Dave, what exactly is the AMA?

[Fokker Ace]

Yes, I know what the AMA is but would like to hear a description in your words and because the Campaign Statement on your website says "coming soon."

You've taken the time to answer a lot of specific questions but would love to hear, from you, what AMA means to its members and those who participate in this hobby.

Some see it simply as a tool for insurance, needed for club membership, or even a magazine subscription. It seems as if many here see AMA as obsolete and ineffective. But how do you view it and how do you see it evolving under your potential leadership?

Feel free to wax philosophical if needed. Thanks.

[Fokker Ace]

So, not worth of a response? No campaign statement?

[Jim T. Graham]

Fokker
Dave may be out until the official candidates are known.

[Dave Mathewson]

Yes, I know what the AMA is but would like to hear a description in your words and because the Campaign Statement on your website says "coming soon."

You've taken the time to answer a lot of specific questions but would love to hear, from you, what AMA means to its members and those who participate in this hobby.

Some see it simply as a tool for insurance, needed for club membership, or even a magazine subscription. It seems as if many here see AMA as obsolete and ineffective. But how do you view it and how do you see it evolving under your potential leadership?

Feel free to wax philosophical if needed. Thanks.
Hi Fokker,

The deadline for nominees to submit their campaign statements to AMA has just passed. Mine is now posted on my website at www.mathewson4pres.com (http://www.mathewson4pres.com/) .
I think AMA is a combination of tangibles and intangibles. The tangible benefits of being a member of AMA have been the center of several discussions in this very fourm over the last several years. So, I thought I’d focus on the more “philosophical” answer.
Membership in AMA is simply what each of us make out of it. I’ve looked back at my modeling experiences over just the last few weeks and here’s what I’ve seen.
Three weeks ago I attended a Takeoff and Grow Day sponsored by AMA and hosted by a club in my district. It was an absolutely spectacular day. At one point in the afternoon my wife asked me to look around and tell her what I saw. There were kids everywhere. Some were taking to a “ground school”. Others were using one of three flight simulators. Delta Darts were being built and flown. There was a line that lasted all day long waiting to get to the flightline for a chance to fly a model airplane. In between all of this other kids were playing kickball or having one of the 250 or so hotdogs the club cooked and provided free to all those that attended. In an email the club president sent me the next day he wrote, “This had to be one of the best modeling days of my 37 years of flying RC. I know a lot of kids went away from the field dreaming of the day when they would have their own planes.”
The following weekend we traveled to a resort town in the Adirondacks for an AMA sanctioned Fun Fly. We spent the day socializing and flying all types of model airplanes and just generally having a good time. At the end of the day we were all invited by one of the members of this club back to his place on the lake for a cookout. We flew foamys and planes off the water until dark then sat around talking model aviation after that. All of us there were friends that were brought together because of a common interest. Some of these friends I had known for years, others I met just that day.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to be part of a gathering to present a friend I have known for well over 30 years a plaque recognizing his induction into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame. Modelers from several states in the northeast were there to be a part of this extraordinary day. It was special for me because I had met this friend when he helped me at my first pattern contest back in the early seventies. We didn’t know each other that day. We weren’t from the same club or even from the same town. Yet, he freely gave of his time and expertise to help me be successful. From that grew a friendship that has lasted several decades.
Later this week I’ll be in Muncie to be part of the annual IRCHA Jamboree- a gathering of over 500 RC helicopter pilots. It’s an event that draws participants from all over the country. Pilots come to fly, socialize, and renew friendships with others that they see only this one time during the year.
The common denominator in all of this is my membership in AMA. There isn’t a week goes by that I don’t leave an event looking forward to the next one. This is what I choose AMA to be for me.
Dave

[Fokker Ace]

Thanks for that answer. I appreciate it.