porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

The answer is yes, yet another program the AMA has in place to help local clubs who want to help themselves, and promote the hobby as well. Might even lead to new paying members? I know some of our world champion pilots right now were part of the program, and they certainly stuck around for the fun.

TAG. Take off and Grow.

Promote local clubs, teach others how to fly, promote the hobby, and strengthen ties within the community. And get paid up to $1,000 to participate.

Win Win!

http://amaflightschool.org/sites/def...ntroLetter.pdf

franklin_m

It's not truly getting paid. The club buys things to support the event. Say trainers, transmitters, buddy cords, etc. The club keeps them when they're done. No additional money for maintenance and upkeep. Big difference from "getting paid for it."

rcmiket

There's no guarantee that your club will even get reimbursed. TAG is a good program and clubs should take advantage of it but there's a lot more to it than "getting a handout".

Mike

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

Do you speak of this from personal experience? Is there any program or process you can't find fault with?

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

What, a suggestion that the AMA won't come through in a program...color me shocked. Only one of the regulars missing at this point. Surely there are more stones to be cast.

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

You should be pleased, it is the whole reason you posted in the first place, no?

Astro

rcmiket

"AMA won't come through in a program...color me shocked"

From Astro's qoute.

You make a application which must be approved just as you would for the "site assistance grant" ( or any other AMA grant). Do all those "requests" get approved. NO
You make it sound like you ask and they just send a ATM card.
Mike

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

lol, no actually that was from my quote Mike. The quotes you read. The program is there to be used, and a club can see up to $1,000 for their efforts. Of course it's not an ATM, the club needs to have some skin in the game. Just like the grants they give for field improvements, disaster relief etc etc.

Only here can a program to help clubs and promote the hobby turn into something bad. Carry on.

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

And only Porcia can so grossly twist and spin anothers' words into "bad" LOL

For the record, here is what Mike REALLY said:

Porcia, you clearly do not want any positive to come from any of your threads or posts, just more self-glorifying strutting around claiming everyone else is paranoid, threatened, just plain wrong, unjustified, etc., etc.

Astro

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

Now why would you leave out this part of Mike's comment:

"There's no guarantee that your club will even get reimbursed"

Do you think that statement provides any context to the discussion, or is it inconvenient to include that in on your quote? I'm sure Mike appreciates the lengths that folks will come to his defense, but really, just be honest with what he really said....it's right there in black and white. He's trying to have it both ways there.

Appreciate your opinion on what I want and don't want, but again, you seem to want it both ways. If I post anything positive in any thread, the pack descends and calls me glee club, fan boi, etc etc. All the adults here are really good at name calling (memes too), lol. Your premise is so flawed, and based on your personal grudge, not reality. Look at the threads I've started, why wouldn't I want to talk about something positive, isn't it a pleasant change from the decades plus long anti AMA diatribes we see here? You and the other 4 or 5 prove beyond a glimmer of doubt the negativity, anger, and cynicism that resides here. You won't agree with that, and you or Init will come back with either the big angry rebuttal or lol (be original at least), but that's just fact. If there are 5 threads that even border on positive, look what you and the others do with them. If the AMA was responsible for curing cancer and I posted a thread about that, tell me the usuals wouldn't be in there finding a way to make it negative. C'mon now. These threads are like national politics, nobodies mind is being changed, and that fact alone seems to drive folks nuts. I'll never expect anyone to change their views here, look back at the history of these threads and you'll see what I mean. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

Because it really has no bearing on the point I was trying to make. That part of Mikes' statement is the absolute truth. There is no guarantee of reimbursement. Period. end of story. absolutely true statement, not "good", not "bad", just the truth. But you rarely want to acknowledge the facts, just your opinions and spin and twist. God forbid the AMA is not perfect, right?

My point in most of my rebuttals to your posts is that you are the exact polar opposite of the ones you continually take jabs at. Nothing good can come of that (as witnessed in how these threads continue to play out) and you know that, yet (in your mind) you take the high road and everyone else takes the low, simply because you choose to only see the positives and everyone else chooses to point out things they see need improvement (negatives, if you will).

Once you realize this and want to acquiesce that the AMA is not perfect and that there are members out there that have differing views of what the AMA is to them, and what the AMA could possibly do better, we may be able to move out of the quagmire and into some positive discussions that could possibly (again, God forbid) result in the AMA being a better, stronger, more unified organization. None of us that have been critical of the AMA at one point or another, has ever said the organization was an abject failure (yes, I realize there have been one or two over the years that have pretty much said that, but you and I both know that (like everything else) these folks are the exception rather than the rule), yet you continue to portray us as just that, haters, if you will.

Again, you portray yourself as taking the high road. You are not innocent and you know it. you are every bit as accusatory as the next guy here, you just continue to use that to try and label folks as "bad". Right or wrong, adults do resort to name-calling (have you been watching the POTUS debates?) it's just that most of us learn by the third grade to ignore and accept it, not whine about it. Furthermore, you are so seemingly thin-skinned that when someone points out your blatant hypocrisies, and labels it hypocritical, you cry foul. LOL

LOL! If you are going to accuse, I beg of you to clarify and provide facts, otherwise it is just more of your hyperbole.

Well, they didn't so I guess it would be ludicrous to even entertain that notion, now, wouldn't it? Just more proof that you do not want to debate the facts, just spin and deflect to completely deflect from reality . I mean, you want to talk flawed premise? The AMA responsible for curing cancer???? LOL

Yet you continue to start new threads daily, knowing this? I think that is what I was referring to when you accused me of flawed premises? REALLY? Time for someone to take a long, hard look in the mirror!

LOL

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

As I sat down and enjoyed a most excellent omelette for breakfast, I couldn't help but ponder this statement.

As much as a cure for cancer would be an AMAZING accomplishment, you are right, I would question WHY MY AMA $$ were being directed toward cancer research, rather than toward the advancement of the hobby. I mean, I already donate to cancer research, I wouldn't expect those organizations to be lobbying the FAA on behalf of modelers, would I? Would you?

Is it so wrong to expect my dollars to be spent in accordance with the mission statement of the organization that I send them to?

Only in your dizzying world could you somehow justify that!

Astro

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Gentlemen,
Let's put the baseball bats away and quit beating each other over the head with them. If you can't find it within yourselves to stop the personal attacks on each other then I'll close down the thread since obviously you don't want to discuss the object of the thread.

Ken

astrohog

My Feedback: (1)

Ken,

With all due respect, I hardly consider pointing out one's clear spin and deflection as a personal attack. In fact, it should be completely within one's right to point out the obvious mis-quotes and intent to spin ones words into some form that clearly differs from the original posters' intent or actual words.

With respect for the difficult job you have,

Astro

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

There is a huge difference between pointing out "pointing out one's clear spin and deflection" and some of the posts that were made with the clear intent of getting somebody riled up and starting an argument. If you notice I have left posts that where members are discussing the sides of the discussion, but I have removed posts that were nothing more than attacks on each other. Believe me when I say that normally I prefer just to let a thread run it's course and let members discuss issues to their hearts contents in this forums. But lately several members in this forum have come in here and have taken to the role of attacking each other's comments. If one of them says' "up" the other one will say "down" just because it's opposite of the other one. And that is what prompted my warning here in this thread. As I said, I have left what parts of your discussion that are appropriate and I have removed that which is not.

Ken

rcmiket

Not every TAG request will be granted, It's really not hard to understand why either. I pointed out that not EVERY application for money ( grants) is approved it's just a fact of life. I actually pointed out that I thought it was a good program.
What's the problem here?
Mike

Grants are limited to a maximum award of $1000. This grant is awarded in April after selection by the district vice president.


The above from the TAG information page should clear up my statement about not every club receiving a grant they request.

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

I'll have an update in the thread shortly clarifying some issues. I don't think folks generally know about all the different programs out there that either afford us a chance to promote the hobby with the help (and is some cases compensation) of the AMA, or just get something for the club. The grant process is one of them noted here, the other getting paid for getting your club or event in the media (up to $175.00 dollars). Not a windfall, but for smaller clubs not anything to turn away I would think.

Hopefully someone that might not have looked at the TAG program previously as a way to get more involved with the community and as an extra bonus will either understand it better, or even give it a shot. Our club is contemplating doing something a little different with it, and if it works I'll provide an update. Actually if it doesn't work I'll update anyway and perhaps it will work for someone else.

raptureboy

From my personal experience for applying for a grant to help our club find a new field, the club will have to put out the money up front and then maybe they will be considered for a grant. In our case another local club got assistance money to build new flight stands and we got nothing. We spent over $2,000 locating a new field and still have more to go yet. I guess we will apply again. It would be nice to know what the criteria is for deciding who deserves to get money.

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

Part of the issue is folks understanding what the different programs are, what paperwork needs to be filled out (not something everyone does), and what possible assistance will be given. In some instances yes, the club needs to pay the money out ahead of time, to show that they have skin in the game and are not just looking freebie (not saying your club did that,). It seems rationale and fair that not everyone is just going to get what they want just because they ask. The criteria for the grants is laid out in the paperwork you complete. The process by which the grant is accepted or denied isn't laid out, nor should it be(imo) as it was never please everyone. It's safe to assume that the idea itself is considered, along with the needs of the club, if the club has been the recipient of any other grants/programs, and probably the grant submission itself. There is an art and science to writing grant applications, some non profits have folks who do nothing but this job. A cogent, well thought out request along with as much documentation as possible doesn't hurt. I've written two over the past 5 years that thankfully/luckily were granted, and helped some other clubs with theirs (still pending).

There is no harm in submitting it again, but it might not be a bad idea to reach out to someone at the AMA dealing with that specific grant area and ask them for some helpful hints or suggestions.

rcmiket

http://www.modelaircraft.org/aboutam...n/hqstaff.aspx

Contact Tony Stillman for help and questions as far as how the process works along with how to improve your chances of getting a grant. He's a really nice guy and will do whatever he can to assist you with your grant application.

Mike