Years ago, as a junior officer in a squadron, a Navy Flag taught me a valuable lesson: "There is no problem that cannot be made worse."

Consider what happens to our hobby if the FAA sees this action by Muncie and decides to escalate by formally denying the AMA's request to be recognized as a CBO. There would be some poetic justice in that from the FAA's perspective, as with a stroke of a pen the AMA's beloved section 336 language would immediately become a set of golden handcuffs.

Thumbing one's nose at a federal agency generally doesn't end well. Be careful what we wish for. If administrative controls like registration are ignored, then the FAA will have no option but to impose strict operational controls. Things like no flight above 400' AGL anywhere. No flight within lateral limits of class B, C, or D airspace or within 5 NM of hospitals with heliports. This can get a lot worse if we're not careful or are seen as not playing well with others.