Summary
On this episode of AMA Air, Matt Ruddick reveals a new donation to the National Model Aviation Museum, interviews Steve Haston and Rachelle Haughn about the AMA Foundation’s year in review, and much more!
On this episode of AMA Air, Matt Ruddick reveals a new donation to the National Model Aviation Museum, interviews Steve Haston and Rachelle Haughn about the AMA Foundation’s year in review, and much more!
New Addition to National Model Aviation Museum – (1:08)
The National Model Aviation Museum recently received a new donation to it’s collections from Susan Weisenbach Johnson, one of the first AMA Scholarship recipients back in 1970 and retired NASA engineer. Along with her award-winning career as an engineer at NASA, Mrs. Johnson was also an award-winning aeromodeler. She donated several trophies from her time in model aviation, including the Arlene Davis Award from the National Junior Air Races. Learn more about her donation in this blog post and hear more about her life story in this video interview.
AMA Scholarships – (2:00)
The AMA Foundation has awarded close to $1.5 million in scholarships since the start of the Scholarship program. All graduating seniors and those currently enrolled in post-secondary education are welcome to submit an application and get involved! Applications are now open with the final application deadline being February 2nd, 2026.
AMA Foundation Year in Review – (3:03)
AMA Foundation Executive Director Steve Haston and AMA Foundation Deputy Director Rachelle Haughn joined the show to recap the AMA Foundation’s year in review. Notable wins for the Foundation in 2025 include the “Fly More, Mow Less” Sweepstakes which raised 189% of their target goal and provided some awesome prizes to AMA members. An exciting new program, the Club Training Day Starter Kits initiative, was introduced in 2025, with plans to distribute more kits in 2026. The Foundation team continued their annual road trip to visit AMA clubs across the country and hear directly from members about ways the AMA Foundation can do more to help their clubs. The AMA Foundation’s social media following has also multiplied in size this past year, providing information to the public and furthering outreach for the hobby. All in all, 2025 has been a successful year for the AMA Foundation, but the year isn’t over yet! They are currently at 75% of their annual donation goal, and with Giving Tuesday right around the corner, now is the perfect time to consider donating to the AMA Foundation to support flying site assistance, grants, scholarships, and more!
IFlyAMA Facebook Group – (17:27)
The IFlyAMA Facebook group is an online community for sharing useful tips, discussing model aviation news, and showing off your recent builds! A contest is held every month to determine the cover photo for the Facebook group. This month’s winning photo was submitted by Chad Perry, depicting his ¼ scale Fokker Dvii.
2026 AMA Membership Changes – (19:12)
An AMA Executive Council recently took place on October 25th, in that meeting several motions were passed with important implications for AMA members. Be sure to read over the blog post recapping the motions, which includes an important change to membership dues starting in 2026.
For more information on the above topics and more, be sure to watch the full episode of AMA Air!