Jim:
How to secure and keep a flying site – I would not even dare say I have THE answer. But, all of us need to be working toward this, whether it is local or national. We must Do “OUR” part with safety, noise etc..

Definition(s): (trying to establish some reference here)
In-Active member – belongs to club – flies maybe the last month of the season – maybe
Average Modeler – one who flies on a weekly basis.
Active Member – Flies whenever possible – mostly local ( die-hard )
Very Active Member – Gung-Ho Fanatic – Active in contest etc. at all cost

I don’t know what kind of image was conjured up when I said “average” modeler. Must have been a sore spot … but if I go with my above definitions, average would extent to Active Member.

Matt:

I have given the wrong image. I do not even come close to hating the AMA. I think it is to all of our advantage to be insured together and to have a strong voice in matters that are common to us. The dues are reasonable considering the total cost involved in the hobby. They could ( maybe should ) be increased, with the AMA being responsible for spending correctly and verifying the spenditures to its constituency. Lets take some examples of cost:
Club Dues – Local Site $120/year –they lease the land from a major OEM
1.8 c.i. 4-Stroke $400
Good servo $30-$40
Digital Servo $100
AMA dues – minuscule – not to be compared – but spend/act responsibly is all that a member requires (correct ?).

All:
Mainly I am reiterating some of the rants I have heard since returning to the hobby two years ago. Some people think that the AMA is not representing the “modeler” as it should, and not spending its money responsibly.

On thing I have noticed is the lack of young people involved locally. Maybe the AMA could sponsor a “Youth Program” as a way to increase the strength in numbers. Introduce a plan of action and a means of implementation. Possibly offer credit/rebates to clubs that sponsor and correctly document the implemented AMA program.

Another area needing support (authors opinion) is safety. Here we could use AMA’s guidance also. Some pilots are “signed off” too early, some inactive pilots seem to think that their skill level has been maintained, some pilots “progress” too rapidly to planes they are not qualified to fly (could be me). This may be a local site issue, but with proper guidelines in place, the clubs would have “authority” to enforce the “rules”. There is more to safety than the 55 lb. Rule.

These are just my thoughts. I have never discussed these at my field or club meetings …. Soooooo … please do not over-react. I will still belong to the AMA, read the Magazine and try to act responsible at the field. I truly do not have an axe to grind.

By the way …. This is the second time I typed this long reply. Seems that I hit a wrong button and lost the first draft completely. Is there a way to save long replys in stages so that all is not lost with a bad input (page change etc.).