December 2011 President's Perspective

AMA Executive Vide President Mark Smith	Hi, folks! Have you ever asked, “Why should I pay my AMA dues?” This recent terrorist activity involving model aircraft underscores why our Association is critical for us to continue to enjoy this wonderful hobby of ours. At 3:43 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28, I received notice from our Director of Public Relations and Development, Chris Brooks, that I was to call him ASAP to initiate our emergency response team. Chris, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Representative Rich Hanson, Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director, and many others at AMA Headquarters worked tirelessly for the next 24 hours to develop and release communiqués to our membership and the media.
This was a serious issue that required us to execute our crisis communications plan developed for just this sort of action. Our media release and position statement can be found on the AMA’s website. In the ensuing days, your AMA leadership has fielded a high number and wide variety of emails and telephone calls on this news item and our response. The majority of AMA members shared our collective outrage at a US citizen who would literally hijack a recreational model airplane to attempt to bomb the Capitol dome and the Pentagon. Just outrageous. Many responded that this young, physics major from a private Boston university was a “complete idiot” to think that he could reconfigure and fly a 60-inch wingspan foam jet laden with GPS guidance and several pounds of explosives. With this aircraft? With no training? Without being detected beforehand? There was barely even a remote chance, as any serious modeler will tell you. Many others wrote and called with pain in their voices that this will do irreparable damage to our ongoing discussions with the FAA over pending federal regulations. Although we all desire a safe National Air Space, we have been told consistently by FAA representatives that their interests are the general safety of model aircraft operations, not national security, per se. We have to take what they say at face value until we learn something different. But know this: we are 143,000 aeromodeling sets of eyes and ears throughout America. We are the first line of defense, much as the Civil Air Patrol is for full-scale aircraft, for any modeling threats to safety and security primarily because we are caring US citizens more than aeromodelers. Several members have written to say how sad, and maybe a little mad that their peaceful, recreational pastime has been invaded by a form of madness in the “real” world. We want to escape the hustle and frustrations of modern life through our hobby, not look for would-be terrorists. To this I say, “I know.” I feel the same way. It’s sad. But, we have a responsibility to our communities and to our hobby, so we will step up where and when needed. Still others have asked, “Well, what can we do?” Be aware and be fair. This isn’t a witch hunt. We’re just asking that if you see or hear something suspicious, contact your local authorities or FBI office. They are there to help you in ways we can’t. Some of the best people in the world are aeromodelers. That’s a fact. Let’s keep it that way. And let’s not forget the real reason we fly—to have fun. MA Mark Smith AMA Executive Vice President [email protected] Back To This Month's Issue of Model Aviation