Originally Posted by
porcia83
A privately owned club out in the middle of nowhere...how sweet that must be. I see some of them out in the central and midwestern states with the huge crisscrossing runways and covered areas for the members, man that would be nice. One club I belong right by my house has dues of 25.00 which is a steal, however there is nothing there other than a port-o-john, the "field" is actually a turf farm. The main club I fly at is 80 to join, and 65 a year which I think is a steal as well considering what the club has. Over half our dues go to cutting the lawn.
One of the things I do is try to think things through to a logical conclusion, sometimes perhaps years in the future. One factor I wonder about with respect to the long term health of the AMA is the consistency of the "user experience" from the member's perspective. Now, I fully realize that not everyone will be able to have the Muncie experience. However, I do think there should be concern over what happens if gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" becomes too large? Especially when folks are paying $100 a year for a grass field with limitations and no permanent shade, etc. compared to others you get paved runways, covered prep areas, and toilets with running water for that same amount?
I think it's a valid question that points back at my OP. How many others will, like me, choose to switch the type of flying they do to something they find just as enjoyable yet comes without so much financial or logistical overhead? In all cases, for the die-hards it won't matter. But will there be enough die-hards long term?