jrjohn,

There may be a time and place where you would want to have an unproven insurance policy issued by an unknown insurance company, but I can't figure out when or where that might be. Probably I am not into the high risk adventures that many take.

The common errors many make has to do with visitors and when YOU go visiting. Your homeowners is portable, but it is hard to prove you have it or that it is not canceled for any number of reasons, or that it will even cover model aviation. That might give you a problem at another field, but the AMA 'ticket' takes care of that.

The approach most take at first is that the AMA is not necessary, but this forum is direct proof that the hobby is a social activity. That means that significant portions of us travel and almost all clubs have reason to ask for 'proof of insurance' that I see as an AMA card. Your approach denies the social aspect of the hobby.

As for your initial implication that the AMA will rarely pay on claims is incorrect. I know of several different claims that have been paid.