AMA Foundation

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.  

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has recently awarded the Sarasota RC Squadron with a $175 Club Recognition and Reward Grant. The Warbirds were featured in Suncoast News Network for their Feel Good Friday Feature. The Sarasota RC Squadron hosted a fly-in benefiting the Sheriff’s Associations. The event was open to anyone interested in the hobby and encouraged attendees to bring a stuffed bear for cops to keep in the back of their car if a child is ever found to be in a bad situation.   Board member, David Speed, said the event was “nothing but radio control warbirds in honor of the veterans that worked on planes from WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War.” The event had a multitude of planes flying such as, real jets, P25’s, P51’s and airplanes ranging from $400 to $10,000. The AMA Foundation would like to thank the Sarasota RC Squadron for their efforts in raising over 40 bears for children. Their dedication to the hobby does not go unnoticed. 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.    

Save the date for FPV Fly-In event on Friday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18, hosted by Ready Made RC. The fly-in will be held at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Proceeds from the event will generously donated to the AMA Foundation. Visit the event page on Facebook to learn more.  

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded the River City Radio Control Club with $175 with a Club Recognition and Reward Grant. The 25 member RC club was featured in a  Vicksburg Living Magazine article. The article featured the River City Radio Control Club member Sam Pitchford, an aviation hobbyist since the  1960’s. Pitchford talked about his love for model aviation and how he got started on the hobby.  “It’s good therapy. When you’re flying you can’t think of anything else but what you’re doing. Your problems disappear. They’re not around when you’re flying that airplane.” said Pitchford. The members of the River City Radio Control Club utilize the Crosswind Air Park. The air park is an old landfill off of 16th Section school property, however, when it closed the club began leasing the field. Now you will find the club out every Sunday afternoon and on some days throughout the week. The members have a wide range of model airplanes from P-51’s to aerobatic craft and home built airplanes costing up to $5,500. One particular member of the AMA, President Phillip Cameron, is currently working on building a model of World War II B-17  bomber. He has previously built a B -17 RC model plane and an electric plane. The Vicksburg Living Magazine discusses how all members of the River City Radio Control Club are members of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Richard Dunaway, the clubs longest member, states “It protects us and the landowners. Our membership is open to anyone as long as they are AMA certified and flies a plane.” The AMA Foundation appreciates the members of the River City Radio Control Club for their membership and dedication in the 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.

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.    

The AMA foundation would like to congratulate the York County Flyers club and Clover High School team, the Soaring Eagles UAS4STEM , for their efforts in raising $2,225 to benefit Hospice and Community Care, an organization that works to improve the quality of life for patients and families, and works to be the compassionate guide for end of life care. The two clubs paired together to host the annual Fallen Eagle Memorial Fly-In Event. The event consisted of electric flying all day, mission demonstrations by the UAS4STEM team, a make-n-take glider contest for children, an afternoon buddy box contest, and FPV pilots on a new 300 yard trail with obstacles and gates. The event included a raffle table with over $2,000 in prizes. The efforts of the two organizations does not go unnoticed and we thank them for working to better our community.

The AMA is currently participating in #GivingTuesday to help us hit our 2016 goal of raising $200,000. What is #GivingTuesday? It’s a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Why should you give? Because model flying is what you love, and we love to help you fly. AMA’s team stands up for members everyday by providing membership services, working with the FAA and in DC, engaging youth and building educational programs using model aviation, building partnerships to enhance the hobby, and much more.  

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Our goal is to raise $2,500 for the AMA Foundation. That’s $278 per hour. Once each team hits their goal they can take a seat, or be left standing for the entire hour. Join in on the fun and make a tax-deductible donation! DONATE NOW

The AMA Foundation has recently awarded the Olympic RC Modelers Club a $125 club Recognition and Reward Grant. The club was featured in Peninsula Daily News for their fundraiser they hosted for Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County. The Olympic RC Modelers paired with the Sequim RC Aeronautics to provide a light up show of hot air balloons, RC planes and helicopters. Attendees had the chance to buy raffle tickets benefiting the Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County. The event also featured West Coast Spin Doctors, Mike and Marilyn Mason. The Mason’s demonstrated wing walking in a 1943 Stearman. Children had the opportunity to take part in paper airplane race, while adults attended a car show. The first 100 people were granted with free wooden planes. 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 learn more about this program.  

When beginning your online holiday shopping don’t forget you can support the AMA Foundation just by shopping on Amazon.  #StartWithaSmile at smile.amazon.com/ch/52-0799408 for your holiday gifts and Amazon donates to Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation.   What is AmazonSmile? AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the AMA Foundation every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the AMA Foundation. How do I shop at AmazonSmile? To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. How do I get started? On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping.  AmazonSmile will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make on smile.amazon.com will result in a donation. Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations? Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile? Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same. How much of my purchase does Amazon donate? The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. Is there any cost to charitable organizations or to customers? No. There is no cost to charitable organizations or to AmazonSmile customers. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate to the charitable organizations selected by customers. Thank you for supporting the AMA Foundation! If you have questions about the AMA Foundation's participation in the AmazonSmile program, please email donations@modelaircraft.org.    #StartWithaSmile at smile.amazon.com/ch/52-0799408 for your holiday gifts and Amazon donates to Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation.

As the new member of the AMA Foundation team, I am experiencing a lot of things for the first time. Recently, I experienced my first donation pick-up. It was in Eaton, Indiana, not far from AMA headquarters in Muncie. Mandee, Tony and I jumped in the truck with the trailer attached and off we went! After a brief detour (we went the wrong way…twice) we made it to the beautiful home of Jeff Irving, son of William (Bill) Irving. Jeff had previously contacted us about donating some of his dad’s collection. He really wanted to make sure that his planes got into the hands of people who shared his love of model aviation, so he reached out to the foundation for help. Jeff greeted us with a smile and warm welcome, showing us into the house to begin collecting some boxes stored inside. As we entered the den, I was in awe of the beautiful planes on display, including a never-flown Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing. Bill clearly loved model airplanes and took pride in the ones he built and owned. Back out in the garage, we began taking down the planes that were being donated.  All of Bill’s planes were in pristine condition, including a J-3 Cub on floats with an 8 foot wingspan. This plane made my jaw drop when I first saw it. It was built by Bill from a kit but as far as Jeff knows, it was never flown. This plane took a bit more work than the others to get down and taken apart to fit in the trailer. Don't worry, I left this task to the professional...Tony. I am a newbie and am still learning so I’m not trusted to do much of anything beyond holding screws! Thank you to Jeff and the rest of Bill's family for their donation from Bill's collection. The foundation received several of his planes which will be for sale soon at different shows and on our impending RC Resale eBay store. Make sure to stay-tuned for more information. Chrystal Pearson Development Communications Coordinator   About Bill Bill was a longtime member of the AMA. He loved building models airplanes even more than he loved flying them. Bill also enjoyed adventures such as hunting, fishing, boating trips, and spending time with his grandchildren. He had a great sense of humor and was very proud of his hole in one at Albany Golf Course. Bill was an avid fan of Ball State Basketball and Football games. [caption id="attachment_3089" align="aligncenter" width="130"] William (Bill) Irving[/caption]