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The Casa Grande RC Flyers visited Palo Verde Elementary School to give lessons about the principles of aviation. Alan Friedman, club president; Nancy Friedman, club treasurer; and Ronald St. Pierre, club vice president, presented the program, “Drone - Summer of STEM” that was geared towards students. They answered the students questions about flight and model aircraft safety. The presenters asked the class how many students owned drones and found out that many students raised their hands. The club also covered the rules for the safe use of drones. The presenters covered a range of topics including all drone safety flight rules as well as lithium ion battery safety procedures to prevent the batteries from exploding. The vice president, Ronald St. Pierre, also flew a drone and a 3-D fixed wing aircraft for the students. The AMA would like to thank the Casa Grande RC Flyers for teaching students about model aviation.  

The number of women joining the Casa Grande RC Flyers is increasing. When the club was created several years ago, it consisted mainly of men. In 2017, one women joined and in the recent months, an additional six women joined. Nancy Friedman took up flying RC aircraft from her husband, Alan. Alan is the club president and associate vice president of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Alan encouraged her to give RC flying a try using a flight simulator in their home. From there, she decided to take lessons to better understand the hobby. After a few lessons, she had mastered the controls and moved on to a model plane that requires more skill and experience. The Casa Grande RC Flyers is an AMA sanctioned club and an Arizona nonprofit organization. The club was awarded the AMA’s highest honor by being named a “Gold Level Leader Club” for its community service and field facilities. The AMA would like to congratulate the Casa Grande RC Flyers for getting women into the hobby.  

The Flying For Good featured May submission is the North Country Flying Tigers Model Airplane Club, Inc. The club is located in Hudson Falls, NY. The club hosts an annual fun-fly in August that is open to the public. The club actively raises money for Make-A-Wish Northeastern NY which is a service for eligible wish kids and their families that works to grant children their heartfelt wish. For the 9th Annual Fun Fly in 2017, the club raised $2,000 for Make-A-Wish Northeastern NY. The North Country Flying Tigers Model Airplane Club will host the 10th Annual Fun-fly Airshow from 9 a.m. to dark on Sat., Aug. 11. This event also serves as the clubs celebration of National Model Aviation Day.   The AMA would like to thank the The North Country Flying Tigers Model Airplane Club for including the public in their fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Northeastern NY. The AMA wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.

The Hot Springs RC Flying Club recently hosted an event directed towards children. The club is located in Hot Springs National Park, AR. On May 10 the Hot Springs Radio Control club hosted 200 first graders from the Lake Hamilton School District. The children learned about basics of flight and were entertained by club members who flew model airplanes, drones and helicopters. At the conclusion of the event, a large model plane flew over the field and dropped candy for the children. To check out pictures from the event, click here. The AMA would like to thank the Hot Springs RC Flying Club for hosting an event to educate the future of model aviation.

The North Georgia Model Aviators recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $50. This club is located in Dawsonville, Georgia. The club recently found a new 40-acre flying field. The club broke ground in September 2017 and has been open to its members for three months. The field opened for its first public event March 22-24.The event was open to all RC aviators across the country in its first aerobatic fun fly event sponsored by RC plane manufacturer Extreme Flight RC located in cumming, GA. Currently, the field consists of a 550 foot runway and a newly constructed covered pavilion with stations for aviators to work on their planes. They also plan to add another 200 ft to the runway, run power to the pavilion and set up a weather station and camera system. The club has many sponsors who support the development of their flying field. The sponsors include Extreme Flight sponsored by Jase Dussia and John and James Geirrein. The club saw approximately 60 model planes take flight at their event. The event also included a raffle and barbecue with all proceeds going towards helping the nonprofit club. The clubs goal is to have the field open for other neighboring clubs to use since many clubs have closed in 2017. The North Georgia Model Aviators club is located at 323 Geirrein Road in Dawsonville, GA. 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.

RC Resale is going on the road to Horizon AeroTow at Piatt County Airport, just outside of Monticello, Illinois. The event will be Jun 14, 8:00 AM – Jun 17, 7:00 PM. RC Resale will take their collection of impressive large model sail plans all in good condition on June 15 & 16. These models were donated to the AMA Foundation by the family of Donald W. (Bill) Carnes of Florida. Bill passed way in March 2017 at the age of 84. Bill was a long time member of the AMA and participant in his local model aircraft club in Naples, Florida. Planes in the collection: Minimoa with 4.87 meter span size. (Asking $1750.00) Reiher III with 4.3 meter span size. (Asking $2000.00) Bowlus with 3 meter span size. (Asking $600) Bowers Fly Baby in Army scheme with motor and 3.8 meter span size (Asking $2,500) Spalinger with 4.2 meter span size (Asking $1,000) Nemere II with 3.7 meter wingspan size (asking $800)   [gallery ids="4419,4420,4415,4414,4396,4395,4393,4392,4391,4390,4388,4386"] The AMA Foundation team would like to thank the Carnes family, Tony Stillman, Steve Pasierb, Andy Griffith, Ian Noble, Len Buffinton, and everyone else who has helped us with this collection.

The Flying For Good featured April submission is The Palm Beach Radio Control Association. The club is located in Delray Beach, FL. The club held a Fun-Fly fundraiser to benefit Hepzibah House, a local nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping victims of human trafficking. The Palm Beach Radio Control Association previously invited the Hepzibah House to come out and fly radio control with their instructor pilots which prompted the club to hold a fundraiser to bring awareness for mission of the nonprofit. The event was a fun-fly. There was a landing fee along with the option to purchase raffle tickets for prizes. The club also had Bobby G's 'Joe Snow' food truck at the event. The club raised $3,000 for Hepzibah House. The AMA would like to thank The Palm Beach Radio Control Association for raising money and bringing awareness to the community about the Hepzibah House. The AMA wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.  

The Casa Grande RC Flyers will begin raising money for the Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona next winter. The clubs board recently decided to add the Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona to their list of charities to give back to. Currently, the club raises money for Casa Grande Food Bank and Valley Humane Society. The club’s events are free to the public and act as fundraisers for these local charities. The club has several events throughout the year. On Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, the club will hold its first annual Fly-In and club swap meet to benefit Hospice Charitable Fund. In addition, they will hold their sixth annual National Model Aviation Day celebration and swap meet on Saturday, Dec. 8 to benefit the Casa Grande Food Bank.  On Saturday, March 9, 2019, the club will hold its sixth annual Air Show and swap meet to benefit the Valley Humane Society. The club hosts their events at their award-winning flying field on Isom Road across from the public shooting range. The events start at 9 a.m. and conclude at 1 p.m. To learn more about the Casa Grande RC Flyers and their events, click here.

The Flying For Good featured March submission is The Lancaster County RC Club. The club is located in Lancaster, PA. The club hosts a Charity Air Show and has a “Neighbor Thank You” program to give back. The club also gives flight demos and speeches at their local airport, churches, lions club, retirement communities and high schools. Each year, the club invites the public to their field for their annual Charity Air Show. The club raises money for Path, a local organization devoted to supporting those in need in their community through education and financial help. The club raises around $2,000 during their event. During the event, the top RC pilots and instructors in their club educate and entertain the public. With a donation, the public is allowed to try piloting an RC plane with the aid of two instructors and a buddy box system. There is a paintball shooting contest that is monitored by a certified marksman, safety officer and experienced pilot. Planes are put up for static display and there is a candy drop at the event. The club also has a flight simulator that they set up in their clubhouse for the public to try. The Neighbor Thank You program was implemented by the club to thank the surrounding neighbors of their flying field. It started because many times the club members would need to retrieve items from the farmer’s fields. Each year around Thanksgiving, they give their neighbors a gift card to say thank you for being a good neighbor. The club gives approximately $600 each year in gift cards. In addition, if a club member loses an aircraft in a farmer’s field, they give a $100 reward if they find it, along with an apology and a thank you. The AMA Foundation would like to thank the Lancaster County RC Club for their dedication to their community and their ability to give back to others. The AMA wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.  

The York County Flyers recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $75. The club is located in York, SC. The club hosts their “Fallen Eagle Memorial Fly In” which is an annual fundraising event for Hospice. The club has been putting on the event since 2007. Since then, the event has raised about $12,000 for Rock Hill-based Hospice and Community Care. The club has simulators, drone ride-alongs and homemade planes for kids to get the community involved in the hobby. Raising money for Hospice is important to the York County Flyers because they have seen their club members rely on Hospice. Their fly-in honors members they have lost throughout the years. One of the clubs goals is to get more teens involved in RC flying. The AMA would like to thank the York County Flyers for raising money for Hospice and giving back to 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.