AMA Foundation

Tony and I are becoming pros when it comes to accepting model airplane collections. As I am sure a large percentage of AMA members know, the models can really add up, and before you know it an entire U-Haul is filled. Our trip to Lee’s Summit was no exception. In fact, this ended up being the largest collection we have ever received. In total, we accepted 98 model airplanes. Months ago Craig Brown contacted the AMA Foundation with information about Wayne Nyberg’s collection. Wayne was a friend and club member who had recently passed. He told me that the collection was massive and that he was sure we would be interested. Thankfully, Randy Cameron, District VI VP was willing to view the collection and take pictures. He also thought it was a collection that we should accept. [caption id="attachment_3022" align="alignright" width="169"] Tony and I love BBQ![/caption] Fast-forward to October, and there we were, again on our way to pick up a collection. We drove all the way to Missouri, reaching our final destination, and stopping by a local BBQ restaurant for dinner. The next morning Craig, Randy, and Randy’s wife Fina were all there to help us out. They were so helpful, and because of everyone’s hard work we finished going through the airplanes and loading them in less than 10 hours. [caption id="attachment_3023" align="alignleft" width="300"] Randy Cameron, District VI VP[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3024" align="alignleft" width="225"] Our 27 ft U-Haul was packed![/caption]         I want to thank Craig, and of course Wayne's wife, Betty, for reaching out to the AMA Foundation about the collection. The proceeds will benefit the AMA Foundation Education Fund, which funds several AMA programs. We had a great time, and I got to learn about some model airplanes I had never seen before. Wayne had a great collection, and we are very excited to offer them for sale in the near future! Below is a sneak peak of some of the airplanes we selected. Thank you to the Madison County R/C Flyers for inviting the AMA Foundation to be part of its 18th annual swap meet. We will be selling some of the airplanes at the show. This year’s event will be held in Elwood, IN on November 26 from 9 am to 1 pm. Admission is only $4.00. You won’t want to miss out on some great deals.   [gallery link="file" ids="3039,3038,3037,3036,3035,3034,3033,3032,3031"] If you are interested in donating your model airplane collection please contact us via email, donations@modelaircraft.org. Mandee Mikulski Director of Development AMA Foundation   About Wayne Wayne H. Nyberg was known for his sense of humor and fun loving nature. His curiosity, inventiveness, and love of science began at an early age. He learned how things worked and how to fix them from his father who was a mechanic. Wayne graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in chemistry and worked as a research chemist contributing to medical, food, and plastics research. Wayne carried his inventiveness and ability to fix things into his hobbies; sailing and radio-controlled airplanes. He taught himself how to make and repair sails for a variety of sailboats and also built and flew radio-controlled airplanes. Wayne and his friends at the 95th Street Flying Group and KCRC Flying Club at Lake Jacomo enjoyed many great flights together. He was known there for his sense of humor and fun-loving nature. Wayne is greatly missed by all who knew him.

Last year I shared the experience Ben Flesher and I had when we attended Wounded Warrior Project’s VIPS Day at their headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. This was still one of the best adventures I have had at AMA. We got to learn so much and we both left knowing that our clubs had made a huge difference for veterans. While we were in one of the training sessions, we learned about WWP’s alumni programs. These are the activities they provide to veterans signed up for services the organization provides. They talked about how the veterans were given opportunities to learn new things, meet new friends, set new goals, etc. When we heard about it, I knew model flying would be the perfect activity for the veterans to learn about. It took some time, but eventually we were put in contact with Emily Gray, who helped us from start to finish to host our first Warrior Day at AMA. Our team welcomed a total of 35 people out to the International Aeromodeling Center to learn as much about model flying as possible in one day. The day started with introductions, including a welcome from Dennis Tyler, the mayor of Muncie, Dave Mathewson, AMA’s executive director, and Tim Jesky, AMA district VII vice president. We split the group up into three smaller groups and assigned a group leader for each. The groups then visited the following stations: 1: Flight simulator and buddy boxing 2: National Model Aviation Museum and hands-on activities 3: FPV racing/demonstrations with Ready Made RC. Most of the success for the day should be accredited to the great folks with the Blacksheep RC Squadron in Danville, Indiana. They came to Muncie for the entire day and really impressed our staff and each person that attended the event. With their help we put on a model airshow and everyone got to try to fly. I would like to personally thank each person that volunteered, and give special credit to Rege Hall for supporting our team by finding the volunteers and the airshow pilots. Another person who deserves a lot of credit is Deven Schei. I met Deven for the first time at the VIPS event last year. Since then, he has attended other AMA events on behalf of WWP. He’s a great speaker, a great friend to AMA, and was a great influence in introducing AMA to the decision makers at WWP. We would also like to recognize the following individuals and companies for their support: Mayor Dennis Tyler, Muncie Fire Department, Lifestream Services Inc., The Haven, Museum of the Soldier, Papa Johns, Pepsi Beverages Co., Readymade RC, Pilots Greg Alderman, Bill Gentry, Parker Hall, Rege E. Hall, Spencer Stevens, Steven Woods, and all volunteers that helped us with buddy boxing. And thank you again to the great Platinum Sponsors of this year’s National Model Aviation Day celebration who assisted us with this partnership: Ready Made RC, Hobbico, Horizon Hobby, and Hobby King Thank you to everyone that participated in this day of giving back to those who served our country!   [caption id="attachment_2998" align="alignnone" width="225"] AMA Foundation staff, Mandee Mikulski & Chrystal Pearson[/caption] Mandee Mikulski Director of Development, AMA Foundation

In the past the Muncy Indoor Flyers of Muncy, PA were well-known for their large indoor flying site. After the dome they used to fly collapsed, the club needed a new place to call home. Lee Eisele, a lifelong farmer and avid modeler, and his wife, Kitty, opened up their field and on-site hobby shop to the club and they became the Muncy Flyers. AMA President, Bob Brown and his wife, JoAnne, visited the club on many occasions over the years. During one of their visits, Bob suggested that the club begin holding events. The club was in agreeance and they began hosting great fun-fly events. As a result of the events, the club started making money and was able to install a fabric runway. The club continued to fly at the field, eventually named The Lee Eisele Memorial R/C Park, until both Lee and Kitty passed away. Although the club wanted to continue to operate, a lack of a flying site led the members to find other sites and clubs. Collectively the members of the Muncy Flyers wanted to give back to AMA for its help throughout the years and honor Lee and Kitty. It was decided to give some to nearby clubs to help them keep flying, and to support the AMA Foundation. They purchased a brick along the Walk of Fame in memory of Lee and Kitty and donated the remaining money to the Foundation. Tony Minnella, who was the latest president of the club said: “The AMA always supported our club. Because of that, we wanted to help support them.” We appreciate this gesture and want to wish each member of the club good luck and happy flying in the future.

[embed]https://youtu.be/A2Ik5ppfs8Y[/embed] Middle and high school students from across the US competed in the UAS4STEM program’s national competition at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. The student teams built their own drones and competed in various flying challenges for the national title. The contest is designed to teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills. The 2016 UAS4STEM Search and Rescue Challenge’s first-place winners are Quad Squad from Shoreview, Minnesota, who were awarded a trophy, medals, and a $2,500 cash prize. The PTC Droners of Georgia took second place and the St. Mary’s CAP Squadron-O89 of Maryland took third place. The Dewey O. Broberg Jr. scholarship was also awarded to one of the competitors during the UAS4STEM national competition. The award recognized a team member who showed dedication, determination, and adherence to the rules and purpose of the competition. Congratulations to Paige Hensley, the recipient of the 2016 Dewey Broberg Jr. Memorial Scholarship. The Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation would like to thank the family of Dewey O. Broberg Jr. for establishing this scholarship, and thank each supporter who has made contributions to the fund. Learn more about the Dewey O. Broberg Jr. scholarship. UAS4STEM was designed by the AMA to encourage teamwork, competition, and success through a STEM-based education platform. The UAS4STEM program provides student teams of four to eight people with training, insurance, licensing, and equipment to compete in search-and-rescue challenges. The program is managed by AMA’s Education department as part of AMA Flight School. Each of the teams that participated in the national competition earned their spot by qualifying at one of the many regional competitions held throughout the country. To help support the UAS4STEM program and similar programs offered by the AMA, visit the AMA Foundation's donation page. Congratulations to Quad Squad for winning the 2016 UAS4STEM Search and Rescue Challenge! View more pictures from the competition on the AMA Flickr page. Details about this year’s event and how to sign up to compete next year are found on the UAS4STEM website, https://www.uas4stem.org/.

Edward C. Sweeney Jr. has been an AMA member since the 1950's. His father instilled in him a passion for model flight at a young age when they would both fly free flight and control line. His father was an aviation attorney as well as a professor at Northwestern University where he published the Journal of Air Law and Commerce. Because of his father’s knowledge and experience, the family moved to Washington D.C. by the invitation of Congress.  He was the principal author of the Aviation Act of 1948 which established the CAA (Civilian Aviation Agency) and again in 1952 which established the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency).

[caption id="attachment_2521" align="alignleft" width="727"] Mandee Mikulski, AMA Director of Development and Edward C. Sweeney Jr.[/caption]

As you can tell, flight was in Sweeney’s blood. He remembers many cross country flights with his father, also a private pilot, from Washington National Airport to Rock Island, Illinois in his Stinson Voyager. Some of the earliest R/C free flight planes Sweeney remembers flying in his youth were Harold De Bolt's Live Wire Trainers and Kitten.

“Back then, it was hard tubes and escapements,” Sweeney said. “The equipment had to be tuned up before every flight. All we had was 27.255 MHz.”

At the University of Colorado, Sweeney bought one of the early Space Control four channel proportional analogue single stick RC systems. It still had hard tubes, but now R/C flying became a real pleasure for Sweeney as the plane followed each stick movement perfectly - no more fly-aways!

Sweeney’s father encouraged him to team up with Bill Winter and acquire and publish American Modeler magazine. Under the new name American Aircraft Modeler, the magazine would include the AMA's Model Aviation supplement. The idea was to broaden AMA's exposure and increase membership.

During his fifteen years with the magazine, Sweeney tested electric flight and experimented with airplane aerodynamics by creating the RC Nobler. It was derived directly from the CL Mobler and featured coupled flaps for enhanced elevator response. He also created an early small RC helicopter by adapting Dave Grey's Whirlybird to a Veco 19 glow motor. Both of these projects were featured in the magazine.

Sweeney also pioneered the new sport of powered hang gliding by adding two 2hp Quadra motors to his Fledgling hang glider. The addition of these two motors greatly expanded the flying experience for the hang glider. The motors got bigger; the hang glider got wheels, and was heavier. Soon, the hang gliders had 10 to 15 horsepower and made rolling take offs. All of these modifications led to the beginning of the Ultralight industry. He was involved in writing the proposed FAA regulations that became Part 103. It’s significant to note the Ultralights were never called airplanes or aircraft, but rather air vehicles. This isolated these air machines from FAA requirements for registration, maintenance, medicals or certification requirements.

Today, Sweeney continues to enjoy all forms of R/C flying. After 40 years of R/C flying, he recognized it was time to diminish his large collection of airplanes, helicopters, etc. and made a donation of about 50 models to the AMA in November 2015. He drove from his home in Colorado, AEROCAR trailer packed with planes. These items from his personal collection will be sold at an upcoming sale at the Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo in Ohio. Sweeney says he has always been a proud supporter of the AMA. He was happy to donate these items (some are pictured below) from his collection to help support the AMA Foundation and the future of this hobby.

The Toledo Show - R/C Model Expo is North America's largest and longest running radio control model expo. This three day event showcases all types of R/C models including planes, cars, and boats. Along with all the exhibitors and Saturday night auction, there is a radio control model competition, speakers, and swap shop. The show begins April 1 and will continue until April 3 at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio.

We hope you’ll join us for the special AMA Foundation sale during the Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo. Along with Edward Sweeney’s collection, the sale will also feature models from the collections of Carl Goldberg, Don Tichenor, and Joseph Elgin. We thank these men and their families for donating the collections to make this sale possible.

It’s always sad when the AMA community loses a dedicated model aircraft enthusiast, but many ensure their interest in flying continues well beyond their passing. Charles E. Klabunde has donated over $16,000 to the AMA Foundation in support of the future of our hobby, the preservation of timeless artifacts, and the fight to protect member’s right to flight. Born October 28, 1931, Charles lived in Niagra Falls, NY and graduated from NFHS, the local high school, in 1949. He would then go on to graduate from the University of Illinois in 1955 with a Master of Science degree in physics. Later working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Charles researched a number of topics, most recently super-conductivity. He retired in 1996. In his retirement, he was a man of many passions, dedicating himself to hiking, folk dancing, photography, and model flight. Charles was an active member of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy leading many hikes along the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies. Friends knew him as Charlie; a consummate advocate for the conservation of natural Tennessee. He was a regular at the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers, sweeping many lucky partners off their feet. He built and flew multiple radio control model planes throughout the course of his life. Charles passed away from cancer earlier this year at the age of 84 in Oak Ridge, TN.  Friends and family will miss a truly dear friend. We are thankful for members like Charles whose passionate commitment to model flight continues to support the AMA Foundation. To learn more about the AMA Foundation and how to donate, visit the Foundation website.

Don Tichenor has been gone for some time, but his passion and love for the hobby continues to fuel AMA’s future. Don was an accomplished professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Tri-State College (now Trine University) in Angola, IN from 1959 to 1993. He met his wife, Dolores, at Tri-State when she was hired to fill his vacant mathematics positions as he moved to mechanical and aerospace engineering. They married two years later. Don was an enthusiastic modeler and control line flier throughout his whole life. He was a member of the AMA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the DeKalb Fliers, and the Steuben Model Aircraft Klub. A few years ago, five of the model airplane kits he collected, but never built, as well as an originally designed and built twin-engine control line model were donated to the AMA Museum. The remaining 47 model airplane kits are being donated to the AMA Foundation with the proceeds to be used for scholarships. Sadly, Don passed away in January of 1993 at his home in Angola. His wife, Dolores, is bringing the remaining kits to the AMA this month.

Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday is #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. We hope you’ll join thousands across the nation in giving to organizations that matter to you. Now in its fourth year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving. Created by 92nd Street Y—a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around the values of service and giving back—#GivingTuesday connects diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving. Do your part today by giving to the AMA. Directly donate here on the AMA Foundation website or use AmazonSmile. Simply visit AmazonSmile and select the Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation as your charity. Then shop away! Amazon will donate 0.5% from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases back to us. Please consider a gift to the AMA Foundation today and throughout the holiday season to help the AMA reach out to the youth who are the future of our hobby, preserve timeless artifacts and memories, and fight to protect your right to fly. Your support for the AMA Foundation today will change lives tomorrow. To learn more about the AMA Foundation visit amafoundation.modelaircraft.org. To learn more about #GivingTuesday visit givingtuesday.org.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TNRJvCgyiM As a supporter of the AMA Foundation we know you are interested in the latest information about the model aviation world. If you haven’t subscribed to AMA’s new video webcast, AMA Air, we encourage you to do so ASAP to make sure you do not miss a single episode. This month's AMA Air highlights include a spotlight on a Texas RC club charity event, a discussion on the history of the Torrey Pines Gliderport, and this month's news including AMA's involvement in a task force to develop the registration process for unmanned aircraft systems. Click here to watch the November edition of AMA Air.

 Azarr, age 70, was an admired and respected member of the RC community. A lifetime member of the AMA, he took great joy in the sport and was a mentor to many. At age 9, he was introduced to RC modeling by his uncle and was hooked.

The Springfield Model Airplane Club has donated $310.00 to the AMA Foundation in honor of its long-time friend and member. The SMAC wants to help further Azarr’s support of the Foundation’s goals and programs which were of importance to him.

Azarr passed away in his home on August 14, 2015 and will be sorely missed by family, friends and members of the model aviation community.