RE: AMA E Membership
Hello All,
I've read through every post on this thread and agree with most of the comments. When I received the email from AMA, my first reaction was anger! It made me feel like a second class member. I think it's a bad idea for them to try to split the pack. I joined AMA so I could fly at the local flying field. It's a nice field and close to my house as well. My electrics are range from light and slow to fast and heavy. I enjoy the local club and have received much good advise from the members for plane set-ups, flying tips, and building tricks. Half the fun of the hobby for me is to share ideas leading to improved preformance of my next project.
I've had my run-ins at the club with certian members who think electrics don't count. The club president once asked me to fly away from the flight line over in the corner (standing in the weeds no less!). NO WAY! I pay full membership and won't accept second class status. I told him, I don't need the AMA and I don't need the club. Many members rallied behind me and told the prez, he was being unfair (jerk). The story has a happy ending. I'm still with the club, the prez is now my friend, he flies electric more than his gas/glow or turbines combined.
I know there is friction between electric and gas modelers. I'm not sure why. My club includes a wide varity of flyers; Scale, 3D, Jets, Funfly, Sport, Pattern, Lazy flyer, Biplane, Monoplane, Deltas, Tractors, Pushers, Balsa, Foam, Composite, Glow, Gas, Two stroke, Four stroke, Turbine, Electrics (Lipoly, Nicad, Nimh), Home built, Kits, ARC, ARF, RTF. I guess you get the picture. Why are electrics singled out? Why not glow plug Vs. spark plug?
The AMA has been slow to recognize the rise of electric flight and seem way out of touch with it's electric flight members. Perhaps what they need is some competition.
JB