Originally Posted by
TimJ
BAHAHAH! That is pretty funny LC!
Silent-AV8R, no matter how you slant your stance, the boat scene in numbers does not match up to the rest of the hobby.
Not RC overall to be sure. But I know for a fact that there are more boat racers in the US than IMAC and pattern pilots (competitors) combined. So no slant, just a fact.
As far as testing goes, I have not seen any evidence that it really does much. I have belonged to clubs that have a testing program and I cannot say that I felt any more safe flying there than at any number of other clubs. Using the AMA Safety Code as a basis for safe operations has worked fairly well over the years, Year in and year out the largest percentage of claims with the AMA are self-inflicted prop injuries. The low number of claims overall, and especially large liability claims I think provides ample proof that what the AMA has been doing is working just fine without a whole new bureaucracy built around testing and certifying pilots, instructors, etc.