I joined IRCHA back in 2000, I took a couple years off from flying and I'm now back to the Heli's again. Can someone tell me the benefits of joining IRCHA ?? I see absolutely no benefits to joining, the web site is a joke, no magazine for heli guys, basically an ID card and number. It appears that IRCHA has become a stagnated SIG of the AMA. At least these are my thoughts unless someone can enlighten me.

I think it is supposed to represent the needs and wants of helicopter pilots to the AMA. So as a member you make a complaint about AMA or your field or club or whatever to Ircha and they as a group supposedly can grab AMA's ear better than you can and work things out or give you ideas based on solutions their other members found. I don't know if that is how it works in reality. You also get a chance to win more prizes at the Jamboree. You get a plastic Ircha card that holds up better than your paper AMA card. There is a newsletter but it isn't any better than your average club newsletter. And they support the USA FAI team which I don't know the details on that other than they win sometimes. IRCHA itself doesn't seem to do a good job of telling you why you need to be a member. I don't know if there are any sigs in the AMA that obviously pull their weight.

I think its main purpose is to support the FAI team and provide the Jamboree. So if you attend or get involved with either than the membership is a good deal.

Well I dont think I'll rejoin this time around, the AMA already gets a big chunk but at least we get a nice magazine.
I dont go to the Jamboree and the FAI guys get a ton of support from sponsors. I would love to see the IRCHA financial statements for the last few years just to see where all the money goes. I bet we would be surprized.

[:-]

L8R Craig

Boy, THAT statement holds true for several of the SIG's.