What specific positions and programs do you have in mind Dave? I'm not especially disagreeing with you that changes need to be made but from the outside looking in I would never claim to know exactly what those changes need to be. I pride myself on looking at a situation and try to the the events that led to the situation. Right now I see the AMA in unchartered waters facing challenges that they must first learn to deal with before knowing which direction to go. The popularity of the hobby is in a serious decline. I have some rather candid conversations with the local hobby shop owner and he is struggling big time. then the battle with the FAA. I have to imagine that with the decline in membership revenue and the cost of dealing with the FAA that some things fall through the cracks. Of course it is easy to blame it all on incompetence. Cutting saleries although on the surface sounds like a good idea but is not. If a competitive compensation package is not offered based on the position and region then nobody will want the position or you end up with someone unqualified. I know that argument will be lost with this group though.

What is in all this for Franklin? Perhaps that is a question you should ask him. I have seen enough here and on RCG that lead me to beleive that there needs to be some form of compensation for his efforts. The fact that he has omitted telling us that he is connected with certain commercial drone organizations should be enough to make people take note.

You do realize that insults do not add to your credibility.

As a side note, I had issues logging onto AMA site at 4pm pacific time yesterday. Sent a notification and within an hour had an email stating the issue was fixed. Logged on and renewed for 2019. Apparently somone was there late doing a good job. I kept my transaction number just in case there is an issue to aid in a timely fix if required.

No, I do not think that Franklin is out to destroy the hobby. What I beleive is happening is that he is attacking the AMA in an effort to reduce membership. His MO is to convince people that there is no value to joining the AMA and to discredit the staff. Reducing the membership base will do two things. It gives then a weaker voice to represent us and limits their revenue to do so. The goal is to have traditional R/C limited to 400' altitude cap so that the retailers that want drone delivery will have the airspace. Those retailers such as Amazon have hired drone advocacy groups to lobby for them. Frank is a member/consultant of at least one of those groups. This RCG thread has some good info. It also has a ton of junk from both sides but there is enough there to make me confident my conclusions are fairly accurate.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...e-our-Airspace


Another intersting read.

https://dronebusiness.center/faa-say...y-model-11793/

Nice to meet you MR. Kettle!

Dave, Franklin on several occasions has commented on his opinion that the AMA staff is overpaid. Trust me I understand about needing strong team members. I didn't always work in the Aerospace industry. Several different careers actually. At one time I was on the road crew for a very popular Country trio ( at the time ). A typical day would have us rolling off the bus at 8:30 am and unloading the 11 semi trucks of equipment. We would set up the show, work the show and then tear it down and load it back up. We usually got back onto the bus at 3:00 to 3:30 am and be back at it 5 hours later in a different location. I would be assigned 3 local stage hands each day. If one of them didn't pull his/her weight it made my day quite painful.

OK back to AMA cuts. That may be an option to cut unnessesary departments but I honestly imagine that the staff already wears multiple hats. I seriously doubt that they have people who do only retail and nothing else or staff the Museum and nothing else. Groundskeeping may be a nesessary thing that may not be an option to scale back on. Even though the AMA purchased the land there may be local government regulations that requires a certain level of maintenance. Not to mention that if they let the facility go that would reduce the already limited number of visitors or cost even more when it comes time to host the Nationals. They also seem to be using the facility to generate other sources of income. My point is maybe we should look at things from multiple points before we criticize.

I fail to see how that changes any facts. IMO that illustrates Franklin's skill at playing within the site rules and reporting violations where others are not so skilled. I think it would also classify as shooting the messenger of which I have been accused of on this site.

I appreciate the follow up post. To be honest based on just the first one I was contemplating a strongly worded response. Good thing I took my wife to see Christmas lights first. I do hope that you realize that my intention is to get to the truth. I honestly feel that Franklin has not been 100% honest in his crusade and feel that with open eyes it does not take much effort to realize this. I will however leave it here.

Dave, you are correct, I have no favor for Franklin. Not because of the facts he brings forward but because of his motives. Perhaps if you could demonstrate one single positive thing he has done for the hobby I would soften my stance on this. As far as suspended accounts are concerned on RCG, I have one there myself. Moderation there is quite bias IMO. I was tagged as a Troll account after over 1,000 posts and a build thread with over 10,000 hits. That build thread now sits at 12,600 hits. I agree that I am not always the most popular guy but how they were able to claim Troll account after so many posts and a build thread is beyond me.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-scratch-build

Interesting, I have no knowledge of the Speedracer account at RCG. My account The was what I would call my main account was EXF3BGUY. Out of frustration one day I had the account closed but then decided I still wanted to at least do some buying and selling on the site. I then did the EXF3BMAN account which was fine for around a year. Like I said I had over 1000 posts and a build thread. All was fine until I had a disagreement with a member that was giving away an airplane. When I contacted him about it he ended up wanting way above and beyond what shipping and crating materials would have been. I suggested he change his ad due to the fact that he was now looking for a profit and I thought advertising the airplane as free was a misrepresentation. Every once in a while he would post the exchange between us with his spin so I would make a post to st the story straight. After a couple times of this my RCG account was flagged as a troll account. I have sent two messages to Jim Graham through Facebook in order to get an explaination with no replies.


Appowner, all I can say about my level of sarcasm towards you is that I have simply been giving back what you have tossed my way. If you care to notice my conversations with Hydro and Init have been quite civil as of late. Bottom line here is don't expect respect if you are not willing to give it. I am not a lesser human being simply because I disagree with your opinion, if you wish to continue to address me as you have in the past I would prefer you to just put me on an ignore list and not reply to my posts at all. Notice how your new flying stabilizer tread has no replies? Maybe your demeanor towards other members has something to do with that? I know I have a good amount of experience with flying stabs with associated balance and linkage but will not chime in due to the lack of acceptance of experience on your part.

Holy cow! I’m out of the country for a month and Speedracertrixie (SRT) launches a bevy of personal attacks, to include totally unsupported allegations about my income sources.

So, SRT, time to show down. Prove that I’m paid by anyone other than my current employer and the DoD (pension). Oh, that’s right, you can’t. In case you missed it, the ONLY money I have ever received from anyone other than the two above was from a HOBBY magazine.

As for motivations, I think the AMA is badly managed and their organizational strategy is failing. They seem unable to face that fact. My hope is that my financial and other posts will encourage a ground swell of members demanding change.

AMA says they want help, but what they don’t say is they only want help if you’re going to support doing more of what already isn’t working. It’s long past time, perhaps bordering on too late, for vertical cuts and a dramatic change to how they have always done things.

But hey SRT, if you don’t believe me, maybe you should re-read the CFOs comments at July EC meeting.

Read posts 48 and 50, I did not bring you into the conversation. If you read through the entire exchange you will see that I do not dispute the facts that you present. My issue is that you don't stop at the facts. Many times your comments include exaggerations. You openly state that you do not fly at an AMA site yet insist that you know what takes place at all AMA sites. You claim to know what is going on inside Muncie but have never been there. Lastly you claim to be here " for the good of the hobby " , like I have already asked twice and have received no answer. Maybe the third time will be a charm. Name one positive thing you have done for the hobby or a fellow hobbyist. IMO criticizing is not helping, if it truly is this important to you then get involved other then sitting in front of a keyboard, run for an AMA office. If it's important to you then make a REAL difference!

I didn’t say who brought me into a conversation, I said you had launched a personal attack, questioning motives, pay, etc. The comment was NOT about who brought up my name.

I’m about precise wording. I have not exaggerated. Go read the EXACT words. I’ve made no claims that the personal observations I’ve made are typical, merely that they’ve happened and note them. If you’re reading more into the statement, that’s on you, not on me. Also, I never said a 40% plane, let alone that I waited for it. What I did say was that an aggressive sUAS operator flew a large aircraft directly at the flight line (I.e. people) and pulled up into a hover right in front of people. Same for your other comments about 200 mph airplane or airplanes over 55lbs. Never said “all” sites. Please get your facts straight and don’t embellish my comments

Again, I never claimed that what I have witnessed is happening at ‘all’ AMA sites. Go back and read the exact words. I commented about what I saw in person, read about in court documents, and have seen in a variety of internet posts. Never once said that these things happen at “ALL” AMA sites. Those are your words, not mine. Please don’t embellish my comments.

One does not need to make a personal visit to be able to read an IRS990, and one does not need to go there to look at the financials over time. Also, one does not need to visit Muncie to read official statements by officers of the organization in magazines, online, or elsewhere. One can actually understand an organization very well, especially its priorities and strategy, by looking at where the expend their scarcest of resources — money. And being a 501(c)(3), the AMA tax filings are public. And lastly, one does not need to go to Muncie to see the impact of their decisions, or in most case, the lack of impact. So yes, one can understand an organization quite well w/o making a personal visit.

I’m here for the good of the hobby. I believe that by trying to get AMA to change strategy, they may be able to survive. And fortunately, nobody appointed you judge over what is and isn’t good for the hobby. If I think it’s for the good of the hobby, that’s as good as anything.

Obtained written confirmation from the FAA that under 336, one does not need to give money to a private organization in order to fly legally as a “model aircraft.”

First, addressing your earlier post, I never said the ED is paid too much. Read my exact words. What I said was that he’s paid a top x% salary (based on Muncie / IN), and asked if we’re getting top x% performance. I also pointed out in several places that problems I and others describe, like not getting EC notes posted in a timely manner, renewals getting screwed up, ads for events getting screwed up, and that awful website that’s still not fixed are all symptoms of an organization that doesn’t hold people accountable. And that ultimately, responsibility for that rests with the head of the staff, the ED. Now, as to whether they can afford me or not, they can’t. Second, I don’t want the job. I’m not leaving a house I love, private hunting land I own, a cabin I enjoy, and moving to the middle of friggin nowhere. And as for running for office? They pull only from leader members, and the EC decides who is and isn’t a leader member. Thus they control the entry to even be considered. Secondly, look at what happened for last EVP election, when one candidate had the audacity to suggest the strategy was wrong. The sitting president used the official publication to disparage the candidate’s position.

The beauty of this country is that I don’t need to justify or explain my motives to you. EC minutes? Lest you forget, those are how members find out about how OUR money is being spent. Or are you saying the EC should act in secret and not tell members what they’re discussing and how they’re spending money? So yes, I’m entitled to them. And, also, the fact they can’t get them posted on time is an example of a larger problem ... paying people to do jobs that aren’t getting done.

To repeat, thankfully you are not empowered sole authority to decide what is and isn’t good for the hobby, let alone who is or isn’t doing things to help, or even that such a thing is required. Show me this magical rule book fo the universe that says someone can’t post here simply because they want to?

In reality, I think an AMA modeled on ARRL could be a benefit. But there is a substantial difference, something I’m trying to change. Namely, ARRL lobbies for ALL amateur radio operators and DOES NOT try to carve out special rules for its members not available to everyone else. That stands in stark contrast to AMA’s former position that one had to e a member of a CBO to operate a “model aircraft.”

So I’ve worked hard to change things to make the situation more like ARRL. I got the FAA to say you didn’t need to be a member. I worked with my Congressman to get the infamous “and” replaced with an “OR.” Now AMA may have to actually increase membership by creating perceived value sufficient to justify the expense. In other words, get people to join because the want to rather than because they’re forced to. That in turn produces a stronger organization I believe.