ORIGINAL: wojtek
Are you quite sure you want AMA to be that kind of enforcement agency? Are you sure you want them passing judgement on you in that form?
What does this really have to do with AMA, anyway? I mean, he is in obvious violation of the AMA safety code, there is no way AMA could be involved in this.
easytiger,
that is a good point, and one that a lot of AMA members do not understand. The AMA does not govern what is done with RC planes anywhere but at AMA facilities. This blatant act of stupidity in the video is clearly out of AMA jurristiction, however i could see this actually falling under some kind of criminal violation of the law... like "wreckless endangerment" !! going back to the AMA issue, and if they can pull someones membership or privileges based on somehting done outside of their juristiction : Compare this to a drivers license. If you take your car on private property, or to a (legal) drag strip, and you are racing it, or breaking 150 MPH, skidding all over the place , and hitting other cars on the track (all part of the game ) ... the state can not pull your drivers license for this as the location of the driving is out of their juristiction, and all participants understand the risks involved. If you however take your car on private property, and line up 20 of the local kids in front of a plywood ramp and try jumping your car over them, then this becomes a criminal offense.
Wojtek
All true, all good points, except the part about AMA coverage that Mr. Matt points out. AMA would probably get sued, along with everybody else, but I think AMA would have a pretty easy "out" in that this clearly violates the safety code on many points. I have never yet heard of AMA denying a claim on that basis, but were I them, I sure would on THIS one.
Unfortunately, Mr. Matt is ALSO right in that they are going to sue anyway, and in the end, it's up the AMA's INSURER(Royal Insurance?) to decide what they want to do, and they could just settle. So, yeah, AMA would probably be on the hook.
But their problem. The fact of the matter is AMA is not an enforcement agency, it's a free country, and you CAN do what you want with a model airplane in your backyard, AMA can't do diddly about it.
You can reach a point called "negligent homicide", though!