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Flying Site Assistance Case-Study Vern Mall of Washington, Illinois, shares a flying site story. “My name is Vern Mall and I am the president of the Washington R/C Flyers, Inc. (WR/CF) in District VI in Washington, Illinois. Our current membership is 46 pilots. We were formerly named Summit Valley RIC Flyers. This name change was brought about because of the relationship we have cultivated with the City of Washington. We vacated our flying site of 14 years last summer because of the construction of a house that would be in our flight pattern. Our search for a new site began roughly mid-year and we looked at many potential sites but rejected most for various reasons including safety.  One of our members noted that the City of Washington owned land east of town that it had purchased for flood control. We contacted two of the city aldermen and they were favorable of our idea and suggested that we make a presentation to the city council. We put together a PowerPoint presentation and gave it at a city council meeting. The councilmen, mayor, city administrator, city engineer, and city attorney were impressed and the council moved and approved the city administrator to work with us on a lease agreement. We went to the Tazwell County Zoning Board and were approved for a special-use permit to construct a runway, club house, maintenance building, and a vault toilet. This was completed in December.  The area of the special-use permit contains 57 acres of overfly area, five acres of which the club will lease from the city. The remainder of the 57 acres is farmed by a person who leases it from the city. We have talked to the farmer and adjacent land owners and all are favorable to being neighbors with us. We had no objectors at the zoning meeting because of the groundwork that was laid with all parties concerned. The club has applied for an AMA grant for flying site assistance and Charlie Bauer has informed me that he has signed it and forwarded it to AMA Headquarters. We have also requested a grant and/or discount from our local RP Lumber Co. where we intend to purchase the materials for the building construction.  We have also sold bonds to our membership to obtain enough funds to improve this ‘cornfield’ into a flying site and home that all can be proud of.  We have had many comments about our former site, saying that it looked like a park-always neat, in a valley setting with deer, wild turkey, rabbits, squirrels, ground hogs, coyotes, and one skunk!   Last spring, one of our members landed near the end of the runway and a wild turkey came out of the undergrowth in full strut, and headed for his colorful airplane. We still don’t know if the turkey did this thinking it was another turkey since this incident occurred during breeding season. We signed the lease with the City of Washington at the end of the city council meeting. We had seven members present, one of whom is our unofficial club photographer, Don Pyles. We planted grass seed on the five acres days later."

The Texas Wings Flying Club has some new starting stands, thanks to the efforts of several hard-working club members!  Great job guys!  If you are in the area this flying season, go by and visit! Two new start stands at the field ready to be used. Thanks again Bob, Lance and Elton!     Established in 1983, Texas Wings Flying Club, AMA Charter Club #1521 for the enjoyment and promotion of the hobby of building and flying Radio Controlled Model Aircraft. Texas Wings offers a relaxed, family-oriented membership. For more information visit https://www.txwings.com/

In November of 2013, one of the Academy's Life Members passed away after fighting an extended illness. As an avid modeler, and long-time AMA member, he chose to leave the AMA with the items in his estate. The Academy is now selling some of the items left in the estate to contribute to its charitable programs. We will be selling his mobile home in Marysville, WA, which is part of a 55 and older community, a very nice Lowrey organ, and a truck and 5th wheel package. The truck and 5th wheel have been added to Craigslist. If you are in or around the Seattle area, please take a moment to view the post, and share it with anyone you feel may be interested. https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/rvs/4433053872.html Please contact Mandee Mikulski, director of development for the AMA Foundation, at 765-287-1256, ext. 277 or via email, mandeem@modelaircraft.org if you would like more information.

The AMA Foundation would like to thank AMA Member Josh Price, who took part in the "Cold Water Challenge" to support the AMA Scholarship Program.

Josh's goal-call out ten people and donate ten dollars for each one of the ten people to accept to the AMA Foundation scholarship fund. If all ten people agree, that's $100 that will go towards next year's scholarship awards. Josh hopes those he mentioned will accept the challenge, and share it with ten of their friends.

Said Josh in a comment to the Academy, "Hopefully this catches on and exponentially increases with more and more people calling out their friends and fellow club members. Also I would like to add that pond water at Joe Nall is acceptable as well."

Are you up for the challenge?

Scholarship applications are due to the AMA education department by February 1, 2014. Applying for scholarships is a big job, but it’s certainly worth your time in the long run. If you are actively involved in model aviation, you should plan to apply for an AMA scholarship to help pay for college.  We’re looking for students who participate in our great hobby of aeromodeling… but that’s not the only thing. Candidates who win AMA scholarships usually share the following traits: a. They work hard in school and achieve good grades. b. They show leadership in school, work, or other community involvement. c. They are active participants in model aviation as pilots, builders, competitors, and club members. Here are some tips for making sure you know exactly what the AMA Scholarship Committee looks for in a winning candidate. 1. Plan early. If you’re not already an AMA member, become one as soon as you can, before the middle of your Freshman year. (The requirement is 36 months of continuous AMA membership prior to application.) AMA youth memberships are free, and they are automatically renewed until you turn 19. Make sure you take the required placement tests early enough to get your scores before February of your senior year. The committee uses your SAT, PSAT and/or ACT scores, along with GPA, to rank your academic achievements against the other applicants. If you do not have a test score, you can still apply, but your total academic score will suffer. 2. Keep track of your achievements and activities throughout high school. It’s tough to sit down in your senior year and try to remember all the things you’ve done through the years that scholarship committees appreciate. So, start now! Write down all the things you do that will show us that you are dedicated to your community and developing your leadership skills. We like reading about young people who participate in charitable events, Boy & Girl Scouts, church fund raisers, and other events that are important to the community. Did you serve as captain of your sports team or head of the student council? Write it down! It shows that you are motivated to succeed and help others along the way. 3. Tell us the details of your modeling experience! If you participate in club events as a competitor, volunteer, judge, promoter… we want to read about it. Have you served as a club officer or helped write the newsletter? Have you built your own models from kits, plans, or even your own design? That will make you stand out from applicants who fly the typical store-bought models. If you take the initiative to build and repair your own models, it shows that you are not content to be the average modeler- you appreciate learning new skills and probably hold yourself to a certain level of craftsmanship. The same applies for competitions. Keep track of the modeling events you participate in and the awards you win. Most importantly– Don’t pass up an opportunity to help others with modeling. Students who help others succeed in modeling are ranked higher than those who simply participate– so if you are a flight instructor, a Science Olympiad coach, or even if you help elementary school kids build Delta Darts, let us know. You are just the type of leader we’re looking for. And don’t forget– If you’re an active competitor in AMA or FAI sanctioned contests, you are also eligible for the Telford Scholarship, which is presented to the competitor with the best record. 4. How has model aviation affected YOU? My experience in modeling as a kid helped to shape my entire career as a full-scale pilot and writer. Model building even inspired me to build my own full-scale airplane– it’s really just like a balsa plane, only it’s made of aluminum. Obviously, not every kid will be as obsessed with aviation as I am… but if you’ve been influenced by what you’ve learned or who you’ve met as a modeler, we want to hear about it. Are you going to engineering school because you love designing and building model airplanes or rockets? Did someone you met in the club help you to see your true potential as a teacher, writer, mechanic or craftsman? Write it down! (And send them a thank you note!) Did modeling help you to discover something about yourself– a talent you didn’t know you had? That’s just one of the things we love about our hobby–it tends to bring out the best in us. Share it with us. The applicants who have the deepest appreciation for where modeling has taken them are more likely to keep modeling and pass it on to the next generation, and we appreciate that. 5. One last thing– PLEASE TYPE your application! Hand-scribbled notes do not give the sense of pride and precision that a good modeler and a good student should have. We look forward to hearing from you in your senior year… til then, keep track of your good work and keep your eyes in the sky! Katie Bosman is a lifelong modeler, commercial pilot, and former Charles H. Grant Scholarship winner. She enjoys building & flying R/C sailplanes and working on her Van’s RV-3 kitplane.