I don't see the rift coming....I see it here already!
An interesting thought on what the AMA can become down the road. I'm thinking that ultimately they will stay true to the roots of the organization, they will always be here for the hobby, and for modeling. Going "public" and for profit brings a whole new level of issues, and honestly I don't see that they are in a position to offer the business side of the uav's anything that attractive right now. That anyone would pay for that is, other than indemnity coverage. The big players are light years ahead infrastructure wise, I see the AMA as the little guy in this matter, necessary, but little. I think they can still add value to the proposition by keeping their involvement hobby/educational in nature. That being said, never say never, they might form a for profit side, stranger things have happened I guess. The discipline is probably best captured as a SIG too, I've heard rumors about that, as well as a website popping up soon.