RE: Risk Takers?
Crash99,
We seem to be disagreeing for all the wrong reasons about all the wrong things. The problem is you or I would allow that to happen at our flying field, but that there are some who seem to think that the rules are for other idiots to follow because they are good enough to do whatever they want, as can be demonstrated time and time again by videos on the internet. I agree that anyone should be able to do any 3D maneuver they are capable of over the flight line, contest or not as long as they do not interfere with others enjoyment of the community resource. The issue being addressed obliquely is the safety issue demonstrated by folks who do the stupid things we see time and time again rather than any question about skills.
Abel,
Exactly what mechanism would we have used to take action in that case? Today there are only two conditions of membership allowed under the bylaws, open member and ex member. It should be clear that using the second state was determined to be not in the best interests of the AMA as a whole. I would be willing to bet fairly large dollars that we will see changes that allow for more than a binary choice in the event of flagrant violations of the Safety Code. The hard part that needs to be addressed by the AMA is the same one many of us have wrestled with in providing a good due process within our own clubs. That does not happen overnight, nor should it or the process will be flawed and we will be left with more stupid unenforceable rules no one follows. The thread that was closed was not closed so the AMA could handle it. I suspect it was closed so major RCU advertisers would stop taking heat for the public refusal to admit improper actions by employees. Go look who the sponsors are and who was making what remarks about “it was really ok” and remember some of us still vote with our feet, or dollars in this case.
JohnW, that was not a straw man argument rather it was a direct and explicit question we need to start asking those who demonstrate actions of an unsafe nature. While you are not wrong about what DB said you are asking for the impossible. He is not able to refer to specific events for liability reasons similar to those demonstrated in other threads and threats on this forum. Generalizations are normally bad as they can all be proven to be false, however refusal to admit *WE* have a problem is worse. There are entirely too many videos available that show extremely unsafe operations for DB and crowd to ignore the subject.
If you have a better idea of how we can address and begin to resolve the issue that does not destroy the organization, I am sure that there are many on the AMA EC who would jump to be the first in line of championing your solution.