flying Tigers for raising money for a charity each year at their Annual Fun Fly Air Show. 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 Minot Aircraft Modelers located in Minot, ND received an AMA Club Recognition Reward of $125. The club currently has 32 members and is growing quickly. Members of the club have various types of aircraft including planes, helicopters and quad-copter drones. On Aug. 5, the club hosted their International Fun Fly and had 49 participants. Anthony Martinez, a member of the club, used his drone to take still photos and videos of the activities during the local group’s International Fun Fly. To watch the video from the event, click here. The Minot Aircraft Modelers hold different events throughout the year. The club normally holds an annual event at the Dakota Square Mall and holds an open house in the spring at their flying field. They invite the public to their flying field where they put on a show and teach about model aircraft. The AMA would like to thank the Minot Aircraft Modelers for holding different events throughout the year to show the public about the hobby. 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 Cedar Rapids Skyhawks received an AMA Club Recognition Reward of $175. The club is located in Marion, IA. On July 22, the club hosted their 15th annual Warbirds Over Iowa event which was a warbird fly-in. The event had free admission but donations were accepted. The donations went to the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight. The event was covered through a local radio channel as part of a program they call "Z cause." Prior to the event, there were multiple radio ads. The club also got TV coverage from a program called "Show You Care" at KCRG TV9.  ] The AMA would like to congratulate the Cedar Rapids Skyhawks on a successful event. Also, the AMA would like to thank this club for raising money to benefit a community organization. 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.

Robert O’Connor was born on May 24, 1929. As a kid in the 40's, Robert built model airplanes and played stick ball. As with other families, his parents decided to move from the Bronx to the suburbs, to a little town called Mahopac, New York.   Robert’s love of flight followed him. He got the opportunity as a young adult to get flying lessons in a Piper Cub for helping out at the local airstrip. When he got married to his wife, Diane, they decided that his feet should stay on the ground. After Robert married, he decided to get into RC planes. He would come home after work to build a Top Dog, Falcon or one of the many others. On the weekends, Robert would always fly his planes. Sometimes in triumph and sometimes in disaster. At this time his friends nicknamed him "Crash n Burn". He loved it. Roberts son, Michael O’Connor, can still remember him running to catch up with a plane when Robert lost the signal. The planes they flew together had an actuator system in them that wasn't reliable. Mike remembers the days that him and his dad, Robert, would be searching for a plane or climbing a tree to get it down. Robert eventually included his son, Michael, in his hobby. He started Mike out on simple and stable models. Mike had a hard time landing the planes. He would get nervous and turn the wrong way which made the plane cartwheel into the ground. Robert worked with his son to teach him landing skills and rebuilding skills. Robert was a loving father. Michael's dad brought RC flying all together for him through the plans, pins, glue, sandpaper, hopes, dreams and fun. Robert O’Connor passed away on July 10, 2009. Michael donated an AMA Walk of Fame brick in his father's memory and honor. The brick was placed at AMA headquarters in Muncie, IN. Robert O’Connor will be sorely missed by family, friends and members of the model aviation community. Visit the AMA Foundation website or click here to learn more about the AMA Walk of Fame program.