Hi Matt

It’s not often that I view a post of yours as shortsighted. Let me lay this out. It’s gonna be long, don’t lose patience.

First, let me address the fact that everything the AMA does is not obvious. Matt, in your case, you should be able to relate to this. The basin has come under attack many times through the years, going back to before you flew your first plane. On many occasions, the AMA has come to the aid of the field. It does not hurt that the clubs involved with the basin had members who started the AMA and understand the value of AMA input.

Now, in comparison, let’s look at what was, arguably, the only similar site in Southern California: Mile Square. The flyers there put their fate in the hands of attorneys. Only when it was too late, was the AMA called in. The site was lost. Could the AMA haved save it? No one can say with certainty. The attorneys never did, and they took it to the sate Supreme Court. The site is gone. How many hundreds of modelers do you think left the hobby when Mile Square closed? If the basin were to close, how many modelers would we lose? I know our club picked up about 30 members who were willing to make the additional drive. I still wonder how many never did.

How many pilots at the basin are even aware the AMA ever interceded on their behalf? The point is, the AMA IS more than insurance.

Now, let’s move on to park flyers. Honestly, I can’t see much value to those with the $60 park flyers that are mass marketed. On the other hand, the ones I continue to see are ones where the pilots are spending in excess of $300 (many considerably more), or about the same amount as a traditional 40 trainer (or more).

I see a change taking place in the communities. Three years ago, I first posted that my community had banned all RC devices in parks. Since that time, more reports of similar actions have been taking place around the country. It is a trend I would expect to continue. Where today, access to parks is still primarily uninhibited, I can see the day, in the short term, where it will not be so. I also look at the area north of the “sun belt” and see the potential for traditional RC pilots to fly indoors all year round, instead of being relegated to a flying season and a building season. I see the potential for new kinds of competitive events.

As the numbers of park flyers, above the entry level, grow so will the demand for organized sites and clubs. Those cheap memberships will be converted to full memberships. I see all of this happening sooner than later.

At the same time, if we must send Dave Brown to the FCC, FAA or any other government body, I would prefer to he be able to say “I represent 200,000 members” (or 300,000 or a million) rather than 150,000 or less.

Personally, I don’t care if the existing membership has to pay an extra $2 or $3 or $5 a year to subsidize park flyers, or if the AMA puts out bread crumbs, or offers cheap insurance and a magazine to lure them in. We need them in the long run. Some of them are already us.

At the same time, there is no point in destroying the existing organization.