140,000 approx members
2500 approx clubs

each of those clubs have to have 56 members just to account for the current approx membership.

how many times have you read about some club that caps it's membership at 35?
how many 6 -10 member clubs are there out there in rural america?

i think 2500 clubs is too few just to include the 140,000, without adding in however many non AMAers ya wana count.

804...Run about 2 and half hours north and fly with me!! I've got a 500' x 75' E-W and a 200' x 75 N-S that you can use at my house anytime you are in the area.

The guys from the club I used to belong to flew at two different school parking lots in the winter. When the club lost their primary field three years ago, they ended up at another members house, flying off the neighbors grass full scale strip. There's room anywhere you look, to put up anything you own, if you are responsible. If you're not personally responsible enough to manage this endeavor, I doubt you're responsible enough to think about joining any organization such as AMA in the first place.

And 804, (and anyone else) the above statement was a generality, not a personal comment on you. I hope you understand that.

I've been watching this thread since the beginning and have agreed with both camps at various times throughout. A bunch of great ideas have been thrown on the bench and beaten to death. It is a great method to get things changed...if it's done by people who can, and are willing to be a part of the change.

FWIW, I was president of my Local Club last year. I've been a club "instructor" (club paid the $5 to have "Intro Pilot" on my card...where'd that money go?) for the last few years, etc, etc. If I need a label here I guess it can be "uninterested" at this point. I may rejoin in the future, but for now I'm a member of the dissenters.

Thanks, reincarnate. I understand what you are saying.
I'm lucky, I have 3 AMA fields within 10 mi. of me, Aeronuts, Indy Westside, and Hamilton County. I fly at Aeronuts, that's where my friends are, and nowadays I get as much fun just hanging around them as I do flying.
We also have a group flying non-AMA nearby where I could fly, and might, but it is just less convenient.
My original point to LCS was that model airplane flyers are, IMO, no more and no less more careful with their "toys", than other hobbiests.
It kind of morphed into something else, as is common.
I don't claim to have any idea of how many people fly what from where, just that I think for the average Joe without several acres, or a friend with same, AMA clubs are the norm. It obviously varies by region.
If you ever get down this way, let me know, you're more than welcome to fly with us too. A great bunch of guys.

I don't know. There are also a lot of +100 member clubs, too.
The 3 around here all have over 50 (or did recently), we are at about 65.

We have debated many times what % of the AMA membership belong to a club. Nobody seems to know but the high estimates are 70% and the low 40% As a guess I'll use 50%..........

140,000 X 50% = 70,000
70,000 / 2500 = 28 member average club size.

Given that there are both very large clubs and a lot of very small clubs, and some members belong to multiple clubs, that seems reasonable.

2,500 clubs is probably a good guess.

Brad

Thanks, Toolman. I'll make a note of that.

I don't think the club #2500 is really meant be a guess since that number is easily quantifiable and I think is about that.

I think it was used for easy round figuring...but as always I could be wrong.

804 is right that was our point of contention but of course other things need to be considered to properly understand the likely hood of whatever...

My opposing rationale stems from watching guys that do motocross, sometimes without all the protective gear, shake like a leaf after taking every possible caution to fly their model...and other scenarios that are similar...always struck me as a little odd.

Wonder if someone might like to start a poll in the clubhouse to see how others feel? I might if some else doesn't but that would spoil the contention that all I do is post here...and I certainly would hate to destroy that perception for anyone.

LCS, I don't know if you've raced MX, but until one has lined up at the starting gate with 39 other riders, all bikes revved to the moon and pointed to the same spot in the first turn, they'll never know the meaning of shaking like a leaf. BTDT hundreds of times, it doesn't change, at least for me. It is of course not all about concern for the bike, but, there is potential for doing thousands of dollars of damage to one any time it is ridden.

To be quite honest, I used to feel a similar feeling when maidening a new plane, but not any more.

I don't normally share this hind of stuff but actually I was speaking about myself. I couldn't walk for 6 months due to an accident I had while riding a dirt bike...the Doc thought he might just as well amputate my leg...fortunately he found a way around that. I deal with continuing pain to this day. Had I taken more caution that day...equal to that I do with my models, I could have avoided all that misery. So you can say I know a little about which I speak.

ive read many good comments on both sides of the fence,,or this fence has many sides,,, despite all the nitpicking and one upmanship,whether it be with the pro ama or the who cares crowd,,and  the big whitty comments and fancy wording,,,i can say this,,,i feel very lucky to fly at a field that is run by the bearu of land management,,,open dry lake,,,, and theres no club or ama requirements,,,, what we do is if we see someone doing something dangerous ,some of us do it tactfully,,,some dont ,,,,we advise them that they could be liable for any damage to persons or property,,yes thers not the ama keeping things in order there but as a former club member and ama member,it works for me,,now as per this thread,,everything i just said could be dissected ,,but hey its my experience ,so im not trying to get everyone to think like me just chiming in.....

Interesting thread.<div>
</div><div>Clearly the AMA needs to get a bit friendlier, from what I can see. </div><div>
</div><div>My RC history starts 20 years ago with building a trainer, turning up at the local field, being told it was crap, then rebuilding coming back, seeing an instructor test fly it, then ... I sold it. Too hard, too much money, too much hassle. For what, showing up at a field and maybe getting a few flights per month. Not to mention, trainers are often pug-ugly. I had some 5 foot wingspan, nitro powered, fiberglass box fuselage dump truck of a plane. Even its mother would disown it. I then switched to nitro buggies, then nitro 1/8 th ic on-road, and had a blast. Stick to meeting rules and just have fun. Cars are awesome, especially the Kyosho Burns then Serpent Sprint which were pretty much my main models at the time.</div><div>
</div><div>So why am I posting here... Well, I have been having a ball with my ParkZone P51 micro Mustang, which with basically no prior flying experience, aside from an air hogs jet set, I have managed in a weekend to get to the point of flying circuits, including getting it down in one piece. This is a 4-channel, electric foamy, just weighing an ounce or so (dunno exactly) and it flies awesome, even in the 5 - 10 wind we have right now. </div><div>
</div><div>Small movements, small movements, back pressure in a turn, ease the nose down, ... fun fun fun! Total cost $160, including buying a proper Spektrum 5e transmitter, since I figure I'll be flying a few of these type models. The RTF is $130. I bet thousands of these things sold at Christmas, and if 10% are as persistent as I am, that's a few thousand folks that can now basically fly a baby 4 channel warbird!!!!!!</div><div>
</div><div>If the AMA could convert some of us folks, they would assure their own survival. Maybe one thing the AMA could do is charge 5 or 10 bucks per trip to extend insurance coverage at their fields. That might help get people more used to the idea of paying to fly, and after a few trips, maybe if dues paid were credited to the $50+ fee, it might get a few more folks joining up and turning up.</div><div>
</div>

ps ,,the only reason id get membership again,is because ilike the magazine ,,and the membership ,is just a bonus,,to be honest most members never need the ama other than filling club membership requirements,anyway ,i also recognize and acknowledge,the ama HAS DONE MANY THINGS WITH THE GOVT,,TO HELP US MODELLERS,from engine emission waivers to radio issues,,so there is a definite place for the ama,,but the generation that kept it going all theese years is very different from the current.

Well, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but unfortunately injuries from dirt bikes are pretty much inevitable.
I really think the answer to what we are talking about is largely an individual thing, and depends a lot on one's bank account.
I spend a fair bit of time on the Giants, and see a lot of videos of guys with expensive planes doing things I wouldn't even if I could.
Like:
Hovering in and out of barns
Flying in abandoned mines
Flying through long highway tunnels
Group hovering a few feet apart.
Even just now run of the mill 3-d stuff where a deadstick is fatal to the plane.

FUNNY AS I AM SETTING HERE READING THIS A QUICK CLIP CAME ON FROM TV BLOOPERS AND FUNNIEST VIDEOS. IT WAS OBVIUOSLY AT A FIELD AND ABOUT SAFTY AND HOW TO,AS THE INTERVIEW WENT INTO THE AMA AND INSURANCE SOMEONE PUT A PLANE IN RIGHT BEHIND THEM ON CAMERA. COUNDNT HAVE BEEN STAGED ANY BETTER IF THEY TRIED.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRRtAXZ3eE

now, apply that analytical thinking to this idea.
just how many folks do you know that buy a new radio every year?
how may that have more than 2 current tech radios?
now think about how many radios Futaba, JR, Hi-tech/Multiplex, and Airtronics have to sell every year to stay in the US market.

does it make sense that a market of a coupla hundred thousand could keep them in the US business?

my own situation: i have 2 12z radios, the newest of which is 4 years old. no plans to replace them any time soon. i think i am closer to the norm than not. a LOT of new folks have to be buying equipment to justify the level of retail outlets we see. or at least more than the 140,000 the AMA can claim.

from a quick member search here on RCU i can see 262,093 r/c folks that list US locations.
take out the 80,348 that say they do cars, and the 19,743 that say they do boats, and we have 162,001 that do aircraft.
wonder if RCU has more than 10,000 that are AMA members? even if every AMA member is a member here, that still gives us 20,000+ that are not, and this is just one of 4-5 really well trafficked sites.

wana a real awakening, look at the sales figures for things like the blade series helis. or all those air hogs helis, or the estes fixed wing stuff.

i really do not think that a million or more folks playing with some type of model is too high an estimate.

Mongo, look at the sales figures for Nordic Tracs and home gym equipment and you would think we have a nation full of triathletes...

my old lady insisted i buy her a "gazelle".

she uses it sporadically, just as i suspect all those nordic tracks and a lot of R/C stuff gets used, BUT, it is still getting used sometimes.

I agree and every model is said to have an expiration date. LOL

We agree again...Your perspective is every bit as valid as mine...two in a row. A record for us!


I guess since I have shared a little bit about myself earlier I'll let you in on something else as well, since we seem to be finding some common ground and that is really good. I also like the giants too!!!... I have at least 7 40% or larger planes...quite a few 35%...more 33% to quarter scale than I care to admit...and just about everything down to the high performance electric scale aerobats to the smallest of small, such as the park zone Sukoi and of course maybe 7 or 8 helis and some RC cars.

Yep, I admit it I am one of those guys that likes to gaggle hover with the 40%ers, torque roll, tail touch, harrier roll...whatever...Yep, when it comes to RC I am a real nut. Despite what has been said about me needing to find a hobby in here, I should really throttle back a little instead… Can barely find time to get in here and talk AMA stuff. BTW Here is a little video of the TUFF guys having some fun last year. Mine is the Big Orange Yak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a03NKjY_qA

On many days, if one didn’t know better, they would think we were having a 3D or Big Bird event but it will just be a typical Monday for us.


I don't know how many people are in the hobby but by helping out at the LHS I found that there is a high percent that aren't AMA and that they find little need for the typical AMA club environment that seems to be asserted as prerequisite all too often in here.


Of course and it should go without saying but YMMV
BTW I fly that big Yak in my buddies back yard.

Oh, I forgot another buddy that lets us get it done in his backyard...enjoy Fun at Freds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nACqeMogtQc

I would sure like to see an option for a membership without the magazine, its not really a good magazine anyway. There's much better magazines out their for this hobby.

The non optional MA magazine is really just another tool to help keep the AMA advantage.


I like the magazine myself and it is the only one I take any longer but if AMA allowed it to be optional more private magazine's would flourish and eventually might make MA a thing of the past. Losing MA would make AMA less relevant. Private enterprise is very powerful and AMA knows it.

Very cool vids., LCS.
Umm, would you consider adopting me?
I'll do all the airplane maintenance.

I can always use some help with maintenance... and someone to help excersise them as well...so the job will require you to fly them too... We'll have some fun. Around here everybody flys everybody's plane ...sometimes it is hard for the observer to know which plane belongs to who. Sometimes we even get confused we trade planes so often...

Hey members, newcomer to AMA here. I think the AMA isn't growing because of the lack of relevance to the huge park crowd. AMA is for the club and sanctioned flying sites. So how does it apply to parkflyers?

I just joined the AMA last week. So it grew by one more person. But I was thinking that where I live there's a flying field in Mather, CA(near Sacramento Ca). And I couldn't be less interested in going there right away. Now it isn't that i "don't care". I'm always posting on other threads in RCU, as an inside joke, "nobody cares" but I do care. My perception as an electric flyer is that clubs aren't worth the time away from my family, because you have to wait for everyone else to fly. And the big club fields and their larger runways are better suited for gas power. Today, with better electric technology than ever, a park that is close is better than a club further away. There are so many people who got into this from the parkflyer scene and who prefer the convenience of flying that a RTF parkflyer brings.

For me its the choice between a group of veterans (and possible "one upmanship", territorialism, or general extra time waiting for the others to get done flying ...), or a quick trip down to the huge park to fly my super cub, micro p 51 (without feeling looked down upon) or warbirds that takes 30 to 50 minutes tops. I can go with a friend or family member and it fits into my life easier. But I have hastily generalized the members themselves and this is wrong of me to do. So I am guilty of prejudice: As for my own insecurity with people, I have erred in that I've prejudged a group of flyers (local club members) without even meeting them yet. For that, I see the error of my own way. And I commit to join the AMA and approach the local club. I have to at least give it a try and meet the club out there some day soon.

Why did i join AMA? I wanted to keep my options open to approach the Club at Mather, CA and for the mag. And mostly because i want to be responsible as a model aviator, and become a contributing member to the AMA. But i can tell you this: the minute i get the feeling that i'm inferior or imposing on the others at the club (if i ever show up) will be be an indication that the local park is better for me. For me, one-upmanship is the worst. I know you've seen these guys. The ones that need everyone else to know why their choices and their set up is better than everyone elses. Yuk. (My motto on this website is "nobody cares" and it was born out of disgust for know-it-alls on other threads. I don't have the patience to stroke someone else's ego. I just want to fly. And of course I fly as safe as possible.

I'm interested in learning more about the rules, not to be bound by them, but to be set free to fly responsibly with a knowlege of what is appropriate. Rules are there to provide freedom to enjoy the hobby with consideration to others, and to protect us from harm.

I guess i just don't know enough about AMA and how it applies to me outside the sanctioned flying site and/or local club.