A motion before the IMAA to be discussed at the Jan 17th Board Meeting in Orlando.
12) Motion by Tom Hammer second by Don Pemberton Motion is made to: Petition the AMA to refrain from sanctioning Big Bird events. Petition the AMA from using the IMAA rules in sanctioning events that should be the sole property of the IMAA.
Reason: Increase the desirability of the IMAA as a sanctioning body. The IMAA was founded because of a need for someone to develop and foster Big RC Aircraft when no other sanction body wanted to do the job. Now that the IMAA has successfully developed the Big Bird concept into the biggest special interest group. The AMA without regard for the IMAA, sanctions IMAA clone events removing the basic reason for the existence for the IMAA. Note that the AMA doesn't do this to other SIG's such as the IMAC.
A complete list of the motions and discussions for this meeting may be seen at the IMAA website.
IMAC and other SIG's really are still a subset of the hobby, but giant scale is nothing more than basic RC; the only thing defining it is an arbitrary wingspan size. So what? The line that defines "giant" scale is so blurred now that it is no longer relevant, I mean, you can get "giant" scale kits from Top Flite now that fly with .60 size glo engines. Ooohhhhh... The only reason to keep the IMAA around at all anymore is to give it's officers jobs. There is no other issue with regard to the models themselves that the AMA can't handle during it's regular course of business (which evidently is the complaint here). The IMAA has outlived it's usefulness, and I'm guessing that the AMA itself has seen that. Hence, the AMA's sanctioning of events that include (simply) airplanes over 80". Goodbye, IMAA, and take that cheezy magazine with you.
MJC
"Red Scholefield" wrote in message news:iCjNb.35068$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews5.bellsouth.net...
How can giant scale be the largest special intrest? There are only half a dozen IMAA sized aircraft and maybe a couple dozen of 40 and 60 dozen models each weekend at my field. I think this is fairly typical.
You just answered your own question. Those 40 and 60 size planes aren't special interest. You didn't mention pylon racers, or pattern planes, or any other special interest group. There are a lot of clubs that have large percentages of pattern or other kinds of "special interest" planes, but just about EVERY club has members with big birds.
Thanks John. Problem is that Big Birds by definition are no longer a rare thing like 20 years ago. IMAA does need drastically need some new approaches.
However:
Subj: Meeting and Congratulations Date: 1/14/2004 To: snipped-for-privacy@arkansas.net CC: snipped-for-privacy@columbus.rr.com, snipped-for-privacy@worldnet.att.net, snipped-for-privacy@infionline.net Congratulations on the election.
Please be advised that I, Horrace Cain, IMAA 04598, Chapter 148 Contact, strongly support these proposed motions:
11) Motion by Tom Hammer second by Don Pemberton Motion is made to: To Simplify the Registration Process by adding a column for the IMAA number to the AMA ?Event Participation List from 11 and the AMA ?Flight Declaration form, eliminating the need for the redundant IMAA Safety Review From and the IMAA registration from as optional. Reason: By making these changes we increase the desirability of the IMAA as a sanctioning body.
12) Motion by Tom Hammer second by Don Pemberton Motion is made to: Petition the AMA to refrain from sanctioning Big Bird events. Petition the AMA from using the IMAA rules in sanctioning events that should be the sole property of the IMAA. Reason: Increase the desirability of the IMAA as a sanctioning body. The IMAA was founded because of a need for someone to develop and foster Big RC Aircraft when no other sanction body wanted to do the job. Now that the IMAA has successfully developed the Big Bird concept into the biggest special interest group the AMA without regard for the IMAA sanctions IMAA clone events removing the basic reason for the existence for the IMAA. Note that the AMA doesn?t do this to other SIG?s such as the IMAC.
I have successfully lobbied Jetero RC Club to again sanction their annual Big Bird through IMAA for 2004. They did not so last year, but IMAA request has been submitted for 04.
Good luck with this.
Horrace D. Cain
************************ "A Liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money." -- G. Gordon Liddy
So, let me see if I understand this... Our club has sanctioned two Big Bird fly-ins per year for the past eight years. If this proposal is adopted, AMA will no longer sanction these events if we call them "Big Bird"? We would need to sanction, and/or pay an additional expense to IMAA, over and above what we pay to AMA. Would anyone who wanted to participate in them will also have to have an IMAA membership? All this to be able to call them Big Bird? Before you get out the flame-throwers, I am just asking questions here. Bill
But that observation is anecdotal at best. At MY field, more than half of what shows up on any day are what would be considered giant scale. For anyone else at your fields, your "mileage may vary". I'll bet we all remember the period around 1980 to 1985 when the IMAA events were really "special". Nowadays, the giants are all over the place and are not "ooooh" and "aaaahd" over like they use to be. They're just airplanes and there is no reason to separate them (as a SIG) from the mainstream of the hobby anymore. The IMAA officers are just trying to hang on to their jobs promoting something that doesn't need promoting anymore. The IMAA is obsolete, plain and simple.
MJC
"Sport_Pilot" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com...
I partially agree. I've flown "normal" R/C for 20 years, and "giant scale" for
5 years. The only protection I want at an event is the assurance that the same size planes will be flying with me. BTW, I fly my "giant scale" plane at our local club weekly. Even this is subject to rebuttal, since my 1/4 Dr.1 is only
72" and I'm allowed to fly with REALLY giant 33% - 40% scale Lasers and Extras.
"Giant scale" does need promotion, but not protection. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"
If the event is sanctioned by the IMAA then all participants must be IMAA members. This is the objective of the petition to the AMA. No big bird events unless sanctioned by the IMAA. But I wouldn't get to excited about it. The AMA will never go along with it. You do have one AMA EC member however that is also an Assistant Director of the IMAA. It is an election year for him, and while he has never built or flown an IMAA legal model he will, if he thinks it will buy him some votes, support the restriction.
My club no longer has Big-Bird events. We now just have "All Aircraft" events and there has been an unintended positive result for us: When we had Big-Bird events, all we attracted were the "bigger than thou" giant scalers and the events soon stopped attracting many spectators as well. Why?.. because Giant Scale wasn't that "big" of a deal anymore because they'd become commonplace and size alone no longer mattered (). When my club went to an All Aircraft event, we tripled the number of registered pilots at the first event of it's type and the spectators very much enjoyed it even more because of the broad range of the kind of aircraft that showed up and flew (and yes, over half of the aircraft there WERE giants anyway). It turned out to be more interesting for everybody, and the guys with giants had just as much fun as they ever did at an IMAA sanctioned event (maybe because we WEREN'T an IMAA sanctioned event, we could actually give out, omigod, REAL PRIZES!). The moral to this is that if you want your club event to be boring and small, go ahead and call it a "Big Bird" and pay for the priviledge of doing so by sending the IMAA your money. But if you want a larger, more exciting and interesting event, make it a plain 'ol "All Aircraft" event, and make sure to invite EVERYBODY, including the giant scalers as well as those poor souls who still fly trainers after 5 years of being in the hobby (and then everybody in between). If you can't bring yourself to include the new guys with trainers in your event (shame on you; they're the future of the hobby!), then you can have a "Scale:All Sizes" event. It'll still be better than a Big-Bird (only) event. These kinds of events better promote the hobby overall (including giant scale) and bring together lots more people at various stages of their hobby and makes for an event people will talk about well beyond the last flight of the day. Now isn't that what the IMAA was "supposed" to be about anyway? Or is the IMAA now just a small group of "in-crowd insiders" looking after their OWN interests yanking each other's ego's? The IMAA gave up any relevance they ever had the moment they joined in with the AMA in the first place. No longer an autonomous organization since going AMA/SIG, it was only a matter of time before they were entirely absorbed by the AMA and disappeared as a separate entity. Even after the last person to leave the IMAA turns out the lights, no one will notice because there's nothing that can't be handled within the AMA sanctioning body right now. And they know that at the AMA.
MJC
"Bill" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@yvn.com...
Hmmm! Upon reading about this, the first image that popped into my mind was one of the late John Belushi. It was a scene from the movie Animal House where Bluto (Belushi) sat there and uttered those infamous words: B... J....
You want a real crowd pleaser? Hold a warbird racing event! Our first one at the Sacramento Area Modelers in 1991(?) attracted about 30 racers from as far away as Los Angeles and Phoenix and Tucson, AZ. The Boy Scouts did pancake breakfasts and managed the tickets and parking. They estimated between 1000-1500 spectators for both days.
NAY, Not so! He doesn'y have it, you ain't got it or neither does the majority of posters here have it so far.
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IMAA Event Sanction Form.Print this form using your browser and mail to the IMAA Sanction Coordinator, Andy Argenio - you can send e-mail to Andy for questions or additional information. The form must be mailed to him along with the application for the AMA sanction. Please Note: Starting with events for
2004, the IMAA will pay the fee for the AMA sanction.
All a club has to do is apply for an AMA sanction saying, "Large Model Fly In. 79.99" wing span or 59.99 for multi wing models" People will figure it out.
The majority of the posters "may not have it." but neither does the IMAA BOD when it comes to understanding the situation regarding giant scale models and events where they are flown.
It cost you nothing to sanction with the IMAA except perhaps a dozen or more non-IMAA members that will not attend your event.
Maybe you (HC) can come up with a marketing plan for the IMAA that will get them back on track with something other than petitioning the AMA for something only furthers them from the modeling public.
I'll vote that way, too! They started the "Giant" fun-fly/fly-in concept and now every body want's to use their requirements without using "IMAA". That's fine with me! Like MJC, below, they can take their cheezy mag with them.. Most of the time it was late, incomplete and totally full of errors!!
I don't think that "Big Bird" is what they want to halt...It is using "IMAA" in reference to size or event nomenclature. MY club has one "Big Bird" that USED to be IMAA, but now is just AMA.. Is IMAA going to get their OWN Insurance for sanctioning events? Well, then OK...but as long as they still want to ride the coat-tails of AMA, the heck with them!
I plan on going to an event the end of Feb down in the Valley that is a "IMAA" event.. Part of the entry fee pays for IMAA membership... Simple, I guess I'll be an IMAA member again...oh, well..
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