ORIGINAL: Hossfly
Thanks for the well wishes k.c.
kid chuckles: I would like to know what you think about AMA making there ins program PRIMARY. Maybe raise dues a little if needed but get out of the hassle of having to use other insurances for the sport that we joined the AMA for. How or would you consider doing this?
When I think of all the problems encountered even obtaining an insurance provider throughout the past 30 years, I am very conservative in this field. Right now, off the cuff, I think I would have to be presented some options to review before making any strong determination on which direction AMA should take. As you are aware, the main insurance for landowners of flying sites is primary.
To me, the AMA personal insurance is rather like an umbrella policy. It's there to cover situations outside one's Home/Renter's and/or umbrella liability insurance coverage. In those cases where the individual AMA member has no personal liability insurance, the AMA liability insurance is primary.
As of now, the AMA member insurance is not AMA's largest AMA expense outside the employee salaries. The magazine
Model Aviation (MA) is the largest expense. Although the net loss of $1,086,852 in '07 is less than the member insurance expense of $1,380,852, the actual MA loss becomes even a
larger bite of the AMA's revenue when one considers that thirteen (13) MA employees are accounted for under AMA employee expense and not the magazine expense.
At my current level of knowledge, I am very hesitant to think making member liability insurance primary. The cost would at least become twice the current expense and maybe much more.
With the decline of membership for the past few years:
2002... 173,420
2003... 168,075
2004... 163,709
2005........... 161,006
2006........... 156,765
2007........... 151,394
Who will remain to pay current bills?
At this time, I think AMA has a few more problems that need redirection prior to seriously considering the change of member liability insurance to primary status.
Another thing that bothers me big time is this recent ludicrous Bylaws change where the Chief Financial Officer is to become an
appointed position on the Ex. Council. IMO this will foster inhouse-politics back to the '70s and '80s where the soap-operas happening within AMA headquarters were so obvious they simply could not be kept secret.
Hope this helps shape up the "Big Picture".
Edited to add PS. Without doubt some will rant that I am just mad because I wanted to be CFO. However in the new-world-order of the Bylaws changes, the EVP will be much more in focus to the AMA membership. That will give an EVP with vision the opportunities to really carry the true AMA message to the public. You know, I do like that. [sm=thumbs_up.gif]