I've been following this and similar discussions for some time and there seems to be those who "don't like rules" and those that "feel they are necessary" with another group that falls somewhere in the "middle". That should come as no surprise since there is no way, when more than two people are involved, can you satisfy everyone. Here is my take. Having done CL modeling at the age of 10 or so in a very small midwest town there were no clubs, fields, and nobody new what AMA was. Safety was not a concern since if you got hit by a prop your folks would tell you "be more careful next time" and the thought of a lawsuit didn't cross their mind. Times change and people simply need to change with them. Since this discussion touches on many aspects of the hobby I will hit one that is not generally discussed and that is "Education" and "Awareness" which is a huge part of what AMA is all about. You cannot expect folks to know about AMA and their services unless you make them Aware. You cannot expect safety rules to be followed unless they are "Taught". Have you seen a LiPo fire example. Have you been hit by someones electric airplane that started unexpectedly at "full throttle." Young folks are fascinated with the current crop of conventional and quad copters that have flooded the market and then there are the small electric foam gliders and airplanes. Since their brains are still filled with mush, safety is not a concern to them. And that applies to many young adults and older folks as well. So how do these young folks get to a club field since they are not old enough to drive? They then migrate to parks unaware of the safety to property and others that must be taken into account. Case in point: Earlier this summer I (current club president) received a call from a friend in a relatively upscale area asking whether it was legal to fly in the parking lot of the water park of all places. Legal? No but not for the reasons one might surmise. This parking lot is on the glide path for the local airport. The parking lot was full of kids riding bikes and just meandering around. The pilots of these 40 size nitro models were adults who should know better but when questioned, had no idea where they were, what the AMA was, and had absolutely no concern for the property they were on or the houses directly across the street or the airplanes approaching the airport. So my point here is there is no cure for "stupid". These folks figured they could fly wherever they darned well pleased. As an instructor, I've worked with the very young, youngsters with ADHD, to duffers like myself. Learning to fly does not happen until one learns that "spinning, whirling things traveling at high speed can do serious damage".

I also reject the notion that AMA membership fees are the "main" reason for membership numbers. People that drive cars know or should know that buying it is just the beginning. You also need plates and insurance -- but you see, a very high percentage of those folks don't carry insurance either. Any sport/hobby whether it is golf or baseball has rules and other expenses, What makes people think that this doesn't apply to Areo-Modeling?

Next point: A Hobby Shop owner that sells model airplanes should really be researching what the AMA is, what it stands for, and what the terminology for the hobby is and if posting signs in the shop, use them properly and do everything in his/her power to actually help people understand that you can get hurt and you can hurt others and damage property with these aircraft. A shop I frequent places stickers on their product boxes informing purchasers to seek out a local club and to visit the AMA web site. Hobby Shops should also do their part at supporting the local clubs by at least showing their face at Club Events or better yet, be there as a vendor to help educate, answer questions, and provide a few items for raffles and prizes (or at reduced prices for the club). Product Manufactures could do a better job of educating purchasers as well.

Our club is very open to newcomers, we "own" our property and as such we can set our own rules which are basically along the AMA safety code. We participate in community parades, support the Civil Air Patrol at one of their full scale events, and we work with the local school system, Kiwanis Golden K, church groups, and are very willing to provide buddy box training following the AMA Intro Pilot program. Some clubs have established a maximum size that they can safely handle and they have the right to do so just like any other organization. Some are electric only. Some are no jets. It is their club and they can do whatever they please. People today seem "demand" that they be accepted no matter what the circumstances because they are from a generation that has never had the word NO or "these are the rules" directed to them.

I could speak about electric model safety having observed and been affected by electric model accidents but that is another topic. Safety and Education in this hobby is the most misunderstood aspect and I support the AMA in their efforts to maintain a semblance of order in this hobby. Without them this hobby would be severely restricted by the FAA and other Government Agencies who feel they are better at looking out for you than anyone else. If you think for one minute that the quad copter and heli incidents out east don't garner Government attention -- better think again. One last note on this. Many of you probably saw the video regarding the giant scale and full scale collision at an event in Brighton, CO a couple years ago. That incident happened because of poor planning, inappropriate scheduling of events and a simple lack of control. How do I know this? I have family that lived there at the time. It was nice that the AMA/FAA and other agencies were nice to each other and didn't point fingers (much) but there was enough blame to go around. Had they followed AMA rules for that event this incident would not have happened. I'm a "duffer" and have not had a problem following rules which got me to this ripe old age without any major heartburn. Following rules is like the Kyocera guy on TV says -- It's really not that difficult. My soapbox just collapsed so I'm done.

Peace & Fly Safely.