AMA, Best Buy Team Up on Consumer Drone Education

Best Buy distributing AMA safety guidelines, offering memberships to
customers purchasing drones this holiday season

MUNCIE, Ind.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and Best Buy are teaming up to
educate consumers purchasing drones this holiday season. As part of a
recently formed relationship with AMA, Best Buy locations will display
brochures with AMA safety guidelines on store shelves and also feature
regulation and safety information on the store receipts of drone
purchases. In addition, Best Buy is offering one-year AMA memberships
for purchase.

“Safety has always been our number one priority. By teaming up with Best
Buy, we hope to help even more new drone operators learn how to fly
responsibly,” said Dave Mathewson, executive director of AMA, the
largest community-based organization for recreational model aviation
enthusiasts. “We have long said that education is the best way to
promote safety and that’s why we’re excited to enter into this
relationship with one of the nation’s leading retailers.

The safety brochures are currently available in more than 1,000 Best Buy
stores across the U.S. The “Fly Responsibly” message is appearing on all
receipts for drone purchases in stores, and online on pages where drones
are sold. In addition, Best Buy employees who sell drones are required
to complete an online training course, in part focusing on safe and
responsible use of the technology. The safety brochure distributed by
Best Buy is available here.

Best Buy has also begun selling AMA memberships in stores and online.
AMA membership gives consumers access to up-to-date information on
potential drone-related regulations, as well as access to local clubs
where consumers can take their drones to fly and receive instruction
from experienced operators.

Since late 2014, Best Buy has been selling drones including models from
DJI, Yuneec, Parrot and 3DR technology.

In November, Best Buy’s drone
buying guide was one of the top-viewed buying guides available on BestBuy.com.

The relationship with Best Buy is the latest part of AMA’s ongoing
education efforts, which includes the Know Before You Fly campaign. AMA
created this campaign along with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle
Systems International (AUVSI). The campaign was launched in December
2014 in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to
provide drone users with the information and guidance they need to fly
safely and responsibly.

About AMA

The Academy of Model Aeronautics, founded in 1936, continues to be
devoted to national airspace safety. It serves as the nation’s
collective voice for more than 185,000 modelers in 2,400 clubs in the
United States and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Muncie, Indiana, AMA is
a membership organization representing those who fly model aircraft for
recreation and educational purposes.

Contacts

Academy of Model Aeronautics
Allison Haley, 202-777-3509
media@modelaircraft.org
or
Best
Buy
Ryan Stanzel, 651-261-2054
ryan.stanzel@bestbuy.com