Originally Posted by
speedracerntrixie
Both of you claim that most R/C pilots are like yourselves and fly from a local park. Do you have any evidence of that? Used to be that occasionally I would see someone flying a model in a park or schoolyard. Not so much anymore. I regularly visit 3 club fields locally and usually there are 10-20 guys on a weekend. On my off Fridays I usually see 8-12 guys at the field. From my perspective there are more guys flying at club sites. Not scientific but that is what I see. Mutirotor operators not included in this mix. They for the most part are enjoying their hobby as photographers and as such have no use for AMA or club membership. Their goal is pictures, not flying for the most part.
The best evidence of the change in behaviors is AMA's declining membership revenue and declining charter club fees. As you can see from the attached charts, the trends are clear. Worse yet, 1/3 of all AMA expenses is on people. Fewer members, fewer clubs, and fewer events, yet staff has increased? Not quite sure how that's justified. And to top it all off, the magazine continues to lose money. At some point, there has to be some cuts.
