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The Beresford Aera Radio Flyers recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $75. This club is located in Alcester, SD. In February 2018, the club donated $250 to the Beresford Rural Office of Community Services, Inc. The ROCS Transit program operates a fleet of transportation vehicles in Beresford and several South Dakota communities. The program is designed to provide an affordable, accessible option for many communities to meet their transportation needs. The Beresford Aera Radio Flyers club includes members from the local area and surrounding towns and has been part of the area community for 29 years. The club builds and flies model aircraft at their field located west of the Beresford Gun Club. Club meetings are held at 2 p.m. on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Some members are experienced drone and rotorcraft pilots. The club also presents programs to local schools and community groups. The AMA would like to thank the Beresford Aera Radio Flyers for giving back to their 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 Flying For Good featured February submission is the Erie RC Club. The club is located in Erie, IL. The club hosted the annual Quad Cities Children's Cancer Fly. At the event, there were turbine jets, helicopters, sports planes, biplanes, gliders, planes as big as 60 percent and more. There is always something flying in the air at the event. Eighty pilots registered for the event. At night, spectators can camp in the primitive field and night fly. The event raised almost $6,000 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The AMA Foundation would like to thank the Erie RC Club for their hard work and dedication to raising money for a Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. 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 Flying For Good featured January submission is The Rogue Eagles RC Club. The club is located in Medford, OR. The 39th annual Rogue Eagles Air Show was a two day event that started on Aug. 25, 2017. The club donated 100 percent of the money raised to Asante's Children's Miracle Network. Admission was free for the event but the club asked visitors to consider donating $5.  At the event, there was a raffle for fine-art prints and remote-control aircraft's. Spectators were also able to test fly a remote-control flight simulator aircraft. There were 26 different flight acts that were presented along the club's runway. The club used this event to promote their club and model aviation and give back to the community. The club ended the show with a candy drop for the kids. The club raised $1,242.36 for the Children's Miracle Network. The AMA Foundation would like to thank the Rogue Eagles RC Club for their hard work and dedication to raising money for a good charity. The AMA wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.

Visit the National Model Aviation throughout the month of February to learn more about the history of African Americans in aviation and celebrate Black History Month. The museum will host “Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight”—a Smithsonian traveling exhibition—to honor the history of African Americans in flight, as well as a speaker series on February 10, 2018. The exhibition will open at the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Ind., on February 1, 2018, and will be on view through the month of February in honor of Black History Month. The Wright brothers signaled the arrival of the new air age with their historic flight in 1903, they sparked America’s new fascination with and exploration of flight. And while many African Americans were enthusiastic about flight, they still faced racial discrimination and were denied access to formal training as pilots and mechanics. The Smithsonian traveling exhibition “Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight” chronicles the powerful group of aviation proponents who challenged these obstacles and created their own legacy in the world of flight. “Black Wings” will open at the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Ind., on February 1, 2018, and will be on view through the month of February in honor of Black History Month. Developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, the exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the MetLife Foundation. On February 10, 2018, the National Model Aviation Museum will host a special speaker series featuring members of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) who will be sharing their experiences in the aviation industry. Returning panelists include Captain Albert Glenn (OBAP) and John Graham (FedEx), and joining them will be A.C. Glenn (F3A Team USA). The discussion will begin at 1 p.m. inside the gallery of the National Model Aviation Museum. Admission to the panel discussion and the museum will be free of charge for members of the community. This event is presented in partnership with the YWCA of Muncie and the Muncie Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo, Inc. This exhibition chronicles some of the most important black figures from the past and present who helped make the dream of careers in flight and space exploration possible, including Bessie Coleman, a young African American woman who desired to fly but whose race prevented her from doing so in the U.S. To combat this injustice, Coleman went to France to learn to fly. Another important figure, William J. Powell, led an ambitious program to promote aviation by establishing the Bessie Coleman Flying Club and later sponsored the first all-black air show in Los Angeles in the late 1930s. These are people who shaped the lasting legacy African Americans would forever leave on aviation. Divided into six sections, “Black Wings” chronicles the evolution of aviation through the stories of African Americans who dreamed of flight, left their mark and helped pave the way for those who would follow. Figures whose contributions are explored include the Tuskegee Airmen—the first military division of African American pilots who fought in World War II—and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to fly in space. The exhibition is based on the book “Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History” (HarperCollins, 2008) by exhibition curator Von Hardesty of the National Air and Space Museum. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, is a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, and memorializes the national development of aviation and space flight. Learn more online, airandspace.si.edu. SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at sites.si.edu. For more information please visit our Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/1939877386332461/?active_tab=about.  

Dean Palermo (Miami area, Florida) Dean Palermo is a Client Relations and Business Consultant for Palermo, Landsman, and Ross P.A. (full service account service). Palermo takes his extensive experience working with Fortune 500 companies from which he offers consulting services to our client base of entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers, and high net-worth individuals. Dean takes their passion and dreams to the next level. He organizes the firm’s involvement in numerous charities and not-for-profits for our clients and associates in the South Florida community. His involvement with the AMA and AMA foundation include: -2014 Sony open with Rich Hanson, RJ Gritter, Nick Maxwell -2015/16 NBC Today Show/Good Morning America. Matt Lauer, Kerry Saunders. Rescue assist from flood waters Live Show, life jacket to swimmer LifeGuard assist program Live Show, Drone safety in Hotel “Live” -2015/2016/2017 Facilitated several demos and training sessions for UAS for safety, inspection, etc. -2006-17 Vista View RC 501c3 nonprofit Electric only club due to city requirement (236 active members) -2015/16/17 Educational/safety events to the public “boy scout Jamboree” “multi GP Safety Grant given”, and Private Crest” both Nonprofit and for profit -2016 ESPN college Final ESPN Blimp with interactive FPV gear -2006-17 Deans RC Keeps, Wire-Keeps, Battery-Keeps Etc. original distributor for 8 years, Horizon Hobby. From Dean: “A lot of behind the scenes work goes into building a reputation and culture. I have enjoyed every moment helping others get into the hobby as hobby and others build a carrier around what they love. I have been flying Scale RC plans, Gliders, Jets, Helis, quads ect… All aspects of aircraft and truly enjoy it all and have built a club site where they all interact together sharing and enjoying that common bond of the pure enjoyment of RC flight   Francis “Rusty” Kennedy (Poquoson, VA 23662)   Rusty Kennedy is retired. He served in the United States Air Force from 1975-1997. He was the owner and operator of a retail hobby shop from 1997-2007. His involvement with the AMA and AMA foundation include: -AMA member for a few years in the 60s, 1979 - present AMA Member -AMA Leader Member 1983 - present -Life Member L716 -Life Member AMA Museum Patron -Lifetime Contributor AMA Foundation -AMA Distinguished Service Award 2015 -Associate Vice President AMA District IV   Terry Fleener   Terry Fleener is the Director of the National Rugby Foundation. His long and noteworthy involvement with the sport of rugby began in 1963 when he was a Founding Member and player for the Quad-City Rugby Football Club in Davenport, Iowa. In 1967 he served in his first of numerous administrative positions as he served on the Board of the Midwest Rugby football Union.   In 1975, Mr. Fleener was a Founding Member of the Board of Directors of the Western Rugby Union. That same year, he was also elected to the first ever Board of Directors of the Western Rugby Union. He remained a USARFU Board Member until 1999 serving among other positions as Treasurer from 1983-87 and President from 1987-89. He was also the first president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Pan American Rugby Association from 1992-2001. From 1996-2001 Mr. Fleener served as USA Rugby Director of the Pacific Rim Rugby Championship and was Chairman, Board of Directors, of the Pacific Rim Rugby Championship, Inc. from 1998-2001. In 2004, Terry joined the Board of Directors of the United States Rugby Foundation, a position he continues to hold today. Terry also continues to serve as a Trustee of the Green and White Rugby Trust, the non-profit arm of the Denver Barbarians Rugby Football Club. And he’s also been to every Rugby World Cup as a spectator.   Mr. Fleener recently retired as Director of Marketing for Ball Aerospace, a company in Colorado developing products for the civilian and military Space Programs. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from the University of Iowa, and a Masters in Business Administration from Denver University. He has been married to Jane since 1969 and they have two sons, Clint and Clay, and two granddaughters. He is an AMA member and a multi-rotor pilot.   Paul Frankum (Atlanta, GA)   Paul Frankum is transitioning into a position in Atlanta at the corporate office to serve as lead for one-third of global business ($1 billion annual revenue) for Flower’s Foods. He has worked with Flowers Foods for 30 years and has served as president of operations for five locations within the company.   His involvement with the AMA and AMA foundation include: -Lifelong modeler in Georgia -Served as AVP for 6+ years -Leader members -Turbine Waiver holders -Contest Director -AMA Foundation Donor  

The Local Area Fun Flyers (LAFF) are located in Bullhead City, AZ. The club was covered in the Mohave Valley Daily News on Dec. 27. The RC club has 30 members and they meet at the Rodney Briscoe Memorial Flying Field at Rotary Park in Arizona. LAFF is actively looking for other RC aircraft enthusiasts in their area to join them in their flight plans. The club is planning a fun fly day in February that will be open to anyone interested in learning about the sport. Andy Murphy, a member of the club, said “This field is a great place to come out to fly. People can come out with us and give it a try before they invest in the sport; if they find they are interested, we can help get them started and give good advice on how to do it as inexpensively as possible.” For more information about LAFF email localareafunflyers@yahoo.com. To read the story from the Mohave Valley Daily News, click here.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers airfield located in Casa Grande, AZ recently installed WeatherLink, a new weather monitoring station. WeatherLink offers real-time information about current weather conditions which include temperatures, rainfall totals, humidity, wind speeds and direction. The data that the station collects can be accessed by anyone interested in the area’s weather conditions. The data collected is available to users on the website WeatherLink.com and on a smartphone application, WeatherLink 2.0. A press release from the Casa Grande RC Flyers club stated that the monitoring station will be used by pilots who fly RC planes and drones at the flying field. It will also be used by police and shooting enthusiasts curious about conditions near the gun range. The city of Casa Grande provided a large flagpole that was installed at the airfield to accommodate the weather station and maintains it. The weather monitoring station is one of many improvements that the club plans to make to their field. The club plans to add sun shades for the pilot tables and another runway to their RC airfield. The AMA would like to congratulate the Casa Grande RC Flyers on their new additions to their field!

The Mid Coast Radio Control Club recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward grant for $75. The club is located in Union, ME. The Mid Coast Radio Control group president, Greg Morse, invited “Village Soup” reporter Louis Bettcher to their airfield. The day was filled with information about the hobby and some flying. The club informed Bettcher on how RC planes are built, what power sources they use, AMA memberships and swap meets. Bettcher said, “Although I was excited to try to fly one of them, I was nervous that I would ruin someone's plane within seconds of handling the controller.” Morse brought Bettcher a trainer plane for him to try out. Bettcher successfully landed the plane with some help from Morse. The Mid Coast Radio Control Club meets mostly in the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays.  The AMA would like to thank the Mid Coast Radio Control Club for inviting reporter Louis Bettcher to hang out at their field for a day. To read more about Bettcher's day, click 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.

Palomar Radio Controlled Flyers club recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $75. This club is located in San Marcos, CA. The club was recently in “The San Diego Union-Tribune” because the club needs a new home. They have been gathering in a big, vacant field in Fallbrook, CA. The property is 90 acres and is a private land owned by a development company. This field was ideal because it is in isolation from residential neighborhoods and retail centers. It allows members to fly without concern for bothering anybody or hitting anybody. The club has existed since the 1950s and has around 200 members today. The field includes a 600-foot-long runway for the club members to use. Steve Gebler, the incoming president of the club told the reporter, “Within a 1.1-mile radius, 1,100 homes are going in and right past that tree line is where Palomar College is building a new campus.” The property is not currently slated for development but club members think that will soon change due to land surveyors and engineers being on the property. Gebler is concerned that in two years people will be complaining and the club will be shut down. Members of the group have been looking for somewhere to relocate but they've had no luck. The leaders of the group have also had unsuccessful talks with government agencies who appear to have little interest in providing a flying area. Steve Gebler asks anyone who might have suggestions for a new location to contact him. For more information about the club, click 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 Hampton Roads Radio Control group hosted the 11th annual Toys for Tots Fly-in on Nov. 4. The event was held at their field in Suffolk, VA. All proceeds from the event went to the Suffolk’s Toys for Tots Program. More than 30 pilots registered for the event. There was a $10 landing fee or a pilot could bring one new, unwrapped toy. There was also a skydiver demo and candy drop at the event. The club event collected three boxes of toys, along with $3,462 worth of cash donations, raffle tickets and food sales. The AMA would like to thank the Hampton Roads Radio Control group for hosting this event and for donating to such a great cause! For more pictures from the event, click here.