The Prez Sez

 Hi Folks!

     As I write this month's article, we have just returned from the AMA Convention in Ontario, California.  Shari and I were joined by Bart Bergman, and we traveled with Jerry and Sandy West.  Also at the convention this year were Tom and Tommy Fenn, Meyer Gutman and at least one other Sierra Vista to be named later.

     This year we decided that we would concentrate on the vendors on Friday afternoon, and follow up on Saturday for any loose ends.  A good thing too; AMA records say that over 6,000 folks were in that room on Saturday and I think we bumped into half of them, until we finally said "enough!".  Shari and I met and saw some interesting folks there to include Dave Brown (as usual), Don Anderson (President of Great Planes), Steve Neu (Neu Motors), Dave Johnson (Desert Aircraft), and last but not least, Chip Hyde and Quique Somenzini (I hope he forgives me for murdering his name like that).

     This year we focused on helis, as I'm hoping to get better at flying them.  We have club members who regularly tell me that I have the fastest ground-based heli that they have ever seen, and several more members are regularly telling me to "get more altitude".  Dudes, I've had more altitude (once 50 feet and another time closer to 100 feet), and the landings from those altitudes are spectacular for the bystanders, but don't do much for the condition of the helis.  So for now, low and slow!

     I need to remind our current members, as well as those just joining, please send your renewal dues to Tom Fenn as soon as you can.  That way we can report you as an active AMA Club Member to the AMA when we do our Charter Renewal.  My sincere thanks to all of you that have already renewed, and the new folks that are just joining us; welcome to Mesquite Modelers, Inc.

     Speaking of Incorporated, when I spoke to Dave Brown he said that the huge push within the AMA is now to incorporate the charter clubs (that's all of them) in order to avoid individuals being sued.  Dave shared that members in several clubs were sued by others that were disgruntled, and some of the folks sued were not even at the flying field!  His advice (coming out in a future edition of Model Aviator) is to incorporate.  I told him that Mesquite Modelers had done exactly that over a year ago, and he offered the entire club his congratulations on a wise choice.

     This month's article comes to us from Jay Mealy, at AMA HQs:

Safety and Keeping your Flying Site

by Jay Mealy, AMA Programs Director

           Much has been written about safety. As it relates to model aircraft activities, safety is a word that is used in almost every paragraph written or conversation spoken. It is a must-use word in our area of interest—if for no other reason than it sounds good.

    But what does safety really mean when it comes to keeping a flying field?

In the Webster’s New World Dictionary, safety is defined as “the quality or condition of being safe; freedom from danger, injury, or damage; security.” Good definition. It sounds right, and pretty much describes the condition we would expect to find at a safe flying field.

     However, is that the only definition of safety? Hasn’t Mr. Webster pretty much nailed it? Doesn’t that say it all? The answer is no!

     Let’s set up a scenario. Say there are five other people at your flying field, and if you ask each one of them what his or her definition of safety is you would get five different answers. So now Mr. Webster has five other definitions to compete with plus yours which makes six. What I’m getting at is that there are probably as many definitions for safety as there are people.

You may say, “Maybe we can’t define safety, but we all know what it is.” or “You have to be safe so you can enjoy your hobby without getting hurt,” or even “You must be safe so others are not fearful of not enjoying their flying activities because of your unsafe behavior or vise versa.”

     What we are really bringing to light is that safety is nebulous. It’s a tough concept to get your arms around and even tougher to appreciate, comprehend, and most importantly to put into action.

     For the time being; however, let’s assume that everyone has a good grasp of what safety is all about and return to our original question of what safety means when it comes to keeping a flying site.

     There are two problems clubs are faced with: external problems and internal problems. External problems are those involving neighbors, community, or any entity outside the club that may pose a problem that the club cannot control. On the other hand, internal problems are those such as “How do we get more members to the meetings,” or “What is the best way to keep the gophers off the runway?”

     When a call comes into the AMA Headquarters from a club with an internal problem, the number one item of discussion is safety. Maybe there’s a member who never quite got the hang of making right turns so he flies behind the flightline and over the pits. Or perhaps there’s a show boater who ignores the field rules to selfishly fulfill some personal need for attention. We all could add to this list and we have all experienced this type of behavior.

     The clubs that recognize this behavior as inappropriate and call for assistance are the clubs that survive. We can provide recommendations about how to correct such problems and provide examples of what other club have done in similar situations. The clubs that allow this type of behavior to continue unchecked are possibly setting a course for extinction.

     The majority of modelers operates in a safe manner and is uncomfortable with the unsafe actions of others. If the club as a whole is not doing anything to end unsafe actions, then the members will begin to compensate for their discomfort in their own ways.

     Unsafe flight operations are like a rust spot on your car. If you don’t take steps to eliminate the rust it will eventually consume your entire car or at least make it unusable. The same thing can happen to a club and its flying site.

     It begins subtly. The number of active fliers at the field on any given day starts to decrease, fewer members show up at club meetings, and less people participate in club functions. Members may start participating at other club sites or just decide to back off flying their models for awhile. Whatever their cure, they are going to pursue it because they are not having good, safe fun at their own flying site.

     The negative results of unsafe flying practices can take many forms but the end results are the same: losses of a club, loss of a flying site, or heaven forbid, something much worse. For these reasons it is imperative for clubs—and all members—to take a strong position when it comes to safety at the club field. Don’t allow people to do dumb things in the air, on the flight line, in the pits, or anywhere else.

     Clubs that operate safely have more fun, make more friends within the club and within their communities, and virtually guarantee their longevity and success.
     If you would like to be part of the Flying Site Assistance column in Model Aviation, please feel free to share any success stories—or not-so-successful stories—with Joe Beshar and Wes De Cou. Often the successes and/or mistakes of others can be learning experiences for us all.
    Until next month, keep flying!

     Bill. 

Club Meeting

       The next meeting of the MMRCC is scheduled for February 2, 2006 at 7:00 P.M. The meeting will be held at the Northrop Grumman facility. Personnel are required to sign-in and sign out for security purposes.

     Once again, DUES ARE DUE!!! Get renewal forms from website and give to Tom at the meeting, at the field or mail to him..

See you at the meeting……………….Will