Originally Posted by
porcia83
Ask for as if it's an entitlement you mean, because you're a dues payer? I wasn't aware that was one of the rights and priveldges of being an AMA member, that being the right to ask for some of my dues back for pet projects.
As you were last checking, did you notice that this private organization already does give money out, site grants and scholarships being just two examples? I know this won't be nearly enough, they have to give more and more money away to make everyone happy, but will it? Of course not, because then someone will come along complaining that they didn't get something, or that another group got more than they did.
Weren't you one of the folks complaining about the AMA's cash on hand position not that long ago too? The AMA is run like a business, not Pop Pop and Granny at Christmas time checking off wish list items.
(1) If they didn't want people to ask for money for projects, the program would not exist. Since the program is funded at least in part by dues, then yes indeed it is a members' right to ask.
(2) At the time, AMA was talking about establishing new fields. Our group came up with the hardest part of it, the land, but AMA wasn't interested in providing assistance because it would not have been open to every AMA member, yet they're well aware that already exists in AMA and they allow it. Why they drew a line in this case, we'll never know. Now, it's their right to say no, which they did, and in the end they not only didn't get a field free of encroachment, noise complaints, etc., they lost the field they had. Now, if that's acceptable to them, losing another field when they had the opportunity to get a great replacement, then so be it.
(3) Yes, I spoke about their cash on hand, but that was in the context of an overall financial health discussion and, you'll note, it's a trend that post dates the request.
(4) And someone below indicated that if weather during the summer was an issue, the what about spring / fall. Fair question. Unfortunately, the transition seasons & winter brought strong, gusty and variable winds, and when it wasn't windy, dense fog. Not to say their couldn't be a day here and there to fly, but the prime flying weather (except for heat) is in Jun-Aug.