Every club is different, and has different circumstances. I, for one, do not want the AMA telling our club how it MUST be run.

Some fields, such as the one BasinBum flys at are city owned and operated. There is no cost to the modeler, other than those involved in the pursuit of the hobby.

Other fields, such as the one owned by Horrace's club, are paying every penny of the cost of acquisition and upkeep.

Others fall in between.

It seems only reasonable that different clubs would have different attitudes and rules about when an individual must join. At any rate, it is the right of the individual club to make that determination. No one should be mandating that someone MUST be instructed, or under what circumstances. Yes, there are guidelines available as to what skills an instructor should have, but, no one is telling a club that they MUST follow those guidelines, and... that is as it should be.