Aviation Model Expo Coming in January

From space shuttle commanders to the guy next door, the Academy of Model Aeronautics annual exposition has everything of interest for hobbyists and aviation aficionados.

Coming to the convention center in Ontario, Calif. the weekend of January 8-10 will be more than 200 exhibitors and several noted aviation pioneers as speakers.

Along with merchandise, demonstrations and exhibits, attendees will enjoy up-close-and-personal presentations by such noted aviators as Burt Rutan, aerospace designer with planes hanging in the Smithsonian; Robert "Hoot" Gibson, five-time space shuttle commander and pilot; Jon Sharp, designer and pilot of the record-breaking Nemesis NXT full-scale racer; Capt. Tom Huff, commander of the Naval Test Wing Atlantic; renowned air show aerobat and airline captain Matt Chapman; and SpaceShip One designer and structural engineer Dan Kreigh.

SpaceShip One: An Illustrated History author Dan Linehan will also be on hand to sign his book.

All presentations are free with price of admission: one-day pass is $15, two-day $28 and three-day $36. For additional information and ticket purchasing, visit www.modelaircraft.org/amaexpo.

All of the presenters "caught the flying bug" at a very early age, excelling at model building and competitions as youth before going on to distinguished careers in aviation and aerospace.

"I trace it all back to my AMA days," says expert racer Jon Sharp. "It's gotten me to where I am today in aerospace."

Get inspired by aviation heroes and pioneers, view a massive, vintage, 18-cylinder Curtiss-Wright piston engine built for the 1950s Lockheed Constellation, let the kids sit in a one-third scale F-117 stealth fighter, see the latest in model aviation technology on display - it's all at the AMA Expo 2010 for those who have caught the flying bug.

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