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The Mountain Modelaires Club was recently awarded with a Club Recognition and Reward Grant in the amount of $150 after being featured on Wellsboro Home Page in both May in June. The May article featured the 5th annual Earth Day that was held at Mill Cove in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. The Mountain Modelaires Club participated in the event by displaying a broad selection of model aircraft with an emphasis on electric flying. The June article featured a video interview of club member, Frank Granelli, promoting an upcoming open fly-in the Modelaires were having at their field. He invited the public to attend and learn to fly using basic trainer aircraft with a dual control system. You can watch the video here. 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. [caption id="attachment_2747" align="alignnone" width="300"] Members of the RC Mountain Modelaires Club at the 5th Annual Earth Day event[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2748" align="alignright" width="300"] Article video[/caption]

The Academy of Model Aeronautics awarded a $50 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to Cajun R/C Club of New Iberia, Louisiana. The club hosted their first Fly-in Invitational in two years under the new leadership of current President, Mitch Folse, who hopes to make the event popular again. There were no prizes or competitions at the fly-in, but club members from all over the state participated. [caption id="attachment_2736" align="alignright" width="300"] Barry Breaux controls his R/C plane as it hovers the ground during the Cajun R/C Club's Fly-In Invitational.[/caption] 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 Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $75 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to Boerne Area Model Society (BAMS). Club members were featured on the front page (below) of the Hill Country Weekly on April 14, 2016. BAMS hosted their 2016 Spring Fun Fly with forty RC model pilots flying in several scheduled events. Spectators at the event enjoyed highly technical aerobatics and candy drops. The club provided inexperienced flyers the opportunity to use simulators and fly with a club member in a Buddy Box. BAMS funded the entire event and donated all proceeds to local charity, SAM'S Kids.     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 Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $50 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to the State College RC Club of Pennsylvania. The club was featured in the Centre Daily Times on March 13, 2016. The story, titled "SpikesFest provides family fun on a rainy day," shares the story of an indoor event in the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility in which the State College RC Club participated. The article explains how popular the club's booth was with the children at the event, especially the model airplane flight simulators. Club Vice President, Elwood Brem, and Secretary, Chris Ivory, were both interviewed for the article. You can read the full story from the Centre Daily Times here. [caption id="attachment_2721" align="alignright" width="285"] Dontae Stafford, 9, flies an airplane simulator at the State College Remote Control Club booth.[/caption] 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.

It’s with great sadness we report the passing of AMA member Charles (Charlie) E. Arden, Jr. of Lindenhurst, Illinois. He died unexpectedly on February 19, 2016, at the age of 83. 

Charlie graduated from Ithaca High School in 1950. He played basketball and he played the baritone horn in the jazz band. From 1953 to 1955, Charlie served during the Korean War in the Army and was trained as a Radio Operator. He served active duty in the 506th Anti-Aircraft Artillery detachment at Fort Clayton in the Panama Canal Zone, held the rank of Specialist 3rd class, received a Good Conduct Medal, and was honorably discharged. He then attended Cornell University (’55) where he received a B.S. in Agriculture Economics and an M.B.A. in Business and Accounting (’60). While at Cornell, he was reacquainted with a former high school classmate, Marilyn Joan Dyce, from Ithaca, Illinois. The two were married in 1957. After receiving his C.P.A. certificate in 1971, Charlie, his wife Marilyn and their three children, moved from New Jersey to Winnetka, Illinois. While working in Chicago, Charlie was a V.P for the Hackett Corporation and later an executive recruiter and regional sales person for SCS Cases. After 22 years, empty-nesters Charlie and Marilyn moved to Lindenhurst, Illinois, where they enjoyed living on Lake Linden. His loving wife, Marilyn, died in 2007. 

Throughout his life, beginning as a child in the 1940s, Charlie enjoyed building and flying tissue and balsa wood free flight and U-control model airplanes. He competed in model aeronautics meets in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, and was a member of the Chicago Aeronuts model airplane club for many years. An avid history buff, Charlie regularly attended meetings of the Illinois Chapter of the 8th Air Force Historical Society. He also enjoyed golf, boating, reading mysteries and historical books, bird watching, live music, crossword puzzles, and baking delicious homemade pies. He was a long-time fan of the Green Bay Packers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

A devoted father, grandfather, and brother, Charlie will be missed by many who loved him dearly. A memorial service is planned in his honor this summer in Ithaca, New York — date to be announced later. For more information, contact the Ness-Sibley Funeral Home in Trumansburg, NY: 1-888-534-5446 or www.ness-sibley.com.

His family asks those who wish to make a memorial contribution in Charlie Arden’s name to kindly consider donating to the Academy of Model Aeronautics Youth Scholarship Fund.

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.

The Phillips family is no stranger to model aviation. W.E. “Phil” Phillips, and wife, Waneva ran a small R/C glider manufacturing company by the name of Phillips Custom Models in the mid-1960s. The couple appeared on the cover of R/C Modeler magazine in July 1969 with a patriotic “Snipe” glider (pictured left). Waneva was named R/C Model Wife of the Year by the same magazine. In the 70s, both were club officers of the Farragut Flyer’s model airplane club in Idaho. This is why Ray, son of Phil, has decided to commemorate his family’s model aviation legacy with a donation to the AMA Walk of Fame. The love of airplanes, whether model aircraft or full scale, has now spanned three generations. Phil was a FAA rated airline transport pilot as is Ray, who flies for United Airlines. The youngest generation, Chris, at age 19, is a FAA rated private pilot. Three bricks honoring three generations of Phillips men will be placed at AMA headquarters in the summer of 2016 (pictured below). [gallery ids="2503,2501,2502"] You’ll notice Ray shares his father’s AMA number. For many years, his number was 19731, his mother’s was 19730 and his dad’s was 19729. Around the time his son, Chris, started flying R/C at the age of eight, Ray requested his father’s number be issued to him. Most recently, Ray and Chris were both club officers of the Mile Hi R/C Flying Club in Aurora, Colorado. If you’re interested in paying tribute to your family’s AMA legacy, consider purchasing a brick in the AMA Walk of Fame.      

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $75 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to the Wolverine Skyhawks of Cedar Springs, Michigan.

The club was featured in The Grand Rapids Press on January 10, 2016. The story, titled “Model aircraft club keeps flying high during the winter,” explains how the Wolverine Skyhawks are able to fly during the winter months. On inclement days, club members take to indoor flight at a sports center. The venue charges a daily fee to use the facility’s indoor soccer fields. Skyhawk club president, Eric Pipenger, says members are happy to “keep their hands on the stick.”

[caption id="attachment_2461" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Wolverine Skyhawks club president, Eric Pipenger[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2462" align="alignright" width="271"] Robert Shaffer, of Grand Rapids, makes a few adjustments before flying his plane.[/caption]

The piece goes on to explore various aspects of model flight and why Wolverine Skyhawk members have stuck with the hobby for years. A notable part of the article is Robert Shaffer of Grand Rapids. He’s new to the hobby and joined other model flight enthusiasts at the young age of 90.

You can find the full story from The Grand Rapids Press here.

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 Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $75 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to the Celina Flying Sportsmen of Ohio. The Celina Flying Sportsmen Radio Control Club hosted its 29th annual swap meet at Celina High School on January 3, 2016. Model aircraft enthusiasts from multiple states attended the swap bringing odds and ends from their attics, garages and workshops. The swap meet received coverage preceding the event in the Celina Daily Standard on December 30, 2015. Additionally, final coverage of the swap was featured on the front page of The Lima News (pictured right). The club’s recent initiative – offering free flight training on Wednesday evenings in the summer – garnered attention in both newspapers. The club also works with the Boy Scouts, teaching them how to operate remote control aircraft. 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 Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $175 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to the Iowa City Aerohawks of Iowa. Local television station KWWL TV contacted the Iowa City Aerohawks to talk about the new FAA registration requirements and their effect on the model aviation community. Club president Rich VeDepo and Roger Schultz both expressed their dissatisfaction with new regulations, noting the 400 feet requirement to be most inhibiting. The story was broadcast on January 9 and the transcript of the broadcast can be found on KWWL’s website. 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.