events

In the past the Muncy Indoor Flyers of Muncy, PA were well-known for their large indoor flying site. After the dome they used to fly collapsed, the club needed a new place to call home. Lee Eisele, a lifelong farmer and avid modeler, and his wife, Kitty, opened up their field and on-site hobby shop to the club and they became the Muncy Flyers. AMA President, Bob Brown and his wife, JoAnne, visited the club on many occasions over the years. During one of their visits, Bob suggested that the club begin holding events. The club was in agreeance and they began hosting great fun-fly events. As a result of the events, the club started making money and was able to install a fabric runway. The club continued to fly at the field, eventually named The Lee Eisele Memorial R/C Park, until both Lee and Kitty passed away. Although the club wanted to continue to operate, a lack of a flying site led the members to find other sites and clubs. Collectively the members of the Muncy Flyers wanted to give back to AMA for its help throughout the years and honor Lee and Kitty. It was decided to give some to nearby clubs to help them keep flying, and to support the AMA Foundation. They purchased a brick along the Walk of Fame in memory of Lee and Kitty and donated the remaining money to the Foundation. Tony Minnella, who was the latest president of the club said: “The AMA always supported our club. Because of that, we wanted to help support them.” We appreciate this gesture and want to wish each member of the club good luck and happy flying in the future.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently awarded the Fort Wayne Flying Circuits with a $150 Club Recognition and Reward grant. The club was featured in KPC News and The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette for two separate events they recently held. The KPC News featured an article about the club's participation in the community's seventh annual Balloons Aloft event on July 5, 2016. The event included many different activities including dancing, classic cars, face painting,  a 1-mile family walk, and of course, R/C aircraft. The club was participating for the first time in the event and members were excited to put on a good show for the community. To read the full article, visit KPC News. [caption id="attachment_2924" align="alignright" width="300"] Flying Circuits President, Tom Hayes, with his giant model airplane.[/caption] The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette featured the club's 35th annual Monster Mash and Swap Meet. This year's event was in celebration of National Model Aviation Day. The club president, Tom Hayes, said the purpose of the event was to bring pilots together, but also to share the hobby with the public. Hayes' hope was that spectators at the event would develop an interest in model flying. Visit the Journal Gazette to read more about the event. 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 recently awarded The Capital Area Drone Squadron (CARDS) with a $50 Club Recognition and Reward Grant. The club was featured in an article in the Lansing State Journal as well as published online. The CARDS have been flying unmanned aircraft for nearly 30 years and are reaching out in their community to promote and protect their passion for flying models. The group offers free flying instructions once a week and newcomers can attend three sessions before they are asked to pay dues to join the club. The CARDS want people to learn to fly correctly and hold several events throughout the year to introduce flying to their community. An event schedule can be found on their website. [caption id="attachment_2766" align="alignright" width="300"] Aerial view of the CARDS flying field in Grand Ledge, Michigan.[/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.

On Saturday, November 7, AMA District VIII hosted Wings Over Windsong, a fun fly RC event at Windsong Ranch in Prosper, Texas. It was an exciting day of flight attended by close to 800 people.   Along with AMA District VIII VP, Mark Johnston, attendees watched Quique Somenzini, F3A World Champion, fly a selection of airplanes provided by Bill Simpson. Video below shows Somenzini demonstrating his superior skill at the event. https://youtu.be/ryZgVbp6eEI   Kids and adults witnessed the landing of a full scale Medivac Helicopter from PHI Air Medical (pictured below). The helicopter was on display and attendees had the chance to get a look inside. For added fun, the AMA Mobile RC experience simulator trailer was stationed at the event.   The event was held in support of the Wounded Warrior Project, and managed to raise $2,650. Congratulations to event organizers for their hard work: Windsong Ranch development group, AMA District VIII, Rowlett RC Club, North Dallas RC Club and Richardson RC Club, Mark Johnston, Ed Kranz, Charles Shaffer, John Williford, Lauren Stephan, and Kris Wilson. To see more photos from the event, visit the event’s Facebook page or District VIII’s webpage.

On Saturday, November 7, AMA District VIII will host Wings Over Windsong, a fun fly RC event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Windsong Ranch in Prosper, Texas. It’s shaping up to be an exciting day of flight. Along with AMA District VIII VP, Mark Johnston, attendees will find Quique Somenzini, F3A World Champion, flying a selection of airplanes provided by Bill Simpson. Larry Hultman of Livingston, Texas is scheduled to bring his 117 lb. Fokker DR1. A full scale Medivac Helicopter from PHI Air Medical will land at the event around 12 p.m. and be on display. One of the world’s best RC photographers - Mimi’s Model Aviation Memories – will document the event. For added fun, the AMA Mobile RC experience simulator trailer will make its way to the event. It’s all being held in support of the Wounded Warrior Project, so don’t miss out. To pre-register for the event, please visit RC Flight Deck. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page or District VIII’s webpage. Congratulations to event organizers for their hard work: Windsong Ranch development group, AMA District VIII, Rowlett RC Club, North Dallas RC Club and Richardson RC Club, Mark Johnston, Ed Kranz, Charles Shaffer, John Williford, Lauren Stephan, and Kris Wilson.

Cass Engineering Pulsar Biplane comes to National Model Aviation Museum

In the early 1970s there were discussions about the declining interest in Radio Controlled Pattern competition (Model Airplane News Oct. 1973 and Jan 1974). This led Ollie Olson and several clubs in the Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa area to hold the first National Multi-Wing Championships in July 1973. The contest was limited to biplanes and featured Pattern and Pylon events but most notably a free style component. Bill Heger of Peoria, IL won with a Glen Howard designed Knight Twister. At the time discussions also focused on duplicating the maneuvers flown by full-scale aerobatic aircraft using scale-like aircraft. In 1974, this culminated with the formation of the National Sport Pattern Association. In 1975, the name was changed to the Miniature Aerobatic Biplane Association and in 1976, in an effort “to broaden the outlook of the organization and include all types of aerobatic aircraft, the name was changed to the International Miniature Aerobatic Club (Model Airplanes News, Oct 1976). While initially Lou Andrews’ Aeromaster was the primary aircraft flown by many competitors at these events, new designs quickly emerged. One such notable aircraft was the Pulsar, designed and flown by Norm Cassella, a regular competitor and winner of these early biplane events. The Pulsar was sold through Cass Engineering.  As museum staff researched the history of IMAC, the accomplishments of Mr. Cassella and his Pulsar during these early formative years became obvious. It was determined that this aircraft should be added to the museum’s collection, documenting this early biplane component of IMAC’s history. While we have unfortunately lost Mr. Cassella, his family has some of his aircraft including a Pulsar – which they have so kindly offered to the museum. The aircraft arrived at the museum late in October, 2015.

Drone racing

In the last few years, radio control drone racing has gained in popularity because of advances in batteries, electric motors, and first person view (FPV) video equipment. Go to YouTube and you can watch numerous examples of these events. As with anything, at first the races were flown by friends just trying to see who the best was but rules quickly emerged. In April of this year, as part of the DATA X Conference, in Santa Cruz, CA, this bar was raised with the first AMA sanctioned FPV Drone Racing. Scot Refsland, the organizer of the event, is helping the museum document this event and the winner, Zoe Stumbaugh, even agreed to donate her Spider Hex “Rat” racer, along with her transmitter and FPV googles. These items are now on display in the museum. Following closely on the heels of this race, the 1st US National Drone Race  was held in July at the California State Fair. 120 pilots participated in this event, with Chad Nowak from Australia taking top honor. Like Zoe, Chad has agreed to donate his winning aircraft to the museum. [caption id="attachment_2257" align="alignnone" width="1696"] Zoe Stumbaugh's Spider Hex "Rat" Racer, transmitter and FPV goggles[/caption]  

Associated Modelers of Sacramento

The Associated Modelers of Sacramento (AMOS) have been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $867.03 on behalf of the AMA. The club was first chartered on November 12, 2004 and has been an AMA Chartered Club for more than 10 years. The club’s mission is to train people to safely and enjoyably fly their model aircraft and to be able to give back to the community by working with youth groups and sponsoring charity events. The club’s 200 members enjoy flying at their field in Lincoln, CA. AMOS is completing several improvement projects to better their flying site. These improvements are: extending and re-grading the runways and surrounding areas, surfacing the runways with recycled aggregate base and new petro mat, installing new safety fencing, and installing a large storage container for equipment and supplies. These improvements will continue to help the club gain new members and share the joy of the hobby of model aviation. Click here for more information on the Associated Modelers of Sacramento.

Tri-County Eagles

The Academy of Model Aeronautics would like to congratulate the Tri-County Eagles for being awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $467.50. Located in Mahopac, NY, the Tri-County Eagles have been an AMA Chartered Club for approximately 30 years. The Tri-County Eagles describe themselves as a relaxed group of RC pilots just out to have a fun, safe time flying aircraft with friends. The club has hosted several training events for Cub Scout groups and Civil Air patrol cadets to introduce them to model flying. The club made new upgrades last year such as a new flight line fence, plane restraints, and a wind sock, among others. They are now looking to focus on the damages to their runway. The runway has become uneven and will require special equipment to be repaired properly. The total cost to fix the runway was $4,675.00. Look here for more information on the Tri-County Eagles.

Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society

The Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society has been awarded with a Flying Site Development Improvement Grant worth $119.90 on behalf of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society has been an AMA Chartered Club for approximately 40 years. The club works to promote the design, construction, and organized flying of radio control aircraft. The STARS have almost 100 members who enjoy flying off the club’s nearly 42 acres of grass runways. The STARS host several annual events that have more than 500 people in attendance. The club has several elderly members with heart problems and they have even lost members due to heart attacks. The club is looking to purchase an AED Device for the safety of their members and guests. Look here to check out the Syracuse Thunderbirds Aero Radio Society’s website.