airbatic

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has no authority.

They cannot 'make' you do anything.

Don't be a dope and fall for their antics.

Kraus

Crashem

Did you come to this conclusion on your own?? Or did someone help you with it

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

LOL

rsallen13

My Feedback: (1)

(Sung to Row, Row, Row Your boat) Troll, Troll, Troll the Forum!

scottrc

You will be assimilated by the AMA.
Resistance is frutile
Do not run, you cannot hide.
You will be assimilated.

Or............

Don't be a dope, don't do drugs.

Anyway, the reason for this thread is??????

Live Wire

The AMA was set up to make a set of giude lines for model aircraft operation and to promote model aviation. When it was created they did not know what they were in for. The advancement of the hobby was and is not what it was disigned for. The need for insurance and the change in comunications made a whole new problem for the AMA. they had to change their whole approuch to what they were to do. Thats where we come in . We pay dues to keep our hobby safe and give us the freedom we have to enjoy the sport.AMA is there to help with our sport Hobby.
I do not like the way they waiste our money on thing that does not help all the members instead of the few. Thats as far as i'm going to go!!!!

stalspin-delete

Airbatic, theoretically . no one can make you do anything. but then have some one put a 45 Colt against your fore head and I'll bet you would consider doing whatever the holder of the colt said.
And I think there are certain areas where the AMA does have the authority.

abel_pranger

Yup, and if he said 'Give me your wallet and car keys or I'll blow your head off,' you have been given two options to choose from, just as some have noted here that you have a choice to join AMA and an AMA chartered club, or buy your own flying site.

Abel

airbatic

Do you really think the A.M.A. can keep me from flying my airplane?

Like the A.R.R.L. can keep me off the air.

Kraus

s3nfo

My Feedback: (14)

Just like the local constabulary cannot "make" you do anything. They just are there to help with the consequences from your actions or lack of actions.
Just like the IRS cannot "make" you pay taxes, they're just there to help you with the consequences of paying or not paying your taxes.

Do or don't, your choice and the consequences are also your responsibility.......

C_Watkins

My Feedback: (10)

The AMA has no authority that you don't personally choose to give them.
IF you're a member, then you've given them the authority to enforce their
rules upon you, but only if you want them to pay, in the event of accident.
If you don't care if they pay off or not, then they're back to "no authority".

There's no comparison to be made to any government or law enforcement
agencies. The AMA isn't able to use deadly force to coerce everyone in the
land to follow their rules, but government and law enforcement groups can.
We "opt in" to the AMA, and can "opt out" at any time. Try opting out of our
tax system, or try opting out of the law enforcement system sometime.
(Well theoretically, you could leave the country, but then you'd just become
subject to the laws and taxes of that land, so there's no real "escape" here)

rw Guinn

BULLSEYE
The AMA is an association (look that word up in the dictionary if you have trouble with it) of individuals who share a common interest.
There are very few laws in the US regulating the flying of model aircraft of any kind. Most of those that do exist are local (Lubbock, Tx, I am told forbids flying on school grounds), but all in all, if you obey the laws on tresspass you can fly anywhere.
IF you want to fly a turbine, you may do so, anywhere you like, as long as you don't tresspass (and invading a club field and violating its rules can be construed as tresspass). IF you want to fire Sidewinder rocket models from your whatever, have at it. Remember, though, that in some states, he who starts a fire pays for the fire-fighting costs--Colorado and New Mexico do this, I know. Hassasing the birds and beasts is also an offense in most states (And harrassing raptors and migratory birds is a Federal offense.)
If you want to bounce the tail of your 33% Extra off the ground, have at it.
The complaints that "I can't fly unless I join a club and the AMA" are mainly complaints of "I can't find a really nice facility and use the fruits of other people's efforts to do what I want to, regardless of what other people think and want"
States West of Texas and East of California have large amounts of public land--where the law basically states that all use not specifically prohibited is permitted.
Just keep in mind that even with homeowners insurance, violation of the AMA safety code will likely leave you financially exposed, as most coverages adopt the prevalant "generally accptable practices" to determine liability coverage--or so I was told by my agent.

abel_pranger

Kraus-
Of course not. AMA can only control members of clubs that that have submitted to AMA mandates in exchange for the privilege of buying insurance. Some people get their knickers knotted up when I say that, but I've yet to hear from anyone of any other sensible reason for having an AMA club charter (speaking as non-competitive flyer in a sport flying oriented club - there may be good reasons for clubs comprised of competition oriented folks that I'm unaware of).
I doubt that the 85,000 or so AMA members that belong to AMA clubs represent more than a single digit percentage of aeromodelers in the country. If you don't want your flying to be controlled by AMA, just go with the flow......

Abe

goliath-RCU

My Feedback: (8)

When i first started out i thought alot like you do. Ive been flying for about three years now and as i drive around I see a property and i asses it for the possibility of flying from it. I get a little closer and every time I check it out i realize just how nice the county facility i fly at is. The only way the county will let you fly at their facility is through the AMA due the cheap primary insurance they supply. I also love to attend flyins. I NEED the AMA for these two things only, and thats enough for me.

diceman

My Feedback: (10)

Unless you own your own flying site, they do hold all the cards.

Try getting a public and or most private land owners to let you use their land without insurance!!!!!

J_R

diceman

I guess it depends on where you are and how hard you try. What is, undoubtedly, the most used facility in California, the Supulveda Basin, has no insurance requirments nor club membership requirements nor AMA membership requirement, but is a public facility.

The Omahawks, one of the better known clubs in the country, are located in Nebraska and, they too, have no requirement to belong to the AMA.

Is the fact that so many clubs do charter with the AMA a statement on the ease of obtaining sites and insurance when the charter progam is taken advantage of? I think it is. The AMA doesn't come looking for the clubs, the clubs go to the AMA.

IF you REALLY want to work at it, and spend YOUR time, and YOUR money, you may well be able to avoid the AMA if that is your truly desire. If your desire is simply to take the easy path, or to fly AMA sanctioned events, or fly at AMA chartered clubs, then the choice is clear.


JR

rw Guinn

Go read my previous post again.
On public land (BLM, USFS, and even some National parks!) --That which is not expressly forbidden (That means spelled out, in writing) is PERMITTED (That means you can do it without permission)
There is a lot of BLM Land in the West of the U.S.
From my house in Roswell, NM, I can WALK 5 minutes, and be there. In Texas, its a bit more difficult, true. In Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah--it's all over.
All you have to do is be prepared to pay through the nose if you mess up.
What many complainers want, however, is what "the Little Red Hen's" "Friends" wanted--someone else to do all the work so that they can enjoy the fruits...

Roger
edited for spelling....

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

Uh...why not go get insurance for the landowner. Again, another option!

After all, why should the landowner pay for additional coverage to let someone fly for free on his property? [sm=confused.gif]

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

Private insurance is more expensive and more complicated. The paperwork required to get flying site insurance through the AMA is an absolute breeze, and it only costs the club $60 a year per site.

yard-dart

My Feedback: (35)

The problem with using the AMA's landowner insurance is that the club has to be chartered. I am starting my own private flying site. It will not be a chartered club, so I can't pay the extra $60.00 a year for the additional inurance for the landowner. One thing that is mandatory at my site is that each person flying there must have a current AMA card. As many of you may know, I don't agree with how the AMA's insurance works (secondary coverage), but as long as a person abides by the safety code, there should not be a problem with the basic AMA insurance. When I was looking into the propery I have obtained, the first thing the landowner asked me was if I had insurance. I simply pulled out my AMA card and handed it to her. I then explained what it was, and the rest is history. Most of the people flying at my site are homeowners, so that is really enough within itself. For those that aren't, that's where the mandatory AMA comes in.

John

J_R

John

I'm just curious. Why have you chosen not to charter as an AMA club?

JR

yard-dart

My Feedback: (35)

Well, I guess the main reason is that I can control who flies there. The other reason is because the landowner doesn't want a lot of people out there. I have hand-picked twenty or so people as participants. The landowner said that's plenty. I figured if it's a chartered club, it would be recognized by the AMA, which is exactly what I don't want. I want to keep it totally private.

John

Silent-AV8R

Yard-Dart

You realize of course that the AMA member insurance only covers the AMA member, right? So in the event of an accident at the site the AMA policy will cover the AMA member but NOT the land owner. In the event of any legal action the land owner is totally unprotected by the AMA coverage that the member has.

You have misrepresented to the land owner what the AMA member insurance means and that may also place you at personal liability.

Just a thought.

Bill

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

I think that depends on what he told the landowner it was. If he said it covers him, fine. If he told the landowner it covered the landowner, then there is likely a problem. But he didn't tell us what was said, so we really don't know that he misrepresented anything.

J_R

Hi John

There are many clubs that have restricted memberships. You can write the by-laws pretty much as you chose, with only a couple of necessary items. If you want to limit the club to 20, that’s your privilege. You must have at least 5 to charter. If you want the board to have complete control, write the by-laws to make it that way. The only thing I know of that the AMA insists upon is no discrimination based on race, religion, etc AND a method to remove members that insures them of due-process. The rest is up to you. You don’t have to allow visitors or additional members. Take a look at the AMA charter renewal package on the AMA site. Clubs are left to determine how they will be run, it is not mandated by the AMA. Of course, the club is subject to the safety code, but you have already committed to that by requiring the members to have AMA. If you have specific concerns, call Carl Maroney at HQ and discuss them with him. LOL, there in no obligation in making the call.

JR