crownvic

Why do clubs buy insurance from the AMA ? cant we go to private insurers and buy or own coverage? I know that the wife and I just got a 2 million dollar umbrella policy for only 250.00 a year more than what we were paying for or home owners .and if you wanted to fly at other fields all you should need to show is proof of insurance. just like the state demands for driving a car.

was just curious Lonnie

depfife

My Feedback: (14)

I think in large part because it is easier, and cheaper. I am sure there are lots of companies that would sell policies to clubs, but my guess is it would cost more that the AMA charges. If I remember correctly, the annual charter renewal and extra landowners policy through the AMA is less than $150.

Individuals can also purchase insurance that will cover them from a source other than AMA. (Many are already covered by their homeowners policy.) One problem with this is verifying that the coverage is adequate and current. Someone could purchase insurance, and after getting a card or letter from their insurance company documenting the coverage, cancel the policy. How would the club know?

As president of a club that has its flying field on my property, I am not interested in reading a bunch of policies to determine if it provides enough coverage, and worrying about if the policy is current.

Eric

Note: I started to move this to the AMA forum, but since the question is about getting insurance from a source other than the AMA, I am leaving it in the Clubhouse.

Cyclic Hardover

My Feedback: (3)

Well the AMA has the enitre RC by the %$#'s. It does not matter if you have a 10million dollar policy. If your not AMA, your not participating. This is the way it is plain and simple.

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

Actually, one of my clubs tried to find an alternate provider for field and owner insurance. One of our members is an agent, and he could not find a company that would write a policy for our field.

Now, perhaps if we banded together with a statistically significant group of other clubs, we could interest an insurance company. However, someone would have to do a bunch of work to put that all together.

We just went ahead and rechartered with AMA.

I don't think your beef is with the AMA. They go through the insurance company selection process every year or two, and the work is not trivial.

Or so it seems to me,
Dave Olson

crownvic

When we buy auto ins. dont we also buy uninsured motorist or under insured motorist coverage dont seem like much of a problem. Our club has 150 members at 50.00 bucks each you dont think that we could get a couple million dollars woth of primary liabilty for 7500.00dollars a year. I am not saying that you can by that kind of coverage I dont know never ran the numbers but from what I know about insurance it seems quit workable

depfife

My Feedback: (14)

crownvic,

You should be able to get a policy for much less than that, but it would other clubs honor it? What if you or another club member want to visit another field?

It will be difficult for another company to open the same doors that AMA membership does. It could be done, but I don't see enough demand to make it profitable. As I said before, the AMA is too cheap and easy to stir up much demand for a alternative. Visit the AMA forum and look at the UMA threads.

Eric

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

There are people who absolutely detest the AMA. So called free spirits who object to regulation.
Let's throw in a few reasons why we need AMA. The insurance per club, if you could find any, would be exorbitant. Most contests, if you are competition oriented, are put on by AMA clubs. You won't be welcome without an AMA membership card. We need a fairly large orgnization to speak for all RCer's when it comes to FCC regulations and any other government regs. As part of NAA we have that.
The most scary words are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you".

scottrc

Right now due to some major erros with AMA record keeping, our club got an extended property owners coverage from a private insurace company. If AMA wasn't so goofed up right now, by far their insurance program would be the best because trying to be self insured is also a big headache. Making sure the paperwork is filled out, making the multiple payments, worrying that the adjuster will find some loophole to cancel you, yadda yadda yadda. However this is that what the majority of the club wanted, and thats what they got. I bet though in a year or two, we'll be back with AMA.

Those with a beef with AMA, my advice is to VOTE and don't give up defending yourself to them. I don't hate the AMA as an organization, I'm just PO'd with their current management and how the operations are ran.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

The other reason to use AMA as an insurer, and most everyone has touched on it, is the consistency of coverage. Everybody has the same coverage as everybody else; you don't go to another field with another club and have to worry that their policy has an exclusion yours doesn't have, they don't have to worry that your limits aren't as good as theirs. We're all basically doing the same thing, anyway, so knowing that everybody's coverage is as good as yours, is the SAME as yours is comforting. And the group idea to get better policies is carried to its ultimate limit through AMA. How many hundred thousand members do we have now, anyway?

crownvic

Was just wondering why things are the way they are. know I have some idea why it is

Thanks Lonnie

ira d

I agree 1,000 % but it should not be that way but it seems nothing can be done about it
at this point. the only reason the AMA does this is to force people to join.