That's a good one Mr. Toolman.

The following is just a long rambling concerning this AMA Safety Officer/Coordinator thing in a general sense.

A few years ago, IIRC, it was Sandy Frank that originated the requirement, and I'm too lazy to look it up now to confirm. It's all eyewash, the current District Safety Coordinators do WHAT?? There have been a few good ones along the way, however if the Club Officers do not back the Club Safety Coordinator, he will be unable to accomplish anything worthwhile. If the Club SO doesn't do anything then the DVP appointed District SO becomes simply a voice in the wilderness and soon gives up the fight.

Anyway, I became a club safety coordinator, but after a couple years of doing little things like getting a large map up at the field of local emergency clinics, phone numbers, a fair amount of first aid supplies available, getting some safety signs in place, reporting to the club several bad habits on the facility, and every so often reviewing such with some offenders, there was one on-going thing that regardless of my harping, was getting worse and worse. That was an almost disregard for the club's posted rules concerning freq. control. (Remember AMA Safety Code requires compliance with local club rules.) A number of persons, especially old geezers, like me, that had not much time in the RC sport, just refused to take freq. control very seriously and unclipped transmitters were constantly all around the pit and shelter area tables.

OK, I hear a few already preparing a lambasting that everyone should all go 2.4ghz. Well, friends, that is a long way off, same as everyone should be a computer geek. I live more in a world of reality than the current tiptoeing in the tulips lifestyle.

Therefore I advised the club officers of my desire to address the problem. I did. The club Pres. then led his group of followers in a move to rescind the rule requiring the transmitters to have a clip on them. That helped nothing. Some of the elites walk around with 3 clips on their shirt. Try to explain to a student/newbie why he should have a clip on his transmitter if the elders and younger elites do not have to do so.

I had prepared for such and had a prepared letter of resignation along with my reasons. Copies of said letter were sent to the DVP and various Safety Coordinators. No answers were forthcoming.

The Pres appointed a new Club SC, who in the years so doing, has done nothing to enhance safety, or at least anything that I can see. He is a great human person, but will never get in anyone's face nor make any recommendations for any improvement. If a name on a form is all the Club Safety Coordinator needs, then he is a fine one.

Therefore my experience in this life for 45 years of belonging to clubs, the "required" club safety coordinator is about as worthless as a bureaucracy can come up with. It is just eyewash to make someone feel good.

I do not see AMA doing anything of such magnificence within the Safety department that requires email communication other than receiving and issuing spam. While if real items were accomplished with email or by AMA, it would save considerable money to do so. That is a fact, but just for toothless spam, it's a waste of time and effort.

Gentlemen, I do NOT conduct REAL business via email. I do not intend to start now. [>:]


Horrace Cain

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."