Dues increase coming? 1 million spent on government relations.....
07-07-2015, 05:21 PM
#452
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Mike
07-07-2015, 06:14 PM
#453
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I retired from a company that over 30 years raised it's rates over 300% with annual rate increases from 8 to 11 percent. We were almost a monopoly…but as time wore on the rate increases fell on the shoulders of the past good loyal customers over and over. There was not a big enough influx of new customers willing to pay the higher rates, to sustain the growth quotas set by the company. We reached the point where we were a true oligopoly. With each new rate increase we lost a proportional number of customers from our base. The old base was tired of paying the freight.
I wonder if with the dynamic growth of the drone industry and hobby drone sales should not be the most excellent target of the AMA for the generation of new money. So there are 175,000 members of the AMA, up from 172,000 last year. I dare say that half of the 175,000 are over 55…and slowly dying off. I believe there are more than 175,000 additional drone only pilots who are not members of the AMA. That should be the marketing target of the AMA. Not rate increases on the old loyal members… chase the new money! Give hobby stores incentives to sell AMA along with the super Go-Pro drone.
I wonder if with the dynamic growth of the drone industry and hobby drone sales should not be the most excellent target of the AMA for the generation of new money. So there are 175,000 members of the AMA, up from 172,000 last year. I dare say that half of the 175,000 are over 55…and slowly dying off. I believe there are more than 175,000 additional drone only pilots who are not members of the AMA. That should be the marketing target of the AMA. Not rate increases on the old loyal members… chase the new money! Give hobby stores incentives to sell AMA along with the super Go-Pro drone.
07-07-2015, 07:52 PM
#454
Yeah, I would have to agree. There are a lot of expenditures that I think are unnecessary. I can not imagine asking a newcomer, or teenager to spend $75 to fly a model airplane. Something is out of whack. I particularly dislike the idea that I have to pay extra in order to fight for the right to fly a model airplane because of the fact that drone flyers are giving us a bad name. Most of them are not buying an A.M.A membership. We're being penalized by the actions of some non members. It's not right. But I've been put in my place, I'm just a lowly sport flyer with an opinion and don't really have any right to my thoughts. Heck, it's only a 29% increase, "Why are you complaining Tom"?
07-08-2015, 03:30 AM
#455
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I retired from a company that over 30 years raised it's rates over 300% with annual rate increases from 8 to 11 percent. We were almost a monopoly…but as time wore on the rate increases fell on the shoulders of the past good loyal customers over and over. There was not a big enough influx of new customers willing to pay the higher rates, to sustain the growth quotas set by the company. We reached the point where we were a true oligopoly. With each new rate increase we lost a proportional number of customers from our base. The old base was tired of paying the freight.
I wonder if with the dynamic growth of the drone industry and hobby drone sales should not be the most excellent target of the AMA for the generation of new money. So there are 175,000 members of the AMA, up from 172,000 last year. I dare say that half of the 175,000 are over 55…and slowly dying off. I believe there are more than 175,000 additional drone only pilots who are not members of the AMA. That should be the marketing target of the AMA. Not rate increases on the old loyal members… chase the new money! Give hobby stores incentives to sell AMA along with the super Go-Pro drone.
I wonder if with the dynamic growth of the drone industry and hobby drone sales should not be the most excellent target of the AMA for the generation of new money. So there are 175,000 members of the AMA, up from 172,000 last year. I dare say that half of the 175,000 are over 55…and slowly dying off. I believe there are more than 175,000 additional drone only pilots who are not members of the AMA. That should be the marketing target of the AMA. Not rate increases on the old loyal members… chase the new money! Give hobby stores incentives to sell AMA along with the super Go-Pro drone.
The AMA needs to let the members know just what the game plan is and how they will implement it along with a dollar amount they intend to spend.
Mike
Last edited by rcmiket; 07-08-2015 at 06:36 AM.
07-08-2015, 12:56 PM
#459
Yeah, I would have to agree. There are a lot of expenditures that I think are unnecessary. I can not imagine asking a newcomer, or teenager to spend $75 to fly a model airplane. Something is out of whack. I particularly dislike the idea that I have to pay extra in order to fight for the right to fly a model airplane because of the fact that drone flyers are giving us a bad name. Most of them are not buying an A.M.A membership. We're being penalized by the actions of some non members. It's not right. But I've been put in my place, I'm just a lowly sport flyer with an opinion and don't really have any right to my thoughts. Heck, it's only a 29% increase, "Why are you complaining Tom"?
07-08-2015, 01:08 PM
#461
Originally Posted by TimJ 
Where would you hold the Nats then?
Lots of venues out there
Originally Posted by porcia83 And then the staff goes where?
Somewhere more affordable.
ORIGINAL: jefflangton
Time to bend over and let your head pop out!!!!
Dang, maybe they should build more?
btw, what's the nats?
Last edited by jonkoppisch; 07-08-2015 at 01:24 PM.
07-08-2015, 01:31 PM
#464
How else will you pay their huge salaries as well? Not to mention the over a million dollar building..
2008 numbers (you can be assured its more now..)
2008 numbers (you can be assured its more now..)
From the 2008 AMA tax return:
Craig Schroeder, Comptroller $26,923
Diana Garza , comptroller $67,784
Jim Cherry , Executive Director $125,260
JOYCE HAGER , ASST EXEC DIRECTOR $107,727
Compensation of current officers, directors , trustees, and key employees $353,453 (above named included)
Other salaries and wages $1,630,394 (40 to 50 employees)
Other employee benefits $283,761
I assume it has increased since 2008.
Craig Schroeder, Comptroller $26,923
Diana Garza , comptroller $67,784
Jim Cherry , Executive Director $125,260
JOYCE HAGER , ASST EXEC DIRECTOR $107,727
Compensation of current officers, directors , trustees, and key employees $353,453 (above named included)
Other salaries and wages $1,630,394 (40 to 50 employees)
Other employee benefits $283,761
I assume it has increased since 2008.
07-08-2015, 01:44 PM
#465
With our club of over 100 I'd bet not over 4 members have ever been to Muncie. And probably just a few more than that knows what the nats is? The average member at our field has some 40 sz planes and probably a couple electrics. The AMA to them is strictly something that the club makes them get to be able to fly there...
Added: The nats is great for a select few.... The nats to me is Joe Nall!
Added: The nats is great for a select few.... The nats to me is Joe Nall!
Last edited by jonkoppisch; 07-08-2015 at 01:49 PM.
07-08-2015, 03:10 PM
#467
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Lets back up here John VH. AMA is primary insurance for those that don't have Home Owners Insurance or those that do have Home Owners Insurance that do not cover model aircraft. I have yet to ever sit through an AMA EC (at the AMA Expo) meeting where the AMA say we are trying to not pay this claim. That is a 100 percent false accusation you are trying to chum the water with.
07-08-2015, 04:58 PM
#468
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Mike
07-08-2015, 05:01 PM
#469
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As for the "million dollar building"...LOL...it's a headquarters. Know of many buildings now a days that aren't worth a million dollars?
So is your proposal that they find a strip mall location and pay minimum wages? What's your alternative?
07-08-2015, 05:23 PM
#471
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07-08-2015, 05:38 PM
#473
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depends on how you look at it but AMA is self insured for the first quarter million, if I recall correctly... So they are sort of an insurance company in some sense.... Fwiw I know of one case where a previous AMA AVP testified as paid expert witness to have an AMA member's claim denied.
07-09-2015, 04:06 AM
#475
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Teens up to 18 or 19 don't pay anything nada nothing it all "FREE" Trouble is most kids can't afford the hobby un less their parent is involved. Besides what would U suggest we do to get the FAA off our backs because of a few Drone Pilots that aren't even members of the AMA. This hobby ain't cheep and I'd gladly pay anything it takes to keep the FEDs at bay. With out the AMA we'd be Stuffed as the Aussies say.
That is precisely what we have been taking about: spend a little money educating the media, the public and the law makers on the fact that the fast growing LARGE GROUP of DRONE users are NOT US: we, at the AMA, have been practicing model aviation for close to 80 years, and have been rather trouble free. That would cost much less than embracing, and lobbying on behalf of, a fast growing number of DRONE users who have no incentive to join the AMA and follow the AMA guidelines: what DRONE pilots enjoy is flying wherever they want, how they want, and often taking pictures or videos of whatever they want.
What incentive would they have to pay any money to join an organization that will tell them that should not be doing what they do the way they do it: such as they should fly at designated flying sites, in line of sight, with a spotter, in a safe manner that is consistent with safe flying for model aviation.
The multirotor guys (or girls) who fly at the field are not the issue: these are flying a heli with more than one main rotor and are simply not the problem.
