donation

Ken Cigler, Earl Caton, and Frank Rebec have been building and flying planes together since the 1950s. They belonged to the same RC clubs and have spent over half a century as friends. When Earl passed away, Ken contacted the AMA Foundation about placing a brick in the Walk of Fame in his memory. After receiving the brick certificate in the mail, Ken reached back out to foundation staff to see if it would be possible to add two more bricks in the walk alongside Earl's; one for him and one for their friend, Frank. Ken really wanted to be able to add arrows to his brick so it would be obvious that the three bricks are connected. After much going back and forth, staff was able to get the engravers to put arrows on Ken's brick pointing up at Earl's brick and down at Frank's.   The Walk of Fame is a great way to honor loved ones, showcase your love for the hobby, and to help support AMA. For more information on the Walk of Fame, 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 AMA Foundation is taking RC Resale on the road February 23-25 to set up in the Swap Shop at AMA Expo East in Secaucus, New Jersey. Thanks to a generous donation from Charles Sylvia, we will have over 20 planes for sale.This is the third time Charles has donated planes to the Foundation and the second time we will be selling from his collection at Expo East. Last year we had a great experience in the Swap Shop and sold all of the planes Charles had donated to us that weekend. To read about our experience at AMA Expo East in 2017, click here. More information for AMA Expo East 2018 can be found at https://amaexpo.com. We hope to see you there! All sales through RC Resale benefit the AMA Foundation and the programs it supports.

1. DO-27  w/Rx
2. F6F-Hellcat (EMS) w/Rx
3. C-310 Semi scale w/Rx
4. Mig-17 (EDF) w/Rx
5. SNJ (EMS) w/Rx
6. P-47 foam w/Rx
7. C-185 (EMS) w/Rx & Floats
8. AD-1 (EMS) w/Rx
9. P-39 foam w/Rx
10. T-45 EDF w/Rx
11. P-51 foam w/Rx
12. C-172 foam w/Rx
13. T-28 ParkZone sm Rx & Bat
14. F4F Wildcat ParkZone w/Rx
15. Spitfire foam w/Rx
16. Vision Aire Night w/Rx
17. Carbon Cub SS UMX Rx & 3 Bat
18. Commander twin foam w/Rx
19. Duke B-60 twin foam w/Rx
20. Drone & TX, Rx & Bat -6 blade/GPS
21. TP820CD Charger
22. JR 12 Ch Tx & Rx./ 2 Sat Rx
23. T-34B Mentor kit Top Flite
24. E-Flite Power 90 motor
25. C-310 twin GAS with accessories
26. EMS T-28/Rx & 2 5S/5000 LiPo
27. T-33 1/6 Scale EDF Jet w/rx 3S/4500x3
28. F6F Hellcat foam w/Rx
29. RC 3748 600kv Brushless Motor X 2

  [gallery columns="5" ids="4473,4474,4475,4476,4477"]     [caption id="attachment_4531" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Charles Sylvia with the EMS T-28[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4562" align="aligncenter" width="300"] All the aircraft ready to be picked up.[/caption]

It’s with great sadness we report the passing of AMA member Donald W. (Bill) Carnes of Florida. He passed 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. Bill is the newest member of the AMA Foundation Legacy Society. Thank you to Bill’s family for facilitating the donation of his model airplane collection for RC Resale to benefit the programs funded by the AMA Foundation. Bill Carnes was a master craftsman who loved building and flying model aircraft. Bill’s love for model aircraft started in the early 1940’s. He started with rubber band propelled airplanes and from there he went on to building 1/4 and 1/2 scale models from kits and from scratch. As he got older, his passion turned toward gliders. Bill built many different model gliders over the years. He also received his glider pilot license to fly his own full scale gliders. Bill hoped to someday own a motor glider to not have to rely on a tow plane to get airborne. In 2008, he ordered a motor glider kit from Slovenia. This was transported to the U.S. via ship. Bill learned to use the internet in order to track the kits arrival to Miami because he was so excited. The model was a Sirus by Pipistrel Motor Glider which could take over a year to build. With the help of Bill’s friend Joe Casey, a retired airline pilot, the glider was assembled in a few months. Bill always paid attention to the smallest detail when working on his many projects no matter how big or small. Bills collection of giant scale sailplanes has been donated to the AMA Foundation with the goal of helping raise some funds for AMA programs. These sailplanes were transported from Marco Island, Florida to Muncie, Indiana. Read more about the collection here.

The AMA Foundation is offering all Walk of Fame bricks at a 10% off discount in November in honor of Veteran's Day. Purchasing a brick in the Walk of Fame is a great way to support the AMA while showing your dedication to aeromodeling. It is also a great way to honor a friend in the hobby. You can purchase a brick online here, or you can email or call Chrystal Pearson at (765) 287-1256, ext. 278. To learn more about this program on our Walk of Fame page.

Click here to purchase a Walk of Fame brick online

Brick order form

  Our team kicked off its year-end campaign last week with the launch of the AMA Foundation for the Future Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes is open to anyone older than 18 living in the US. One of our supporters, Dr. Kendall Wagner of California, graciously donated a ride in his P-51 Mustang to help the AMA Foundation raise money for the many programs it supports. Enter one time per week for your greatest chance to win through December 8, 2017. We are also planning another Facebook Live event on #GivingTuesday, November 28, 2017. Visit the AMA Facebook page throughout the day. This year our theme is “there will be pies in the sky.” Several AMA employees have agreed to share what their “slice of the pie” is at AMA and how they contribute to the work. They have also agreed to take a pie in the face if our goals are met. Click here to learn more! As always, you can support the AMA Foundation by shopping on AmazonSmile. When you are starting your holiday shopping this year, shop with AmazonSmile, select the AMA Foundation as your charity, and Amazon contributes a portion back to us. Bricks in the AMA Walk of Fame will be 10% off throughout the entire month of November. AMA bricks are often purchased as gifts, in memory of loved ones, to celebrate an achievement, or just to support our great cause. Remember, donate to the AMA Foundation by December 31, 2017, to ensure that your contribution counts for 2017.

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The Rochester Aero Modeling Society recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward grant for $75. The club is located in Macedon, NY. The club presented a check for $1000 to Macedon Town Ambulance. This donation to the town ambulance was the mark of RAMS exceeding $10,000 in total donations to Macedon organizations since 2006. Each year the club hosts the Model Airplane Show and the Helicopter Jamboree. Each of these events are fundraisers for Macedon organizations. The money will be used to buy equipment and materials to assist the Ambulance Service in providing training and support to the community. The AMA would like to thank the Rochester Aero Modeling Society for raising money for 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 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.

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.

Secaucus, New Jersey was the site of AMA Expo East in February. Many AMA staff members attended to run the show, but this was a special trip for foundation staff as we were going to pick up a donation to take with us to sell in the expo's Swap Shop. This donation came from a good friend of ours, Charles Sylvia. You may remember Mandee’s blog post about her trip with Tony to visit Charles back in October to pick up his first donation to the AMA foundation and now he was donating again! Mandee and I flew into LaGuardia airport and took our first New York City taxi ride into New Jersey. There we picked up our (not as small as we thought it would be) cargo van. We had a Cessna 310 to take to Charles as trade for another plane and then he was donating twelve additional planes to the foundation! Once we had the plane loaded and secured, we were off to New Hampshire. It was already dark and we had a four hour long drive ahead of us. We entered our destination into the GPS and Mandee nervously pulled off in our rented van. We made it to our hotel just after midnight to get a bit of sleep before heading out early to meet Charles. [caption id="attachment_3434" align="alignright" width="150"] Chrystal, Charles, Mandee[/caption] The next morning, we were welcomed into the home of Charles and his wife, Fran, where Charles already had all of the planes lined up and ready to load into the van! Charles is very organized and had a file to go along with each plane so that the new owner would have all the information they could ever need to know about their plane. Charles helped the two of us safely load them in the back of the van and we were also able to visit a bit with them while we were at it. Once we had the planes secured and took a photo documenting the occasion, we were back on the road. [caption id="attachment_3442" align="alignright" width="150"] Mandee driving on the George Washington Bridge[/caption] We thought we had the difficult part behind us, the long drive at night and loading up all the planes…but then we realized that we were going to have to drive back through New York City to get to the Meadowlands Exposition Center. Did I mention that Mandee is terrified of bridges? Well, I learned that about her on this trip. And she learned that there a lot of bridges in New York/New Jersey! As we got closer and closer to the George Washington Bridge, I tried as best as I could to calm Mandee’s nerves about driving a cargo van across it…in very heavy traffic. As you may be able to tell in the photo, she’s a little tense.  But, we made it! Once we pulled into the Expo Center, the relief of making it was so overwhelming to Mandee she had tears in her eyes and I believe she almost kissed the ground. And now, we actually had the hard part behind us! [caption id="attachment_3437" align="alignleft" width="150"] Mandee, Frank, Chrystal[/caption] The next few days were a whirlwind of activity in the Swap Shop. We got to meet so many people including District II AVP, Frank Granelli, who lent us his expertise in our booth.  One of our customers, AMA Member Frank Costello, came to the expo after hearing we were selling a C-47 twin. It had been a long-time dream of Frank’s to own this particular plane. We were excited to help make this dream come true…but not as excited as Frank was to take his plane home! [gallery columns="2" ids="3432,3431"] We had a great time at Expo East and sold all of our planes with the money raised benefiting AMA’s educational/youth programs. The foundation team is so thankful to everyone who made this trip so successful; Charles and Fran, Frank, and all of the members who are giving each plane sold the opportunity to fly again! It was a busy weekend but Mandee and I managed to make it into the city one night for dinner and a show...but don't worry, we left the driving up to a professional! [caption id="attachment_3441" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Mandee and Chrystal on Broadway[/caption]   Chrystal Pearson Development Communications Coordinator AMA Foundation