Originally Posted by
franklin_m
Unfortunately, it was the hobbyist organization, AMA, that injected itself into the public discussion as the defacto "CBO." The media is lumping us all together. For while AMA and its members understand the subtleties of the issue, the overwhelming majority of lawmakers, regulators, media, and the public do not.
And the alternative was what, do nothing and hope for the best? Was there another organization that would have advocated for us the way the AMA did? Would the outcome as we know it now, and hope to see it in the future, have been better without the AMA involvement? You may have noted or made suggestions in this regard in the past but I haven't looked back that far, nor do I honestly recall. If not the AMA, then who?
I also don't think the media "lumps us all together". They report the news, and when they do a story involving someone doing something stupid it isn't automatically a hit piece on those of us who obey the rules and regs. Most of the time the hobby isn't even mentioned, it's the actions of one or more people. I have however seen stories where they go out of the way to explain what safe flying entails, and then talk about the AMA/FAA partnership. I don't see that as a negative.