Former AMA member......when I was old enough to not be a junior member I dropped AMA because I wasn't go'n to pay $58 or whatever it may be now a year. It's been 3 years since I've really flown due to going to college, graduating, moving and starting life in the "real world". I am now getting the time to get back into it but live in N.VA and limited by what I can fly at the moment for multiple reasons and planning to purchase a 3D park flyer and wherever I find room (lawns, parking lot etc) and fly it!

SO, do I need AMA or not with my parkflyer? -i do have enough common since not to fly over top of a soccer game etc......

-i'm sure this is a repost of some sort but not sure what exactly to search under to get a direct answer, thanks for the help!

Only YOU can answer that question.

You're out of college, and over 19 for certain, so you must be old enough to assume the liability for your actions.

There is no law of the 'real world' that says anyone MUST belong to any civil organization. Only you can consider and determine just what might happen if your model goes into a near-by street, causes a driver to swerve, a wreck happens and you are held responsible because you failed to control your flying machine.

Long ago, the Supreme Court determined that Airline Pilots could be held accountable for any mistakes they made that resulted in loss of life or injury. What would you think the civil courts could do to someone that failed to take due diligence with his/her toy airplane?

Your call.[X(]

i'm more or less try'n to get a feel for how many actually do or don't bother with ama and with their small electrics, how does ama cover such things since its not an "ama sanctioned site" or whatever? thanks for the reply

No disagreement with Hoss, just want to follow up on the liability issue, as that is likely the primary reason you might need AMA. If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance, you may already be covered for liability in some amount (read the policy/ask your agent to be sure). If so, you need to decide if the amount of coverage is sufficient for your comfort while flying model airplanes. If it isn't, the AMA insurance will cover a judgment against you for amounts in excess of your current coverage, up to $2 million.

Edit to add: You do not have to be at an AMA chartered club site for the insurance coverage to be effective. About half of AMA members do not belong to a club, so nothing out of the ordinary about your situation.

Abel

Remember, flying your model is a privilage, and like any other privilage in the U.S. you have to take responsibility for your actions, and make sure you are covered if something goes wrong.

If you are flying in a farm field 20 miles outside of town, and you think you will never want to fly at an AMA chartered field, then you won't need an AMA card...there's not much to damage out amongst 1000 acres of farmland.

If you will be flying in the city or close to civilization, where, if you lost control of your model and it flew off for some reason, hit someone, and they sued, would you be covered.

Getting back into small electrics is probably going to spark your interest in larger planes again. You'll end up joining AMA later if you need to in order to fly at a chartered club, otherwise you'll be just fine flying your 75 pound turbine with missiles out on a farm somewhere and no one can say a word about it (as long as you own the land).

that is a very dangerous attitude. flying rc is NOT a priviledge... if i fly my rc plane out in my back 40 acres (i wish), there is absolutely NO ONE legally able to say no to me, it is my right. Same with driving your car. yes it is a priveledge to be out on public roads, but driving around your own land is an entirely different matter. The only possible restriction is a possible conflict with the FAA, but even that becomes a grey area as the FAA has no enforcement power, FCC doesn't either as long as you are in compliance with the terms of the unregulated airspace.

Okay, I guess my last sentence didn't get read...stating that what you do on YOUR OWN land is your business.

Flying model airplanes on someone else's land IS a privilage whether the government owns it, your neighbor owns it, or the AMA owns it. If we are responsible and pick up after ourselves then people will invite us back to fly on their land. Very few people that fly models have their own personal flying acrage.[&:]

Is that clear? Sorry about the confusion...

Toddt 02

Find a nice little spot out of the way where there very few
or no people around and enjoy yourself. I'd suggest going
to a back lot in a industrial park after work. Usually there are
not too many people hanging around those places.
You should also check that your not too close to a model airplane
field. Frequency control could cause a serious problem for you
and others.

If you want to join AMA , join. If not , don't

Regards
Roby

smokingcrater,

I have seen models loose the signal from the transmitter and fly miles away from the pilot before coming down. If it hits someone/something, the pilot is still liable. So, your flight may start in your own 40 acres, but where may it end up?