Indoor FF Nats Cancellation rumor

From: John Kagan <john_kagan_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:36:00 -0000

There have been several mentions of Van Dover and/or Sullivan saying the AMA plans to cancel the Indoor FF Nat and/or Nats in general, as early as next year.

The rumor then morphed into the Indoor FF Nats having its neck in the guillotine because we aren't generating enough money, which prompts discussion on what to cut to keep ourselves alive.

While I'm all for motivating people to get involved with the Nats, I don't think fictitious threats are the best solution in the long run. I know that they can rally people, but I'd personally rather have people attend the Nats because it is fun, not because they feel obligated.

We definitely need to stay aware of expenses vs. income – that's the only responsible thing to do. And growing our participation is essential in more ways than one. But it isn't yet time for a fire sale and the liquidation of our activity. Instead of panicking about dying, we need to calmly focus on how to grow.

How do I know that rumor is fictitious?

First, I had a conversation with Dave Mathewson (AMA president) at Toledo where he told me directly that he believes it is important to continue Indoor FF and the Indoor FF Nats, even if it means underwriting an income shortfall, up to a point. This was after the 2008 numbers.

Second, I sent him an email yesterday asking about the rumor. This is his reply:

Good morning John,
I read Nats News every day. You did a great job brining the event to those of us that weren't there.
 
The short answer to your question is that it's not true.
 
I asked Joyce Hager to follow-up on this and apparently the rumor is that this was in reference to the entire Nats, not just Indoor FF, and that it was already voted on at an EC meeting. None of this is accurate. The Nats haven't been discussed at a Council meeting since last fall when we simply received a report from the Nats Management Committee and approved the dates for 2009. We also, at that meeting, approved the use of the IAC for other events during the Nats as long as the proposed event doesn't interfere with a Nats event.
 
There was some casual discussion before the Nats Planning Meeting last year of trying to condense some of the outdoor Nats to make better use of the facility. Some Nats events reserve a site for an entire day but the event only runs for a few hours and then the site sits idle for the remainder of the day. Getting the maximum time and use of all the flying sites at the IAC during the five weeks of the outdoor Nats would help ease the burden of trying to meet the ever growing requests to hold events at the IAC during the all too short flying season.
 
Hope this answers your question.
Dave
 
 
Dave Mathewson
AMA President
7271 State Fair Blvd.
Baldwinsville, NY 13207
315.727.4275
315.635.1039 Fax
dmathewson_at_mindspring.com
www.modelaircraft.org
Received on Thu Jun 04 2009 - 08:37:01 CEST