Safety has been part of AMA members’ DNA since the organization’s founding in 1936. The AMA Safety Code remains at the forefront for model aviation activities of all types—from Free Flight to multirotors.
In 1996, the National Safety Council, a public service organization and fellow nonprofit, established June as National Safety Month. Given that this is the 25th anniversary, we thought it appropriate to talk about how safety plays a role in our hobby—from personal safety such as never fly alone, to our models, events, and flying fields.
Recently, the AMA Safety Program Handbook was completely revamped, offering members a resource that covers many aspects of flying safely including general safety practices, weather, regulatory compliance, flying site layout, and first-person view (FPV)—just to name a few of the topics covered.
“With the ever-changing environment in which we fly our models, as well as new technologies that are being introduced to the hobby, our safety programs must continue to evolve and provide processes in which we can safety and legally enjoy our hobby,” said AMA Safety Director Tony Stillman. “One of the most important changes is in the Government Regulations area.
“In 2018, Congress passed new regulations that are slowly being enacted, and this will have an impact on how we stay compliant as individuals as well as how we operate our models at local AMA Charted Club-managed flying sites, as well as what the process is to fly models in other locations.”
Look to this newsletter and other AMA channels, including AMA Air and The AMA Podcast. Also, check out our social media channels, such as the I Fly AMA Facebook group, as we tell our safety story throughout the month of June.
—by Rob Kurek, AMA Communications director