Stories

Congratulations to each AMA club that qualified for an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant in 2019. We are thrilled to share with the membership that the entire $5,000 allotted to provide funding to clubs was awarded to 50 clubs. This means our clubs are going above and beyond to share positive stories about model flying activities. The more our clubs share, the more our hobby receives recognition. Thank you to each of these clubs for doing their part to make this happen. The Academy of Model Aeronautics encourages clubs across the country to take part in events and serve the community in ways that will entice community members to learn more about the hobby of model aviation. Becoming a vital part of your community will help your club build your membership and inspire others, including the youth in your community. 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. The program is simple. If your club has received publicity through the local media, simply submit the article, radio segment, or television clip to AMA’s Public Relations department. The department will review your application, and reward your club’s treasury based on the coverage received. Atoms Rcers Beresford Area Radio Flyers Binghampton Aeros Bristol County R/C Club Cape May County Wireless Aircraft Sport Pilots Capital Area Radio Drone Squadron Casa Grande RC Flyers Casper Airmodelers Cedar Rapids Skyhawks Celina Flying Sportman Coachella Valley Radio Control Club Des Moines Model Aires El Paso Radio Controllers Fluvanna County R/C Flying Club Fort Ben Radio Control Club Fremont County RC Club Heart of Texas Miniature Aircraft Club Holly Springs Skyhawks Radio Control Group Kootenai RC Flyers Lazy Eight RC Club Lewes RC Club Lincoln Sky Knight RC Club Mid Arkansas Radio Control Society Midwest Sundowners N.E. Kansas Blue Sky Squadron North Georgia Model Aviators Olympic RC Modelers Owatonna RC Modelers Palm Beach Radio Control Association RC Sport Flyers River City Radio Controllers Rochester Aeromodeling Society Rock River Aeromodelers Society Seminole Radio Control Club Sky Kings R/C Club South Coast RC Squadron Southern Indiana Flying Eagles Southwest Area Park Modelers SPARKS INC Stonecrest RC Flyers Sunday Flyers Susquehanna Valley Modelers Tampa Radio Control Aircraft Club Tinley Creek RC Club Tuscarora R/C Flying Club Viehe RC Fliers Wenatchee Red Apple Flyers

The Midwest Sundowners recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $50. The club is located in Munster, IN. The club recently received a story published about them in their local newspaper. It dove into the history of their club and even included some personal stories of some of their members. The club, located in Munster, IN, flies at an outdoor flying field in Winfield and at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point when the weather prohibits outdoor flying. 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 Binghamton Aeros recently received an AMA Club Recognition and Reward Grant for $175. The club is located in Binghamton, NY. The club held the Festival of Giants R/C Air Show from August 9th to the 11th. The event was held at the Chenango Bridge Airport. The event itself was free to attend, but the club accepted donations for the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW). Skilled pilots from all over the east coast and Canada brought hundreds of large-scale RC aircraft and took to the skies for this event. You can watch more about the event HERE and 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 National Model Aviation Museum will be hosting Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight, a Smithsonian traveling exhibition. The exhibit will be on display February 1, in celebration of Black History Month, and will run through March 31. The exhibition is based on the book Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History. The exhibit was created by exhibition curator Von Hardesty of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. In 1903, America's fascination with flight was sparked by the Wright brothers.  Many African Americans were enthusiastic about flight but faced racial discrimination. They were denied access to formal training to become pilots and mechanics. The Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight, chronicles a powerful group of aviation proponents who challenged these obstacles and created their own legacy in the world of flight.  Developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the MetLife Foundation. To learn more about upcoming events at the International Aeromodeling Center, home of the AMA in Muncie, Ind., visit www.modelaircraft.org/IAC.

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.  

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has awarded a $175 Club Recognition and Reward Grant to the Gateway RC Club of Jacksonville, Florida. The club’s drone and helicopter safety class attracted the attention of multiple Jacksonville media outlets. On August 24, 2015 Channel 4 News in Jacksonville spoke live with club members Steve Arrington and Billy Meadows about the ever increasing interest in drones. Click below to see the live coverage. The Florida Times-Union published three separate stories on Sept.11, Aug. 21 and Aug. 29 detailing the club’s drone safety class. In addition to this extensive coverage, six Jacksonville radio stations added the drone safety class to their event lists. 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.