Originally Posted by RCKen

Ok, anybody that has seen my posts in the "Useless AMA" thread knows that I try to stay as neutral as I can in all things that go in anything that goes on here on RCU, especially as controversial as these recent event concerning the FAA rulings. I said I was going to climb off my soapbox after my rant about the AMA's recent mailing about cheap auto insurance. But now I feel the need to pull the soapbox back out and dust it back off.

I see this mailing by the AMA and they are encouraging us (I stay short of calling it instructing us) to "hold off registering" under the FAA registration system that kicks in starting next Monday. Soooooooooo, let's get this straight now. The AMA now has the legal authority to overrule an agency of the Federal Government. Now please DO NOT get me wrong her that I like the new system of having to register my airplanes, because I hate the entire idea and I want it gone. But, come Monday the 21st it IS Federal regulation that can be backup up with penalties in Federal Courts. So the AMA can tell us to simply not do that. I know that this is going to be a scenario that probably will not happen, but let's play what if for a second. Let's say that I don't register as per the AMA's instructions, and then on January 1st I go out for my club's annual Chili Fly (we cook up pots of chili and go and and fly regardless of the weather). Lo and behold a Federal Officer shows up and wants to see my Federal Registration for me flying my airplanes and I tell him that "Oh, the AMA said I didn't have to do it". Wrong answer.... I get slammed. If you read down the documentation of the new regulation the max fines are up to $250,00 and up to 3 years on jail. So, if I were to get busted for flying without registering my planes is the AMA going to pay for my fines??? Is Bob Brown or Dave Mathewson going to go sit in a jail cell for me??

Once again the AMA has made a bad call. While I hate the FAA and I think that they made bad call by including Model Aircraft in with the drones, the AMA has made a worse call by telling it's membership to ignore Federal Regulations. I really am starting to wonder what is going on in Muncie and what they are thinking when they make these calls, because they really seem less and less like they have the best welfare of the membership in mind when they make calls like this. In fact, this current call to me just stinks more and more of the Executive Council trying to make themselves look good. They are trying to make themselves took like heros that "swooped" in to save us all. Well in my mind they are the part of the problem and not part of the solution, and following their advice to not register is just going to compound that problem. We really need to start voting these guys out of office, starting with Bob Brown.

Does anybody else see the same thing I am seeing here?? Or am I just being goofy??

Ok, Rant Mode off. Soapbox is back in the closet.

Ken