rcmiket

Any thoughts on the on the election for VP? I just received a email from Tougas that D8 VL Harville is supporting him for the position. Tougas has made it a point to run on the AMA has lost it way and is out of touch with the membership. A interesting side note to this is that in the Oct. issue of MA Hanson makes it a point to call him out on this which I found very interesting.

" Dear AMA District VIII Members,

Mike

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

Here is a statement made by another candidate for Executive VP, Randy Cameron:

"I am Randy Cameron and I am running for the office of Executive Vice President and I am asking for your vote. I’ve been involved in aero modeling since I was a child with my father, and love every aspect of this hobby and aviation. I am primarily a sport flyer, however, have competed in a little IMAC, Combat and Fun Fly’s in the past. I enjoy 3D aerobatic flying and attempted FPV racing (which I'm not very good at). I’ve been an AMA member for over 30 years and an AMA volunteer for 18 years. I served as the District VI contest coordinator for nine years, an Associate Vice President for five years, and lately as the District VI Vice President for the last five years. While serving on the Executive Council I’ve focused on listening to and acting on behalf of all AMA members. I’ve held about every club officer position in multiple clubs over the past 35 plus years, while in the military and in civilian life. I have been a strong proponent protecting our right to fly in the National Airspace, in our dealings with the FAA and In January of 2016, I traveled to Washington DC with a hand full of other AMA officers calling on Congress requesting they continue our special rule for model aviation in the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization bill.

As a District Vice President I have served on several committees, I’ve worked on the flying site improvement grant committee, where we have reworked the grant application process and we have given out over $30K each year for the last several years.

I’m the chairman for Property accusation and development committee, where we have installed a well that saves almost $1000 per month by not using city water in the sprinkler system, and I’m working to revamp site three to improve flying for all disciples, from free flight to turbans that use that site.

Additionally, we are working on plans and fund raising right now to develop a new indoor flying and education facility that will be 300X200 feet with a 100-foot ceiling. I’m also the Committee chairman for the Special Interest Groups, were we have added programs to increase advertising, to include video advertising in AMA Air.

The positions I’ve held and the committee work I have accomplished for AMA have served well to prepare me for the position of AMA Executive-Vice President.

Programs I would like to see improved or implemented within AMA are:

• Youth Education and STEM programs, we are doing a good job now, but need a much reach out much further than we currently do.
• We need to accept new technologies that youth and younger people are interested in, without doing this, I feel the Academy will eventually falter.
• Our government outreach has done very well to date, but it is a fight keeping up with it all. Government and public relations both need to be shored up and grown to be able to support our increasing future needs.
• We need to work on establishing permanent, regional flying sites, owned and operated by local clubs. This needs to be done with flying site acquisition grants, and loan programs.

I’m married, Fina and I have been together 33 years. She has always supported me in our hobby and often attends events with me. We have four sons and eleven grandchildren and are currently teaching our fourth generation of family flyers.

I’m a 22 year Air Force veteran, where I was an electronic communications technician and project manager. I’m currently the senior system administrator for a hospital system. With your vote and input, I feel together we can make the Academy of Model Aeronautics a much stronger and better organization. Thank you for your vote."

Here is my personal opinion on these two candidates:

1. Lawrence Tougas - seems to be the only one who mentions, "getting back to our roots" and, "traditional modeling". He says he believes the AMA is/has been heading in the wrong direction and intends to change that in order to better serve "traditional" members. While those things align with my personal beliefs and wants for the AMA, I'm not convinced he is the "right" candidate. However, he seems to be the only one that even hints that the AMA is misguided. I'm torn!

2. Randy Cameron - seems to believe that drones and technology are the future of our hobby and is intent on establishing an expensive indoor flying site in/around Muncie. I am NOT anti-technology. I am NOT anti-drone. I just believe with all my heart and experience that "drones" are distinctly different than "traditional" modeling, and,due to the technology they employ and the capabilities that they have because of that technology, that they need a different set of rules/governance, of which the AMA simply does not have the capabilities to safely and properly manage and regulate. Randy does mention focusing on STEM programs, and I am all for that as our kids are clearly the future of our hobby, but not at the expense of relegating "traditional" modeling to extinction.
I had the opportunity on another forum to ask Randy a couple of questions regarding the AMA's justification in spending $1M (?) on an indoor flying site that would serve relatively few members, when flying site all over the country are struggling to stay open and operational. His reply was that it is NOT AMA $$, rather AMA FOUNDATION $$ that are to be used to purchase this facility. When I asked if it had to be AMA FOUNDATION $$ that were specifically donated to the foundation with explicit instructions by the donor to be used only for the indoor site, he declined to answer.

Randy's response to my question (and I quote),

"no it is not AMA money, the money is expected to be donated for this exact purpose, and cannot be used for anything else. People make donations from time to time to AMA, and now the AMA Foundation. Such as money is donated specifically for scholarships, or the AMA Museum. We can't use it for anything other than what it was donated to. "

This all leads me to my next question(s):

WHY WAS THE AMA FOUNDATION CREATED? HOW DOES IT BENEFIT THE AMA MEMBERSHIP? WHAT FUNCTION DOES IT SERVE THAT THE REGULAR AMA TREASURY CAN'T?

Seems to me that it IS AMA $$, it's just that the AMA's bank account now has to compete with the AMA Foundations bank account for those precious $$.

PLEASE set me straight if I am wrong!

Regards,

Astro

rcmiket

Astro great points.

On my end just the fact that Togas will admit the AMA is flawed and needs improving is a step in the right direction as I see it. I voted for Harville here in D8 hoping for a change on the EC and AMA direction and will vote for Tougas to help that effort. Just the fact that Hanson used his column in the Oct MA to address the whole "lost it's way" platform is a indication that maybe they have. This whole "I've been here for 25 years" is enough reason for me to be concerned.
Mike

rcmiket

Email this morning that Mark Radcliff D3 VP along with Bob Brogdon D5 VP has joined Harville D8 VP in supporting Tougas. That's 3 members of the EC supporting a candidate who believes that AMA has lost it way. While AMA President Rich Hanson is preaching all is well.

Mike

smithcreek

My Feedback: (25)

I was about to throw away my ballot two days ago when I read Lawrence Tougas' statement. I immediately put a check mark in the box next to his name and put the flag up on my mailbox. I think drones are super cool, but the AMA is wasting it's time, it's resources and our money chasing some far-fetched dream that a significant number of people who exclusively fly drones will ever join the AMA or become members at local clubs. They tried unsuccessfully to have congress pass a law that would mandate anyone flying a drone be a card carrying member of a CBO (like oh gee, the AMA maybe?). In the process they caused us regular rc hobbyists a lot of grief, attracted a lot more unwanted attention to us, and in the eyes of many, lumped us in with all the negative ideas about drones. The AMA, like most large organizations, has reached a point where the organization itself has become more important than it's original mission, and more an more time and resources are being spent maintaining the organization. That works fine when the membership is growing, but when membership is in decline the math just does not add up.

rcmiket

In a recent email from Multi GP the AMA SIG for the "droners" ( for lack of a better word) the banner headline was that Randy Cameron would "save" drone racing and needed their vote to do so.. Really, it needs saving, their kidding right? Tougas had my vote and that email only reinforces that my choice was the correct one.The AMA is wasting way to much money, resources and energy on this.


Mike

Hydro Junkie

How does that saying go, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". It sounds like what that add was supposed to do, get the attention of people and make it look like drone racing was failing, just to get the votes. I believe that's also referred to as "deceptive advertising" and, unless I'm wrong, is also illegal. Someone must really have been worried that they are/were going to lose the election to go to that kind of deception in their add to muster votes

rcmiket

Honestly I think the EC is pushing the drone agenda in this election hence the Multi GP (a AMA SIG) email. Toss in the presidents last column blasting Tougas for his campaign statement should be enough for anyone with 1/2 a brain to see just whats going on here. I hope members are paying attention. The AMA has lost all credibility ( what little they had ) in my eyes.

Mike

init4fun

Mr. smithcreek , You have SO perfectly summed up my feelings on this that if YOU want to run for VP , ya got my vote !

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

Regardless of each of our individual feelings/opinions about drones and how they may or may not be a good fit in the AMA, it is truly disheartening for me to see how driven the AMA EC is to push their agenda, regardless of what the members are saying. It is very clear that there are enough members concerned about the drone issue that they deserve to be heard, not "blasted" by our leaders for having an opinion that differs from "their" agenda. I mean, we have enough of that in our Federal Government and we can all see how well THAT works for the average Joe!

Truly a sad time for this modeler.

Regards,

Astro

rcmiket

At this point all we can do is vote and discuss this with our fellow modelers and encourage them to do the same.

Mike

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Need further proof the AMA has lost its' way? It is now involved, although they claim indirectly, in commercial insurance for commercial drone operators. Does anyone else see this as wrong?:"For more than 40 years, AMA has provided its members with liability insurance for recreational flying. Our new commercial drone insurance is a natural extension of our member benefits and comes at a time when the commercial drone industry is growing fast. Many of our members are flying drones commercially, or plan to do so soon, and have been asking AMA to provide commercial drone insurance as a membership benefit."

Rich Hanson,
AMA President

rcmiket

Sure do.

Mike

Hydro Junkie

Seems to me that Mr Hanson is trying to set up the AMA as an insurance brokerage catering to R/C aircraft rather than a collective bargaining organization that it was started as. Sounds like he's trying to find ways to get more money into the AMA coffers to help pay for "pet" projects

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Like a private indoor flying facility within walking distance of his home and office?

rcmiket

Just opened that email

" AMA Announces Commercial Drone Insurance
Exclusively for AMA Members. "..

***?

Mike

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Looks like this one is in the books and Randy Cameron is the new EVP

rcmiket

Guess us regular folk ain't in the good old boy network....................................were just not special enough to get news like this.
Nothing on the AMA site or no email............................................. .................

Mike

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Sad day for the membership.

rcmiket

As if the powers to be cared in the first place............................................. ......

Mike

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

I think you hit the nail on the head......

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

I'm sure it will go out by official channels but it wasn't any back door darknet announcement. Randy posted it on Facebook (though some people consider this the darknet)

Hydro Junkie

So, what about those of us that don't have or want a FB account? How do we get information posted that way?

rcmiket

We don't count. Maybe Randy got to count the ballots too............................................... ..tha's how he knew before the rank and file.

Mike

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

You guys are a hoot.

If you don't have a Facebook account then you find out when the release goes out.

As for Randy counting ballots, I"m not even going to dignify that. Even Frank Tiano accepted the results of the presidents election without any talk of it being rigged.