he AMA has aligned us and made us responsible for a group of flyers that will never be part of the AMA. If you are willing to fly your drone according to the AMA safety code fine, your not the problem. However, that is not what I have seen with drone flying. The very nature of quad flying is exploration of hard to reach prohibited areas.
Like the drone hitting the Capital Building in Albany NY. (
http://news10.com/2015/10/07/adam-ru...-into-capitol/ ) October 7 2015.
The majority of drone users(Camera,GPS,FPV) are not content with line of sight flying.
The small quad-copters non-camera, non-GPS or simple flight stabilization, (they sell them in 7/11)
will end up in the scrap heap in short order. Not to say they can't do
damage perceptually as well as physically. However the drone groups advocating
unrestricted flight can never become part of the AMA. The AMA safety
code prohibit such flights. Isn't it interesting that DJI the large Chinese Drone Manufacturer (
http://www.economist.com/news/busine...sing-market-up) has offered to underwrite drone insurance. Their actuaries probably computed the risk/reward and figured it would improve sales. About 5 billion by 2021.
I personally know, too many AMA members that fly drones around heavy full scale aircraft areas. Near Laguardia airport, from parks on Long Island Sound in New Rochelle NY. Do they think they're covered by AMA.
Drone flying at an AMA field in the flight pattern, or Drone racing FPV or line of sight ,must
occur at an AMA field for our AMA insurance to be in effect.
The AMA Park Flier program has circumvented this, and opened Pandora's Box of problems. This has encouraged people to fly where ever they want to. The people I know, who fly drones get a huge kick out of sending their drones and cameras out on a programmed flight course, out of line of sight, taking beautiful pictures, then boring their fellow fliers with these pictures.
We got two big problems the general drone flying public, who the AMA has made us responsible for, and these obstinate AMA fliers who believe it is their RIGHT to fly unrestricted over people and property. Municipalities have already restricted such flights. I have been at AMA events like IRCHA and had video drones over my head, I didn't feel too comfortable.
I wonder if one of these renegade drone fliers would like it if a drone flew over their children at a park.
Yet, Bob Brown our President of the AMA in his most recent Presidents
perspective in January 2016 issue, says, he is hopeful that more retailers like Best Buy will purchase AMA
membership for "qualified buyers of the products (drone) they sell. The problem isn't bad enough Bob you want to add fuel (30% Nitro) to the fire. But good O'le Bob says; it can all be cure by education, this is Bob's cover story. Well, the story is either greed or stupidity, in either case it is not the position for a president of a national organization to take.
He further states, "you can help by allowing these new pilots a safe place to fly and helping to introduce them into our great hobby."
Well Bob, most of these general public wouldn't give a squirt of piss for the AMA membership. Neither do they want to find an AMA field to limit their flying. The AMA has put us in this situation A few safe places still exist, but may not exist much longer if this
FAA registration goes through. Yeah, I know it's only $5 bucks, the slouches of this hobby say, and of course the AMA has all our information already and would gladly provide it to the FAA anyway.
Hey I got some rope in my garage, for my own hanging but I won't run to provide it to the hangman.
Usually, a person wanting to learn to fly, will venture to a club, introduce themselves, purchase AMA and begin a learning phase of flying, this still could happen, but is highly unlikely to, for the majority of drone purchases.
President Brown has short circuited the filtering process that occurs at most clubs. Not all people who WANT to fly, SHOULD FLY. Some lack the ability, maturity or both. The unqualified, unsafe and uncooperative are generally not granted permission to fly by the club. We all had to jump through many hoops to EARN permission to fly. Now any jerk with a credit card and two thumbs is qualified for an AMA membership. We are grouped with the largely unknown general public and the renegade AMA fliers.
How would you feel if a General Motors, and Ford, decided to provide free
insurance, from your insurance companies, to unlicensed individuals , seeking a learners permit to drive? Gee, I thought you got the permit
and experience under the watchful eye of an instructor before you took the car on the road.
Your insurance premiums would sky rocket in this scenario due to increasing claims of liability. The law makers would be compelled of course, to legislate against all drivers since we would all be mixed together.
This is what our AMA has done to us, with their programs and policies.
The AMA as a provider of insurance has violated their fiduciary responsibility to it's current members in its' pursuit of future members. That breach of responsibility is an actionable offense.
The AMA and its' board needs to be put on noticed by the current membership that we ain't buying their line of bull. Their move to sue the FAA only came after many emailed the hell out of the AMA. More is needed.
This is my guess on how the deal was structured between AMA and Retailer/Manufacturers.
These AMA retail memberships are, I would imagine, not paid for on a by purchase basis. The paperwork would be staggering, for the retailers and the AMA. The manufacturers, knew they were going to have trouble with the sale/use of these drones, so they needed a front man, the AMA, volunteered to take the heat for all the problems that would arise, in exchange for $membership dollars. The AMA wanted the money from all the new members , so under the guise of embracing technology and educating people about the joys of flying, the AMA threw us, their current members under the bus.
The retailers and the "some manufacturers have probably made a lump sum payment to the AMA that could be applied to new members. The AMA will use that $Money for Washington Lobbyists,salaries, and expense accounts.
Do you like how the lobbyists have lobbied for your hobby?