Im actually not too far from you, in Binghamton, NY. The only local flying club i know of is the Binghamton Aero's Giant Scale Club. Do you know of any in this area??

I have had one guy offer to teach my dad how to fly for free on one of his planes, and im trying to convince my dad to learn how to fly with me, and then to buy our own plane so we can go whenever we want. I'll also look into AMA membership. Thanks for all the help, and keep it coming if possible