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Wally’s Squadron R/C Flyers club received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $175. The event was located in Summersville, WV. The club hosted their 26th Annual Fly-In Fundraiser event from  August 16-19. The event was filled with many different activities for the spectators. Throughout the weekend, the events included: balloon bust, paintball plane shoot, Warbird fly in, tail dunk, limbo, radial engine fly, ugly plane contest, fireworks, late night demo and a lighted balloon bust. The event also had on-site camping. The club raffled off prizes including infant to 14 year old bikes and an outdoor family fun package. The club also had many different sponsors including the Hampton Inn, Desert Aircraft, Lockards Inc., and many more. To watch the coverage from the event, click here. The AMA would like to thank Wally’s Squadron R/C Flyers Club for hosting their fundraiser every year and inviting the community. 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 Sequin RC Aeronauts Club and the Olympic RC Modelers received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward. The Sequin RC Aeronauts received $75. The Olympic RC Modelers received $125. The clubs are both located in Washington.  The clubs hosted their 7th annual Fun Fly-in Fundraiser for Hospice on August 26-27. The event is a family-oriented event that includes demonstration flights, static displays of aircraft and raffle drawings for prizes. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it was five dollars per car load. All AMA Pilots were welcomed with a $10 donation landing fee. The activities at the event included Balloon rides, remote controlled plane demonstrations and a “Wings and Wheels” car show. Each year, one hundred percent of the proceeds go to volunteer Hospice of Clallam County. The mission of the Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County is to provide free around-the-clock registered nursing availability to terminally ill patients. At the end of the event, the clubs donated $4,174 to Hospice. Also, both clubs were featured in the “Peninsula Daily News”. The AMA would like to thank the Sequin RC Aeronauts Club and the Olympic RC Modelers for partnering together to host a successful event while raising money for a great cause. 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 Airmasters Model Airplane Club (AMAC) recently received and AMA Club recognition award for $150. The club is located in Albany, GA. The club recently got handicap-accessible bathrooms on their field. County leaders spent $40,000 on the bathrooms. Each year, AMAC holds an event to showcase planes on the ground which attracts a couple hundred residents. The club also shares their field with 4-H. "They were real nice to us. When they gave us this field here. It wasn't in this shape. We did the best we can with it. And then Lee County came out and helped us level it off and get it ready," said Samuel Williams, AMAC Treasurer. AMAC members welcome any residents interested in learning to fly model to come out on Saturdays and Sundays. The AMA would like to congratulate AMAC for the new addition to their field. The AMA would also like to thank the club for hosting events and including the public in these events. 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 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 Lima Area Radio Kontrol Society (L.A.R.K.S) received an AMA club recognition reward for $175. The club held their 19th Annual Big Bird Fly-In on July, 22 which was their last event of the summer. The event was free to the public which allowed the opportunity for the public to get an up close and personal look at the hobby of RC flying. The fly-in included a combination of local and regional pilots that performed straight-winged, bi-planes, jets, quad-copters and helicopters throughout the event. The event was covered in the local newspaper, “Lima News”. It was also featured on the TV station WLIO Lima 35 ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC. The AMA would like to thank the Lima Area Radio Kontrol Society for hosting their event for 19 years and always making it successful. 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.

On June 16 & 17, RC Resale hosted a swap meet at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC). Hundreds of donated items were for sale, with all proceeds benefiting the AMA Foundation and the programs it supports. It was a fun two days of selling planes, meeting members, and hearing all the reasons why they shouldn't take any more planes home. I lost count of the amount of times I heard 'my wife won't let me in the house with these' or 'I'll have to sneak this in when my wife isn't home'. But we all know, you can never have too many planes! We sold many items with the help of our co-worker, Tony Stillman, and hope to have another swap meet at the IACwhen the weather gets a little cooler.  Over $3,000 was raised that weekend, but Mandee and I will remember this event as a success just for the amount of members we got to know. [gallery columns="2" ids="3870,3883,3881,3882"] Thank you to everyone that came out to help set up, tear down, and shop the swap meet! Chrystal Pearson Development Communications Coordinator AMA Foundation  

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.

The Desert Eagles Flying Club located in Idaho Falls, ID, recently received an AMA Club Recognition Award for $175. On June 24, the club hosted their annual Open House. This year, the club decided to make the event a fundraiser for the Idaho Food Bank. Spectators were given the chance to shoot paintball guns at moving model airplanes. For $2, a person was able to take ten shots. Every dollar that was raised was donated to the food bank. Several donors helped with the event. Gary Oswald G&H Paintball let the club use paintball guns and donated the paintballs and the local HobbyTownUSA donated $100 toward a $250 gift certificate that was raffled off. Members of the club also donated fuel and SPADs that were used as the moving targets. While the paintball was going on, there were other activities happening at the event. The club flew model demonstrations, provided free hot dogs and drinks, and did buddy box introductory flights. The club ended up raising $923.80 for the Idaho Food Bank. The AMA would like to thank the Desert Eagles Flying Club for hosting a fundraiser event and making it so successful. 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.