Ed:

We've attempted to move away from comparing the different SIGS by simply trying to figure out what it is MAAC (all of us collectively) gets from the FAI?

Do we get value. Where does our money actually go if absolutely none of it seems to come back to us? ACC pays over 30 grand every year, yet our members still have to purchase licences on top of that? We also pay for the FAI rep to go to France once a year. That's a pile of coin for nothing more than a privilege to say we are affiliated. Multiply that by 100 countries, some with higher fees yet? I get the sense us modellers are subsidising full-scale aviation or worst case scenario, paying for non-airplane fun and travel for a select few. Seems like it would be a pretty good gig to be an FAI judge and travel around the world on someone's dime. Good work if you can get it. Nothing to do with Ed Smith, or Chad Northeast or Ken Kalynuk.....