Summary
On this episode of AMA Air, Matt Ruddick and Lee Ray are joined by special guests Tyler Dobbs, Rob Kurek, and Erin Dobbs to discuss the origins of the show and look at behind the scenes bloopers in celebration of AMA Air’s 10th Anniversary! Lee also provides a recap of several recently attended events, including NEAT Fair, B.E.S.T Electrics in South Texas, and Bomber Field B-17 Gathering and Big Bird Fly-In, and much more!
On this episode of AMA Air, Matt Ruddick and Lee Ray are joined by special guests Tyler Dobbs, Rob Kurek, and Erin Dobbs to discuss the origins of the show and look at behind the scenes bloopers in celebration of AMA Air’s 10th Anniversary! Lee also provides a recap of several recently attended events, including NEAT Fair, B.E.S.T Electrics in South Texas, and Bomber Field B-17 Gathering and Big Bird Fly-In, and much more!
AMA Air 10th Anniversary Celebration– (2:00)
The very first episode of AMA Air premiered 10 years ago in October of 2015. Since then, the show has taken on many different forms, had several hosts, numerous guests, and hundreds of model aviation stories to share. We thank each and every one of you who has ever supported the show, whether you started watching a decade ago, or just joined us last month. To help celebrate the special occasion, Erin Dobbs, the show’s original host, joins the show to discuss the early days – and watch some never-before-seen bloopers. Rob Kurek, AMA’s Communications Director, is interviewed next to discuss the origins of the show and the inspiration for creating it. Finally, Tyler Dobbs, AMA’s Executive Director, and AMA Air’s most frequent guest, joins Matt and Lee to talk about all the ways AMA Air has been used as a tool for delivering important aeromodeling news to our members over the years.
Club of the Month – (29:05)
The Club of the Month for October is the Greensboro RC Aeromodelers (GRAMs). GRAMs is an AMA Gold Leader Club located in Browns Summit, NC. The club operates on land provided by Guilford County which surrounds the city of Greensboro. Established back in 1959, the club has operated at three other locations until they moved to their current flying site back in 2007. To learn more about their club be sure to check out the club Facebook page or club website.
IFlyAMA Facebook Group – (31:31)
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 David Lindley, which depicted Paul Finn launching his free flight glider during Nats. Paul’s Dad, Josh Finn, submitted the extra photo of Paul winding up his glider.
NEAT Fair Recap – (33:33)
The Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology (NEAT) Fair took place from September 8-14. NEAT Fair is the largest electric model aircraft gathering in North America. Lee was joined by fellow RC Roundtable Podcast hosts Fitz Walker and Terry Dunn on his trip and got to explore the many exciting planes on the flight line, as can be seen in this video. Want to see more model aircraft from the event? A photo gallery can be found on Facebook!
Bomber Field B-17 Gathering and Big Bird Fly-In – (34:38)
Bomber Field USA, located just outside of Houston, Texas, hosted the 37th B-17 Gathering and Big Bird Fly-In from September 17-20. Lee was able to attend and took photos of the beautiful scale models at the event.
B.E.S.T. Recap – (35:29)
Lee rounded out a busy month with the Best Electrics in South Texas (B.E.S.T.) event hosted by the Tri-County Barnstormers from October 3-5. A collection of photos from the event can be enjoyed – without needing to be in the Texas heat!
2026 Nats – (38:15)
2026 marks the 100th running of the National Aeromodeling Championships! The logo for this historic competition was recently revealed in a blog post. Learn more about next summer’s competition on the Nats website.
AMA Foundation 2025 Road Trip – (40:28)
Each year, the AMA Foundation embarks on a road trip to visit AMA clubs and members, attend various events, and strengthen donor relationships. This year, AMA Foundation Executive Director Steve Haston and Deputy Director Rachelle Haughn traveled to the East Coast. To hear of their travels and watch a video from each stop along the way, check out the blog post on the AMA Foundation website.
AMA Scholarships – (41:27)
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 for their chance at a scholarship! Applications are now open – with the final application deadline being February 2nd, 2026.
For more information on the above topics and more, be sure to watch the full episode of AMA Air!
Thank you for tuning in for a decade worth of AMA Air!