nauticom

Our Club, the Butler Aircraft Modelers Society in Butler, PA has a very good pilot instruction program; instructors provide free lesions to beginning students in safety, building and flight instruction. The club also has two trainer plans for use of students. We also provide instruction for advanced fliers attempting to qualify as advanced pilots.
As part of this instruction and qualification process, upon passing the Second Class or First Class tests, we provide each person, with a certificate, pilots card, and a nice pilots wings badge for wearing. The problem we have here is we cannot find a supplier of these wing badges. AMA does have a wing badge which sells for $5, but is does not differentiate between Second Class or First Class pilots.
Can anyone, within AMA or member Clubs steer me to a source of these wing badges? They are a very nice touch for our new members when they qualify/solo.
Thanks in advance.

Bob Masterson
Secretary/Treasurer
Butler Aircraft Modelers Society
[email protected]

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

While the training program you use may be fine and laudable with some sort of wings but the thought of breaking it into 'First' and 'Second' class pilots is rediculous. The question has to be who on earth would take pride in wearing 'Second class wings'? If that was imposed at my field I would simply refuse to wear either irreguardless of my skills or experiance. Perhaps this is why there are no second class wings sold by the AMA, no market.

John

50+AirYears

I'd like to be able to tell you where the gentleman who provided our's got them, but he died a couple years ago and didn't tell anyone. As treasurer, I only reimbursed him.
Our program started with a paper certificate for the "A" level, which allowed one to fly solo. As certain aerobatic levels were accomplished and signed off on by two witnessing instructors and/or higher level holders, the wings were awarded as "A1", "A2", to "A6". The lowest level was based on the AMA Sportsman pattern, and became increasingly difficult as one advanced. Because work kept me from getting enough practice, I only got to the "A2" level. I think another local club still has something similar.

J_R

Hi Bob

You may want take a look at the EC minutes for July 2004. The Education committee is now charged with completing the AMA tired level achievement program. It would be a shame to buy wings for your program and then find that the AMA has a very similar program, shortly thereafter. Try contacting Jack Frost at AHA HQ and see if he can give you more details.

Hossfly

Bob:
If you have not yet located something then here is a cold trail for you to follow.

When I belonged to the Skylarks of Illinois back in '70s and '80s a club in northeast Chicago-Land, we had a supplier of wings that was located in Wauconda, IL. We had a Red Wings, Blue Wings, Yellow Wings and another Yellow with Master on the label.
I do not remember the exact order, whether the Red or Blue was 1st or 2nd.
There was a test set up for each attainment level with solo-qualified earning the first level.

May I suggest that you look in AMA's Charter Club listing, (IL Dist VI) find the Skylarks Club and contact, and check with him/her. See if they still have that program. You might be able to find out from DuBro Products there in Wauconda. The company that provided the wings was there close to DuBro.

3dandpatternflyer

I agree [:'(]

crownvic

I also agree with you those wings and 2 bucks will get you a cup of coffee! Been flying for 17 years in the same club.NO solo certs no wings no nothing.some one helped you learn from that point on you were on your own!


Lonnie

TexAcoon

Bob,
Try contacting Syracuse Thunderbird Aero Radio Society (STARS) training coordinator Bob Rowe [email protected] located in Phoenix, NY. I know he presents newly trained pilots with wings. I am not sure where he purchases them from but he would be a good contact.

STARS web site is located at: [link=http://www.amadistrictiistars.org]S.T.A.R.S.[/link]

Hossfly

THOSE WITHOUT THE MOTIVATION or self-discipline TO INCREASE THEIR SKILL LEVELS, or those with NO class at all.[>:]

50+AirYears

Our program used the term "Level". The higher the number, the greater the accomplishment. Most members were content to just fly around any way they wanted, but about 12 or 14 of us did take part. That was around 10% of the membership. There was a feeling of accomplishment in putting a group of manuevers together into an orderly presentation. It was a lot harder to do it this way than to fly the same things without a presentation order. Almost makes me think about becoming competeive.

littlecrankshaf

My Feedback: (58)

LOL So maybe there should only be ONE type of wings and those without are assumed to be imbeciles or low grade inept pilots.

I think that labels are very useful to determine the type of person we make contact with.

Actually the government ought to label everyone on the forehead so everyone can be assured of what type of person they are dealing with right off.

rw Guinn

That's all well and good--as long as it is used the way you describe it.
Too many use it as a way to make first and second class citizens. Don't know that that is the plan here, or whatever.
I like the idea of an Achievement Award. Not necessarily a competency judgement.

Jim Branaum

My Feedback: (3)

There was a govenrment in Europe 60 some odd years ago that tried that. OOPS! They used ARMS rather than foreheads!

LOL