Originally Posted by
aeajr
For those who are uninformed about the efforts AMA has put forth around government relations over the past few years I would point you to the AMA government relations blog. If you are really interested, I am sure you will find this very informative.
http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/
AMA has a long history of advocating for the model aviation community with the FAA and the FCC. It was partially through the efforts of AMA that we have had designated frequencies for flying over the years.
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Somewhat limited by the lack of transparency, I think I'm as well informed about AMA government relations as the next Joe member. I don't question the efforts, or the $1,000,000 expended on it so far. I do question what has resulted from investment of those resources. We have lost some freedom to enjoy flying model airplanes to government control by federal statute (not FAA regulation that might be tempered via the NPRM process), and abandoned advocacy for the great majority of the model aviation community by limiting it the small subgroup that are AMA members. To me, those are additional and very substantial 'costs' to modelers, not benefits. What have we gained?