museum

The Blacksheep RC Modelers were invited to fly RC planes in front of the Indiana State Museum the day after Thanksgiving. Many of the clubs members were able to come and fly.

The Flying For Good featured August submission is the Tri-City Flyers, located in Kingsbury, Texas. The club hosted their annual National Model Aviation Day on Aug, 11 at their flying field. This event is a charity event where the club raises money for Boysville. Boysville is a non-profit 501c (3) established in San Antonio Texas in 1943. Boysville provides a safe family enviornment for children in need. The event had 17 registered pilots and many people came out for the event. The Civil Air Patrol out of San Marcos Texas also brought some of their cadets. Club member Jim Rice gave them an in depth presentation and flight demonstrations. The Civil Air Patrol personnel and the cadets also had a chance to tour the Pioneer Flight Museum. Overall, the club raised $600 through pilot fees and food donations for Boysville. The AMA would like to thank the Tri-City Flyers for hosting an event to give back to the community. The AMA wants to know how your club has given back to charity. To learn more about the Flying For Good Program, click here.

McAlister's Deli in Muncie, IN will host a fundraiser for the National Model Aviation Museum on June 13th between 3pm and 9:30pm. Stop in and grab a bite to eat and a portion of the proceeds will support the National Model Aviation Museum's Museum in a Box outreach program! McAlister's Deli is located at 600 E. McGalliard Road. Check out their menu online here. Learn more about the National Model Aviation Museum here. Thank you to McAlister's Deli for supporting AMA and the Museum!

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  

Last year I shared the experience Ben Flesher and I had when we attended Wounded Warrior Project’s VIPS Day at their headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. This was still one of the best adventures I have had at AMA. We got to learn so much and we both left knowing that our clubs had made a huge difference for veterans. While we were in one of the training sessions, we learned about WWP’s alumni programs. These are the activities they provide to veterans signed up for services the organization provides. They talked about how the veterans were given opportunities to learn new things, meet new friends, set new goals, etc. When we heard about it, I knew model flying would be the perfect activity for the veterans to learn about. It took some time, but eventually we were put in contact with Emily Gray, who helped us from start to finish to host our first Warrior Day at AMA. Our team welcomed a total of 35 people out to the International Aeromodeling Center to learn as much about model flying as possible in one day. The day started with introductions, including a welcome from Dennis Tyler, the mayor of Muncie, Dave Mathewson, AMA’s executive director, and Tim Jesky, AMA district VII vice president. We split the group up into three smaller groups and assigned a group leader for each. The groups then visited the following stations: 1: Flight simulator and buddy boxing 2: National Model Aviation Museum and hands-on activities 3: FPV racing/demonstrations with Ready Made RC. Most of the success for the day should be accredited to the great folks with the Blacksheep RC Squadron in Danville, Indiana. They came to Muncie for the entire day and really impressed our staff and each person that attended the event. With their help we put on a model airshow and everyone got to try to fly. I would like to personally thank each person that volunteered, and give special credit to Rege Hall for supporting our team by finding the volunteers and the airshow pilots. Another person who deserves a lot of credit is Deven Schei. I met Deven for the first time at the VIPS event last year. Since then, he has attended other AMA events on behalf of WWP. He’s a great speaker, a great friend to AMA, and was a great influence in introducing AMA to the decision makers at WWP. We would also like to recognize the following individuals and companies for their support: Mayor Dennis Tyler, Muncie Fire Department, Lifestream Services Inc., The Haven, Museum of the Soldier, Papa Johns, Pepsi Beverages Co., Readymade RC, Pilots Greg Alderman, Bill Gentry, Parker Hall, Rege E. Hall, Spencer Stevens, Steven Woods, and all volunteers that helped us with buddy boxing. And thank you again to the great Platinum Sponsors of this year’s National Model Aviation Day celebration who assisted us with this partnership: Ready Made RC, Hobbico, Horizon Hobby, and Hobby King Thank you to everyone that participated in this day of giving back to those who served our country!   [caption id="attachment_2998" align="alignnone" width="225"] AMA Foundation staff, Mandee Mikulski & Chrystal Pearson[/caption] Mandee Mikulski Director of Development, AMA Foundation

Don Tichenor has been gone for some time, but his passion and love for the hobby continues to fuel AMA’s future. Don was an accomplished professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Tri-State College (now Trine University) in Angola, IN from 1959 to 1993. He met his wife, Dolores, at Tri-State when she was hired to fill his vacant mathematics positions as he moved to mechanical and aerospace engineering. They married two years later. Don was an enthusiastic modeler and control line flier throughout his whole life. He was a member of the AMA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the DeKalb Fliers, and the Steuben Model Aircraft Klub. A few years ago, five of the model airplane kits he collected, but never built, as well as an originally designed and built twin-engine control line model were donated to the AMA Museum. The remaining 47 model airplane kits are being donated to the AMA Foundation with the proceeds to be used for scholarships. Sadly, Don passed away in January of 1993 at his home in Angola. His wife, Dolores, is bringing the remaining kits to the AMA this month.

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]