dionysusbacchus

My Feedback: (25)

You clearly stated you want "336 repealed and done away with so that the FAA can do it's job", without that we are done as a hobby. Based on that I don't believe you are a member. No more pattern contests or flying, no more free flight, no more turbine jets, no more IMAC, no more giant scale and the list goes on.

POST YOUR AMA# Franklin so I can check, I'll eat crow if you produce one, mine is 94489. If you do have one I believe you are the only AMA member that wants to destroy our hobby, so that would make you a really weird dude at best.

init4fun, I'm not your "pal", speaking of balls, I'll be in Houston at the jet rally in March (Bomber field) and in Sept. I'm really easy to spot, you might say I stand out in a crowd. You are free to contact me then, otherwise cut the big guy behind the keyboard crap.

If you are against 336, you are against this hobby, if you are against this hobby you are positioning yourself against me, it's just that simple.

cj_rumley

I don't need to fly under 336. I have a Plan B. What will you do when 336/part 101 goes away? It will, if not in the upcoming FAA Re-authorization cycle, then in the lawsuits that will follow.

cj_rumley

Good plan

Hydro Junkie

Talk about a bull**** post. Let me tell you what I see happening here in the forum:
1) Franklin does a little investigating, through legitimate channels BTW, and posts his findings for everyone else to interpret as they will
2) Many, like me, start asking very direct questions about things being done by the AMA powers that be, not to mention the staff at "Taj Muncie", such as

• Why does the AMA need to host every national at their own flying field when there are so many other locations that can handle it as well?
• Why does the AMA need to build a MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR indoor flying facility in Muncie that will rarely, if ever, see flying?
• Why does the office staff make what they do in wages when they aren't doing a good job to begin with? This was shown by Franklin a few posts back
• Going back to a post I made in another thread, why does the office staff need to be as large as it is when the AMA is in financial trouble?

3) People like you, Dionysus, then attack Franklin and people like me because we see a problem and call it out since it doesn't fit the picture you see through your "rose colored glasses"
4) Someone retaliates with counter-attacking the ones that initiated the confrontation
5) Someone gets their membership suspended or revoked due to attacking others
6) The thread gets locked or deleted to clean up the forum.
BTW, here's MY POST about how large the staff is and how I'd take care of the problem:
DAMN!!!!!
11 people in Media and Publications
6 people in Membership and that includes an Operator?
This is good, a Public Relations & Government Affairs Director, a Representative AND an Assistant?
An Education Director, an Assistant and a Specialist?
This is really good, in Marketing and Programs, there's a Director Marketing and Digital Strategy, Email Marketing Specialist, Marketing Partner Lead and Consumer Experience Lead and Creative Manager
Information Systems really needs a Tech Analyst and TWO Support Analysts?
Now why does the museum need a Director, Collections Manager, Archivist and Historian, an Educator and a Media Specialist?
More bloating, FOUR PEOPLE to run the retail department, THREE PEOPLE to run accounting?

I can see now why they have a $2million payroll. Going through the staff, I'd cut the following:
one facilities person
one accounting clerk
at least one, preferably two from retail
two from the museum
one info systems support analyst
half the marketing department
the Education Director
at least a third, preferably half of the Media & Publications staff
one of the Competition & Events staff
one of the Public Relations staff
one of the AMA Foundation/Development/communications staff
one of the Safety/Member Benefits staff
the operator, shipping/receiving clerk and one renewals person
Dave Mathewson as Executive Director
I figure that would save at least $750,000 per year in salary bloat

With all that said, I think it's the EC and office staff that need their rings kissed and not someone like Franklin

init4fun

Fiber will fix that right up , constipation is no laughing matter ....

Anyway , now that the hurling of the insults , the locking of the antlers , and the eventual comic relief are done , if we're getting down to business on #336 I have no problem with #336 as long as people who want to fly model airplanes aren't forced to have to be AMA members . I just do not want our organization becoming mandatory for participation in the hobby and it sure sounds as if our organization has that monopoly as it's ultimate goal . I'm an aircraft hobbyist first , AMA member second , and for folks who can't/won't understand that I offer no explainations , excuses , nor apologies .

Hydro Junkie

Gee, 18 hours and no one has thrown a barb or anything? What's this world coming to?

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Nice Phantom! I grew up watching the Blue Angels fly them then transition to the A-4's.

The diamond takeoff was thundering.

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

Now this isn’t surprising............we don’t want anything to do with your organization but we do expect you to lobby on our half even though we would not think of supporting you. Can’t you just smell the scent of entitlement that seems to permeate everything in the world today?

Same garbage in Canada the ones who speak loudest on why they won’t have anything to do with MAAC (same as the AMA in the US) are also the ones who are the most obnoxious when they complain MAAC is doing nothing for the modeller that does not have membership.

Its just my opinion but……….TO BAD SO SAD GET OFF YOUR LAZY DUFF AND DO YOUR OWN LOBBYING OR JOIN IF YOU WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hydro Junkie

What pain are you referring to? I love it here in the Northwest and have no plans to go anywhere else, other than to site see. BTW, I'm one of the rare ones here in the Puget Sound basin, I'M A NATIVE AND NOT A TRANSPLANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hydro Junkie

Have you seen the present F-18 "Blues" take off yet? They aren't much quieter but are a whole bunch quicker in the air

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

I was stationed at NAS Pensacola, saw their routine 3x a day every day they weren't on the road somewhere.

ira d

People in this forum sure love to put words in other people's mouth, I never said I did not want to have anything to do with the AMA and have been a AMA member for over 20 years. What I said was I did not
want to see the gov mandate membership in the AMA as the AMA was trying to get the gov to do.

franklin_m

I won't publish my full name, AMA number etc. But here's a photo of my card from my wallet a few moments ago. You can see the beginning of my six digit AMA number, and the valid through 2018.

Soooo let's talk about the crow you're gonna eat. Is it a fresh one? Or one of those fine week-old West Texas I-10 road kill crows, say one from the Van Horn area? I have fond memories of Van Horn Texas.

As for whether I'm a weird dude or not, you have your opinion. But let's just say that I don't look at the world through the soda straw of "hobby above all else." I see other interests, concerns, and stakeholders. I'm convinced that recreational sUAS represent a risk to manned aircraft - something with which ALPA, A4A, and the controllers group agree. I also think with some relatively unobtrusive changes to recreational flying, not only can we enhance safety of manned aircraft, but also the commercial side of things can be opened up considerably. But for either of those to move forward, the 336 handcufffs on the FAA need to be removed.

franklin_m

I've been on airplanes for the majority of the last two days returning from OCONUS.....

cj_rumley

So am I. What can I do to help AMA? Well here goes: Many have said AMA needs numbers to have a strong voice (influence) in DC. I urge every modeler, AMA member or not, to make a real effort to sign up new members in the free AMA Youth Membership Program. Imagine, if only half of current members signed up just two of their and/or their neighbor's children, grandchildren, heck even their dogs, then membership would double...and it won't cost you anything.

franklin_m

They've tried something similar. Unfortunately, those free youth memberships do not turn into paid membership. If you don't believe me, Gary Fitch (EVP) said so in the November 2016 EC minutes: "The conversion rate on youth members is extremely low."

cj_rumley

I do believe you. I was only addressing the "strength in numbers issue." Regardless of the low conversion rate, those names (numbers) remain on the AMA roster until they are 19. My dog will be dead before he affects the conversion rate but will remain on the roster for the next 15 years.

Stickslammer

Unwashed, huh? I`ve got a feeling that your hero Bertrand Russell might look down his nose at you. I`ve read some of his snippets of "wisdom" and they don`t make much sense to me, but dirty `ole me doesn`t know anything anyway.
What`s a Field Marshal at a private airport do?

franklin_m

I understand your motivation. But consider that if people are making decisions based on data, inflated numbers skew decision making. The good news is that based on the AMA's IRS990s, there's no indication they're making a lot of decisions based on data.

rcmiket

LOL

Mike

cj_rumley

See....no problem. Skewing decision making is the whole idea and well, like you said the rest is good news (or at worst innocuous). Let's roll!

Cletus

cj_rumley

Well it looks like my benny-sug to raise AMA numbers has gone over like a turd in the punch bowl. Okay, it would not likely have closed the gap on the ratio of AMA to non-AMA members among the 900,000 or so folks that have registered themselves as recreational modelers. Maybe to the wise folks in Muncie the head count didn't really matter; else why would they have alienated at least 700,000 potential allies by saying we represent only dues-paying members of our exclusive club so you rogues can go pound salt and stay the hell out of our airspace?

Cletus

dionysusbacchus

My Feedback: (25)

No, you look at the world through the soda straw of "your own agenda above all else".

We can't solve a problem without without first:
1.Identify the issues
2.Understand everyone's interests
3.List possible solutions
4.Evaluate the options
5.Select an option or options
6. Document the agreements
7.Agree on the contingencies, monitoring, and evaluation

In 82 years of modeling, not one person in a full scale plane has died because of a model airplane. So to get past #1 you have to identify the issues, not things that may happen 100 years from now. This is just me, but I think that focusing on the death of innocent people on the ground and the mass killing of people in general aviation is a much more needed debate, but we just have real death statistics, what do I know.

Second, how is handing everything over to the the FAA unobtrusive? While you claim the AMA does not look and respond to the numbers, you do the same thing with your agenda.

Also your name is ALL OVER the internet, it was published in Model Airplane News along with your favorite picture of yourself, Linkedin, Youtube, also on drone web sites where you posted the same info bashing the AMA and sharing you VAST knowledge of the hobby, ALL with your full name. Your family and address along with phone # is on the web in the White Pages with directions to your house, of course the information on you that is on the web goes much deeper than this. So you are a little late with the cyber security thing, without an AMA # I'm not eating anything, your completely inept attempt at secrecy though is amusing, lol!

franklin_m

I figured you'd bag out. If five digits of an AMA number make the difference to you keeping your word, here you go: 840418. You've got the number. Come on, live up to your word. You can check for yourself that I'm a member.

As to what I have published, I'm entitled to do that in this country last time I checked. I've checked the AMA's membership manual and I dont's see anything in there that says I'm not allowed to think for myself, or that I'm not allowed to differ from the Muncie Politburo.

Making threats about my home location, family, etc., only demonstrates that the dark side of the hobby... and hardly reflects well on the AMA.

As to the meat of your argument

1. Identify the Issues:
1.a. One mid-air with a helicopter, dangerous behavior in Vegas offers rare opportunity to act BEFORE there's injuries
1.b. Commercial interests feel the lack of universal remote ID limits their ability to expand operations and commerce
1.c. Legislators, regulators, the media, and the public see risk in some of the well publicized events by non-commercial sUAS operators
1.d. Many more recreational sUAS operators than ever before, with more air traffic than ever before, which increases the chance of collision.
1.e. FAA funded academic study proved that sUAS pose a much greater danger to aircraft than birds

2. Understand everyone's interests:
2.a. Safety of people in the air and on the ground
2.b. Commerce, jobs, etc.
2.c. Hobby flyers

3. List possible solutions: In work under various FAA sponsored working groups

4, 5, & 6. In work. Legislation is pending. Regulation will follow.

As to how handing everything over to the FAA is an issue, I really don't see it as a big deal. I worked with them to open the first new military training airspace in over 20 years and I found them quite reasonable, rational, and logical. I don't fear the FAA, but perhaps that's because I approach model aviation the way I approach professional aviation. I don't see rules as a big deal. I'm also willing to adjust how I operate in order to promote commerce.

dionysusbacchus

My Feedback: (25)

I have to run right now, but accusing me of threatening you is taking this to a new low, even for you. I never said you can't post anything and I never threatened you. I was just referring to you completely inept internet security knowledge when you said you won't post your full name, how stupid, when you yourself, (and you have the full right to do it) posted it ALL OVER THE INTERNET.

Franklin, move to Florida and get a life. We can see in you what retirement and being stuck in your house for 9 months out of the year can do to a person.