To: Executive Council
Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)
5161 East Memorial Dr.
Muncie, IN 47302

From: Horrace D. Cain, AMA 539, CD & Leader
31619 Bohlssen Rd.
New Caney, TX 77357-9613

Subject: Recognition and Acceptance of the Paid Radio Control Airplane Flight Instructor.

Date: April 18, 2003

Distinguished Gentlemen:

How goes your golf game these days? Have you been out to the local course and spent a day with the "Pro" to get things up to speed? If so, did he do it for free? Or did someone there out for their own afternoon game, stop or postpone that game and spend their time with freely helping you along? I think not.
Please forgive me for bringing up that sour game in the presence of active model airplane people. However I think the point is there. Model Aviation, specifically Radio Control (RC), has long passed the "Hobby" status, albeit will always be so for some, and moved into the Sport and Recreational Activity for the majority of current participants. President Brown has recorded that he recognizes RCers as more a group of model fliers rather than model builders.
Historically, the skill of learning to fly RC model airplanes has been handed down from person to person through Club and individual help. Yet, today the demand for help now far exceeds reasonable levels from those experienced persons that are able and willing to provide that help.
It is not reasonable to expect the same few individuals from any club to, while ignoring their own pleasurable recreation, shoulder the load day after day instructing new entries into the sport (newbies). It is not reasonable that a club has to constantly search for resources to assist and maintain a training program that generally produces little, if any, return to either the Club or the individuals performing the labor. It is not reasonable that persons have to volunteer this labor simply to promote the sport and/or hobby of RC model aviation.
The current new RC Pilot "wanna'bees" lack background in model aviation, thus the new sport is frequently placed in the *hold* file after a year or so and the person seeks other recreation. I soloed three youngsters last year, and only one rejoined the club this year, and as he will soon get his driving license, and is currently not participating, I expect he will soon be gone. On the other hand, if the young person had affordable challenges, would he stay? Read on, please. Each adult soloed is back this year, however several individuals from the past five years are now gone. What have I really accomplished other than personal burnout with promoting the sport?
My club has over 100 members. There are twelve certified Instructor Pilots. Two of those are not what I call Proficient. Only two are retired and have good availability. All the others have full time jobs that require many varied schedules. None are the 9 to 5 bunch.
One of the retired lacks experience. Actually only two people, one with a full time job, bear the load. I find the same problems in many other clubs through research with a number of individuals. The sport, the hobby, the clubs, and ultimately AMA suffer because of the lack of available flight instruction.
Just to make sure, I believe that some of you may know me, and therefore you know that my information is not from simply "my club".

Where does AMA fit in?

AMA does not, at this time, recognize and/or provide insurance for the commercial flight instructor or any commercial instruction on a Chartered Club facility/property. In my, and others', opinion this problem could be easily solved by the AMA Executive Council. It would be a very easy item to enhance the Insurance Coverage to cover this activity. In my opinion, if AMA would move in that direction, then the Charter Clubs and the individual flight instructors would take the ball from there.
No one should expect such a program to be without cost to those concerned.
Now for AMA's Blessing, I would predict that the Individual participating Club, with participating instructors, would be charged $300.00 for the Club Insurance plus each individual Paid Instructor permit would be around $200.00 per individual.
Without any figures, other than various payments now being made around the country, I would WAG (wild a—guess) that a fee of $300.00 would be a reasonable fee for lessons (15 to 25 flights) from start through solo. Let the Clubs decide on that. I would hold to a flat fee for participating rather than a per-student-trained as a flat fee will be easier and less subject to "mistakes"?
Clubs and/or Instructors would not be restricted against also providing for free instruction, just as always, however the newbie and the Club would have another option. The more options, the better the job is performed.
The inclusion of paid flight instruction within AMA's Insurance coverage will provide a win-win situation for AMA, the Charter Clubs, the regular club members, and the "newbie" wishing for readily available help.

THOUGHTS:
1. How many accidents have been recorded while a person is receiving instruction? This is probably the safest time in RC activity. My experiences in both full scale jet instruction, plus 30+ years of RC instruction is that during instruction time the focus is definitely on the work being done. (Two flight instructors on a cross-country in the same airplane isn't that way ☺☻ ☺☻)
2. The ARF along with the Electrics and Park-Fliers have provided a vast opportunity for AMA to advance the favorable publicity of RC model aviation, and actually the timing is also appropriate. What one item could assist that promotion any more than a large number of Instructors available to assist new potential RC Pilots?
3. Why should there be any more available instructors if pay is made available? Simply, because pay is a motivation to perform. There are numerous retired individuals, individuals with minor disabilities, and YOUTH that could make those extra dollars needed to support themselves by doing what they already love, i.e. RC model flying. Any Club has these people. They work in rather low paying jobs for dollars to meet their personal needs, yet they would work for half the amount if they could be at the RC field earning a few dollars. My Club has an AMA Senior that is a great pilot and a recognized Club Instructor. Yet, he now needs to earn his spending money in a grocery store. I would be very happy if he was at the field doing for money what I am well burned out on and that is instructing newbies. Would it not be a good thing for AMA to be able to make public the honorable services being provided by these young persons within the educational and recreational community?
4. Any club in the metropolitan areas where a number of clubs exist would be losing potential members if they failed to participate in the program. INSTANT available instructors will be in demand just as much as the ARF or ready-to-fly model. There will also be individuals that, while not now interested in instructing, will join in as they see a way to afford some special new RC item such as that new engine/airplane which is now just a tad above their current financial level. MOTIVATION!
5. Using the WAG figures from above, let's say that of the 2000 clubs within AMA, 20% opted to participate the first year. Each Participating Club (PC) has two Participating Instructor Pilots (PIP). This means that 400 PCs each at $300, along with 2 PIPs each, total 800, at $200.00 each will contribute a total of Two Hundred, Eighty Thousand Dollars to AMA that year. This $280,000.00 is besides the amount collected for the new AMA memberships that will come about due to available training.
6. Such amounts, if placed within the currently funded captive insurance program, and adequately invested could well provide AMA with a sizeable amount of Insurance Reserve.
I predict that if correctly managed, the Paid Flight Instructor / PIP could be the best single asset that AMA could establish. Simply stated, the best possible return on the lowest possible risk.

Therefore, I ask you, the Leaders of AMA and those entrusted to establish, remove, evaluate, etc., all AMA policies and actions, to review this request, and within some not too distant time frame give due consideration to the recognition and establishment of full coverage to an asset whose time has come, the RC Paid Instructor Pilot. All our favorite sports have commercial instructors. Even RC flying has professional schools. It is now time for AMA to recognize the opportunities that exist for individuals, clubs, and AMA itself and to embrace the end-of-the-rainbow so well within its grasp.

Please give these thoughts your utmost consideration and open the door to the future.
Thank you.


Sincerely

Horrace D. Cain

Horrace D. Cain
AMA 539, Contest Director and Leader Member.

P.S. This is not for my personal thing other than to provide instruction for those that want it now, and to allow me to spend my remaining earth time doing my own thing, you know like getting my turbine waiver!!