Gee Dad, what did this start? LOL
What I do know, is we (RCU'ers) are a powerful voice. We need to use it. We almost got the other Dave elected as AMA prez. We should win next time.
I hope someone has clued their District VP onto this thread, I have. With the passion of many of these post, we owe it to the hobby to do what we can to help with a solution.
What is AMA doing to encourage the public to get into the hobby? Ohhh, the Grand Event. Only way to know about that is to read MA and/or live near Ontario, CA. Who reads MA? AMA members. Some of their beginner articals are a joke, because chances are, the person reading the artical already knows the info or found it out at the flying field or here on RCU 3 months ago. They have done the beginner issue, however it was not published for public release. It would have been great to see it on a magizine rack someplace.
AMA needs to educate and inform clubs and flying fields of what should be done with the park flyer people who come out. At many places, these people are run off for one reason or another. I have seen it and I have also run out to the parking lot to retrieve these people. I know AMA can not doing anything about ones personality, but AMA and the clubs owe it to themselves to look for new people. These people with the $100 Firebird are the future.
With several other orginizations, IMAA, IMAC,SCCA, THRC and ROAR you are able to join right then and there. Granted, these were for events or races, but if you were not a memeber, you could join then. AMA may need to look into some type of program allowing people to join at the flying site via a phone call to an automated system. I know I don't wanna have to collect money and send it off.
It all goes back to getting more people in the hobby. IMO, AMA has not done much.
ORIGINAL: J_R
tpes
Another point you have raised twice that I am curious about. Are you an AMA Intro Pilot, having been named by the club at Scobee field? If so, great. If not, and you are under the impression that you or your student are covered with AMA insurance, I suggest that you review the Club Recharter Kit, Page 10, Item A 5 which states: Any flying at the field on a “buddy-box” permits a non-AMA member (e.g. spectator, friend) to fly on a one time-per-person basis. NOTE: Liability insurance does not extend to the non-member for this model flight.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/2004clubkit.pdf
I am an Intro Pilot. In 2004 I taught 37 people how to fly R/C planes. Of that 37, 22 of them I personally got them into airplanes. They were already into R/C cars. I would fly my 3D foamy planes in between the races and got them interesed in planes. I put togther what I called "Fly Days" and invited them out to fly my sons NexStar. Most all of them now own planes and I required they join AMA even though we were flying at an Outlaw field. And once again, for 2005 I did not have to pay for membership due to the amount of referrals I sent in.