Interesting observation/opinion. There does seem to be an inordinate amount of members that wish to control others rather than focus on their flying skills at many club fields. Hmmmm....Maybe, just maybe the “flying” membership is greater than ever. One can only hope! Maybe the AMA is not really shrinking so much as it is realigning for the new age hobbyists of the 21ST century.

At least here, the average flyer’s age has dropped considerable and the level of flying proficiency has increased greatly from that of just a few years ago. Also, there have been many new AMA memberships due to the increase in activity in this area. Around here, AMA is alive and growing very well! So is the model enthusiast population in general AMA or not.

The overall down turn of AMA may just be the cycling necessary for it to grow to new heights. Hopefully, the new hobbyists can continue to endure the growth killing, overbearing and control happy, politically oriented club flag waving, the sky is falling, let’s make a new rule a week contest to save everyone from perils and dangers of the hobby mentality, so that promoting the development of model aviation as a recognized sport and worthwhile recreation activity can be the prime directive once again. The self serving mentality of the past and present is the biggest factor for the retarding or lack of growth of the hobby we have had. I have witnessed this first hand and understand it in a way that few ever will.

The future will be totally different no matter what we want. For us to spend our precious time fighting the inevitable is ridiculous and would be an exercise in futility.

So take some time and look around! We are extremely lucky to have at our command the options available to us right now. If you haven’t tried an electric model, do yourself a favor and try one. If you haven’t tried an ARF, do yourself and try one. If you haven’t tried a heli, do yourself a favor and try one. If you haven’t built your own model from scratch, do yourself and try one. It is all good…nothing bad…just different that’s all.

The AMA has done some really good things recently to open the doors a little wider for those that would like a glimpse inside but more is needed from the AMA and especially the chartered clubs.