walk of fame

Summertime is busy with visitors at the International Aeromodeling Center. One of the places many stop to see is our Walk of Fame, where hundreds of people are honored by their friends and loved ones. The Walk of Fame is a great way to remember friends, honor loved ones, and be a permanent part of aeromodeling history. The Walk of Fame is growing and becoming more popular each year and is quickly filling up! We just had 64 bricks engraved and are in the process of placing them in the Walk. We also just started a special 'Supporting Clubs' section in the Walk that features clubs who have donated $1000 or more to the AMA Foundation. We are grateful for all the support of the foundation and the programs it supports and are glad to recognize these clubs that go above and beyond! If you are interested in learning more about or would like to purchase a brick in the Walk of Fame, visit our Walk of Fame page here. [gallery columns="4" size="medium" ids="4909,4906,4908,4907"]  

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 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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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.

Mike "Crash" Hancock was born October 14, 1966 and was a native of Waco, Texas. In his younger days, he crashed just about every plane he put in the air, earning him the nickname Crash and it stuck. Crash was in the hobby for 40 years and was most well known for founding and hosting the longest running RC aviation podcast, "The CrashCast" (https://www.thecrashcast.com/) which started in 2009. In all, there were 360 episodes covering virtually every topic you can think of related to RC aviation. Every Wednesday night, modelers could listen in to the live show, join the chat, and then stay and listen to the often silly and off-topic 'after-show' that wasn't recorded. Crash started his show by saying "If it flies, and it's RC...I like to play with it!" From micro to giant scale, wet fuel and electric, airplanes, sailplanes, helis and multi-rotors. He even designed, manufactured via CNC, and sold his own line of quad frames out of his garage. Crash was also well known for doing everything in his power to help out a fellow modeler, whether he knew them personally or not, and even if the issue was not RC related. He had a truly charitable heart and attitude that made him a very easy person to befriend. Crash touched literally thousands of modelers' lives around the world with his podcast, and was always available to help out with building advice, flying advice, or anything else one might need.  He truly enjoyed the hobby and those who participated in it. 'Build something, fly something, and enjoy this great RC hobby’ was the way Crash ended each of his podcasts, but also how he lived his life. Many came together to honor his memory by purchasing a brick in the AMA Walk of Fame. Crash touched so many lives, that the money was raised in less than one day and the fundraiser stayed open for a few weeks, raising over $1700 to give to Crash's family to keep The CrashCast online.     Additional links: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2988021-The-Hobby-Lost-a-Friend-Crash-Hancock CrashCast listeners FB page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/167851760066170/?ref=bookmarks AoA (Angle of Attack podcast) - angleofattackpodcast.com Thank you to Nik Zinsli for sharing about Crash in order for this blog to be written.  

Chuck Orrick, a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics for over 25 years, recently purchased two bricks along the Walk of Fame. During interactions with AMA staff regarding the bricks, he shared his unique story and gave permission for it to be shared. Orrick is a lifelong model airplane enthusiast whose first memory of a model airplane dates back to the 1960’s. He was in kindergarten, showing his first small balsa airplane his father carved for him during show and tell. His father carved a few more airplanes for him, but in 1976, when Orrick was 16 years old, his father passed away. However, Orrick’s love for model airplanes has continued to this day. [caption id="attachment_3276" align="alignright" width="213"] Orrick's father, Charles Orrick, Jr.[/caption] In the early years of Orrick’s AMA membership, he inquired about having his long and hard to remember member number changed to “1701.” However, that number was already taken so he accepted 17701 instead. Several years later, during the 1990’s, Orrick was cleaning out his grandmother's closet and found a picture from 1946 of his father holding an airplane with the number “17702”. Orrick never knew that his father was an AMA member and couldn’t believe their member numbers were just one away from each other. While further investigating the picture, he stumbled upon a very touching article. The article featured a story about his grandfather, Capt. Charles Orrick. Little did he know, his grandfather helped to form the first flying club in Thomaston, Georgia. Orrick had no idea his grandfather was involved, and had such influence in, model aviation, something that had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember. Orrick had a deeper connection to his father and grandfather than he could ever imagine. He had gone many years loving his hobby of model airplanes without knowing that his father and grandfather both had strong ties to the hobby as well. [caption id="attachment_3277" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chuck Orrick (left) and Gene Seinkbeil (right)[/caption] Today, Orrick continues in the legacy of his father and grandfather. He and his friend, Gene Seinkbeil, built the “Martian Spaceship.” It was from an old free flight plan converted to R/C in the 80’s that they converted to electric. In 2008, Seikbeil and Orrick competed at the SEFF, and won the title “Best of Show.” The AMA is proud to help Chuck honor his family’s love for model aviation by placing his bricks in the Walk of Fame. To learn more about the brick program, visit: https://amafoundation.modelaircraft.org/walk-of-fame-donation-ama-foundation/

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 Phillips family is no stranger to model aviation. W.E. “Phil” Phillips, and wife, Waneva ran a small R/C glider manufacturing company by the name of Phillips Custom Models in the mid-1960s. The couple appeared on the cover of R/C Modeler magazine in July 1969 with a patriotic “Snipe” glider (pictured left). Waneva was named R/C Model Wife of the Year by the same magazine. In the 70s, both were club officers of the Farragut Flyer’s model airplane club in Idaho. This is why Ray, son of Phil, has decided to commemorate his family’s model aviation legacy with a donation to the AMA Walk of Fame. The love of airplanes, whether model aircraft or full scale, has now spanned three generations. Phil was a FAA rated airline transport pilot as is Ray, who flies for United Airlines. The youngest generation, Chris, at age 19, is a FAA rated private pilot. Three bricks honoring three generations of Phillips men will be placed at AMA headquarters in the summer of 2016 (pictured below). [gallery ids="2503,2501,2502"] You’ll notice Ray shares his father’s AMA number. For many years, his number was 19731, his mother’s was 19730 and his dad’s was 19729. Around the time his son, Chris, started flying R/C at the age of eight, Ray requested his father’s number be issued to him. Most recently, Ray and Chris were both club officers of the Mile Hi R/C Flying Club in Aurora, Colorado. If you’re interested in paying tribute to your family’s AMA legacy, consider purchasing a brick in the AMA Walk of Fame.      

Richard “Rich” Lopez was born on April 7, 1948 and grew up in San Francisco. As a young child, he built plastic static models of planes and cars. At age 12, he flew ½ A control line models in the street in front of his house. He joined a local hobby shop flying club and competed in combat, stunt, and balloon bust events. He would later joined three Bay Area clubs: the Piston Poppers, the Flying Tigers and Komita. His childhood interest in model aviation would spark a lifelong love of the hobby. Rich loved to compete and was a force to be reckoned with. He won numerous competitions and awards in his lifetime, including the AMA National Aeromodeling Championships. Most notably, he won the 1989 U.S. Team Trials and represented the U.S. as a Control Line Combat pilot in the 1990 World Championships in France. Rich had an immense interest in model design and strived to perfect his equipment. He designed many Control Line Combat models – the Matador for AMA combat, the Lil Matador, and Lil Snip for ½ A combat and the Samurai for FAI combat – a few of which were published in model aircraft magazines. The Matador and Lil Matador were kitted by Midwest Models. Sadly, Rich Lopez, 67, passed away peacefully at UCLA Medical Center on October 5, 2015 after a three-year battle with cancer. In October, friends of Rich came together donating an AMA Walk of Fame brick in their friend’s memory and honor. The brick will be placed at AMA headquarters in Muncie, IN in early 2016. Rich Lopez will be sorely missed by family, friends and members of the model aviation community. Visit the AMA Foundation website for more information on how to make a donation in memory of Rich Lopez. Click here to learn more about the AMA Walk of Fame program.   [caption id="attachment_2273" align="alignleft" width="807"] Thank you to the friends and family members who contributed towards the purchase of an AMA Walk of Fame brick in memory of Rich Lopez.[/caption]