O.K. guys, here I go. I couldn't resist any longer. the field dues at the club I fly at are $60.00 a year. Add the $58.00 AMA dues and you get a grand total of $118.00 a year. THAT IS LESS THAN $10.00 A MONTH!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE COMPLAINING ABOUT????? I don't know about anyone else, but I spend 6 times that amount for cable t.v and I get a whole lot more enjoyment from flying. I also spend way more than that on glow fuel every year, not to mention all the other dollars spent on the hobby. One thing that not too many people ever think about or mention is the fact that the AMA represents our interests as modelers/fliers with all of the government agencies that regulate our flying. That alone is worth every penny of the dues. If we did not have organized representation at the government level, we probably would not be flying at all anymore. Take the Torrey Pines incident, for example. That dispute was settled in our favor in short order. The AMA also serves as the "Smithsonian" of modeling. We all need to recognize and be grateful for all of the people that spent their whole lives making modeling easier and more enjoyable for us today. I am so tired of the selfish, self-serving "what can you do for me" attitudes that I see everywhere today. I love hearing about modeling "in the old days" next time you go to the field and fly your ARF w/ your computer radio with all of the fancy mixing and auto-pilot, just think about the guys that would spend countless hours toiling over the building board constructing a beautiful scale ship, knowing the radios of the time were not very predictable, but he did it anyway because he LOVED MODELING!
O.K. I could go on longer, but I think I have said enough. I would also like to say that I am not one of the "crotchety old, arf-hating, 3-d hating farts" that I might sound like! I enjoy and embrace all types of r/c as well as all types and ages of modelers. Now, can't we all just get along and be happy w/o looking at the AMA as "Big Brother" and look for a way to make the hobby more enjoyable for someone else?????

Regards,

Jeff