Fortunately, Cooler Heads Prevail
11-03-2002, 05:47 PM
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Fortunately, Cooler Heads Prevail
The AMA does one hell of a fine job, irrespective of the blather that passes for "constructive criticism" in this forum. We are fortunate that the AMA is able to offer insurance. It is unfortunate that such a vocal few fail to understand that the AMA does not exist to provide insurance. Insurance is a sideline that has grown to overshadow the organization's original intent.
Personally, I would join the AMA even if it did not carry an insurance benefit, but I am among the lucky few with access to a private flying site and a liability umbrella that covers me even if AMA coverage were not available. So my membership subsidizes the rest of you in that small regard.
Even so, I would not be flying but for the frequencies that the AMA has secured, and I will not be flying if ignorant bureaucrats succeed in regulating model aviation into the ground.
I am glad there is a national flying site, and I applaud a leadership that had the foresight to get the AMA's money out of the stock market and into real estate at the best possible moment.
Moving from it's high rent headquarters in Washington D.C. to it's own permanent home close to the geographic center of the country makes our organization more accessable for the overwhelming majority of the members.
Giving the Nats a permanent home, not one subject to the whim of the military (the Navy Nats of yore) the protests of the neighbors (Top Gun) or the health of the promoter (TOC) is a move which will allow the Nats to return to international eminence as well as turn it into a profit center for the Academy rather than a certain loser for the host club and it's community.
Those who fail to take advantage of the opportunites that the AMA offers are the poorer for it, but that, like the choice to join some fly by night insurance only outfit is a matter of personal right.
Insurance is a fact of life in America, and you might as well admonish the moon for rising as rail against the requirement that you have insurance.
The AMA is as large and successful as it is because of the broad range of services it offers.
AMA's size and success allows it to offer insurance at a cost far below what you would have to pay Allstate or Whomever for comparable coverage. This benefit however, would be irrelevant, but for the rest of what the AMA does.
It's size and success means that the AMA continues to be able to stave off efforts to require federal regulation and licensing of our models.
It's size and success give the AMA enough clout at the FCC to prevent our RC frequencies from being auctioned off to mobile telecom providers or dedicated to wireless LAN ports.
It's size and success allow it to publish and promote competition standards that have driven model aircraft technology to an ever higher state for more than 70 years. If you don't want to support competition that you don't participate in, then I sugget you return to rubber band escapements and adams actuators immediately...of course, those were created for competition too...
It's size and success allow it to publish a very well written magazine that covers every aspect of the model aviation world. If you don't like to read the magazine, that's really sad, you might actually learn something if you did. Not reading it is comparable to joining the National Geographic Society, or the Smithsonian, or the NRA or your local historical society and refusing to read their lousy rags.
All of these elements are pillars of the organization. Each of them comprise reasons that people join the Academy and none of them can stand without the support of the others.
I joined the AMA for the same reason I joined the United States Ski Association, the NRA and Ducks Unlimited. These organizations are working to preserve my right to participate in activities that I hope my children will be able to enjoy.
Now, it is a beautiful day. Go fly something.
Personally, I would join the AMA even if it did not carry an insurance benefit, but I am among the lucky few with access to a private flying site and a liability umbrella that covers me even if AMA coverage were not available. So my membership subsidizes the rest of you in that small regard.
Even so, I would not be flying but for the frequencies that the AMA has secured, and I will not be flying if ignorant bureaucrats succeed in regulating model aviation into the ground.
I am glad there is a national flying site, and I applaud a leadership that had the foresight to get the AMA's money out of the stock market and into real estate at the best possible moment.
Moving from it's high rent headquarters in Washington D.C. to it's own permanent home close to the geographic center of the country makes our organization more accessable for the overwhelming majority of the members.
Giving the Nats a permanent home, not one subject to the whim of the military (the Navy Nats of yore) the protests of the neighbors (Top Gun) or the health of the promoter (TOC) is a move which will allow the Nats to return to international eminence as well as turn it into a profit center for the Academy rather than a certain loser for the host club and it's community.
Those who fail to take advantage of the opportunites that the AMA offers are the poorer for it, but that, like the choice to join some fly by night insurance only outfit is a matter of personal right.
Insurance is a fact of life in America, and you might as well admonish the moon for rising as rail against the requirement that you have insurance.
The AMA is as large and successful as it is because of the broad range of services it offers.
AMA's size and success allows it to offer insurance at a cost far below what you would have to pay Allstate or Whomever for comparable coverage. This benefit however, would be irrelevant, but for the rest of what the AMA does.
It's size and success means that the AMA continues to be able to stave off efforts to require federal regulation and licensing of our models.
It's size and success give the AMA enough clout at the FCC to prevent our RC frequencies from being auctioned off to mobile telecom providers or dedicated to wireless LAN ports.
It's size and success allow it to publish and promote competition standards that have driven model aircraft technology to an ever higher state for more than 70 years. If you don't want to support competition that you don't participate in, then I sugget you return to rubber band escapements and adams actuators immediately...of course, those were created for competition too...
It's size and success allow it to publish a very well written magazine that covers every aspect of the model aviation world. If you don't like to read the magazine, that's really sad, you might actually learn something if you did. Not reading it is comparable to joining the National Geographic Society, or the Smithsonian, or the NRA or your local historical society and refusing to read their lousy rags.
All of these elements are pillars of the organization. Each of them comprise reasons that people join the Academy and none of them can stand without the support of the others.
I joined the AMA for the same reason I joined the United States Ski Association, the NRA and Ducks Unlimited. These organizations are working to preserve my right to participate in activities that I hope my children will be able to enjoy.
Now, it is a beautiful day. Go fly something.
11-03-2002, 11:44 PM
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Fortunately, Cooler Heads Prevail
ctdahle
I'm glad your post made it obvious that the items were your opinion. Is it something that you wrote 20-30 years ago and decided to re-post? I don't think I have ever seen so many misconceptions and misinformation in one post before.
JR
I'm glad your post made it obvious that the items were your opinion. Is it something that you wrote 20-30 years ago and decided to re-post? I don't think I have ever seen so many misconceptions and misinformation in one post before.
JR
11-03-2002, 11:48 PM
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Re: Fortunately, Cooler Heads Prevail
Originally posted by ctdahle
The AMA is as large and successful as it is because of the broad range of services it offers.
The AMA is as large and successful as it is because of the broad range of services it offers.
My 400+ member club did a survey a few years ago to find out why the club members were AMA members, and what they expected from the AMA.
The answer was overwhelmingly "We joined because we had to be AMA members in order to fly at this club", and "nothing but insurance".
If your club has a large enough membership fpr the results to be statistically meaningful, maybe you should try taking the same survey at your club... and do it anonymously so that people don't feel that they are being coerced by an AMA supporter to give an "I love the AMA" kind of answer.
Let us know what the results are...
Gordon
11-04-2002, 11:05 PM
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Fortunately, Cooler Heads Prevail
Chris,
Right on! Some seem only to want to tear-down. I shutter to think what would happen if the primary national organization for modelers ceased to exist.
For a vision of that future, ask a sport control-liner what has happened to the availability of his flying sites over the last 40 years.
If we fall out of vogue, raise the ire of the general public, give people reasons not to throw their money into their models, and there is no-one to stay our cause, our hobby will wither and die.
I'm glad that the average modeler is nothing like most of the folks that post here. If they were, the bellyaching would drown out the engine sounds at the local sites across the country every Sat. morning.
This is supposed to be fun people!!!!
If y'all want to post back and forth all day pi$$ing and moaning without anything actually constructive to say, well "good on ya!" As long as you don’t hurt anyone but yourselves.
But, if you foul it up for the thousands of us who actually enjoy this hobby, then SHAME ON YOU!!!!!
Send them your 58 bucks, vote your opinion and GET OVER IT!
Modelers need the AMA
The AMA needs modelers
Is it perfect? NO!, but the the above facts are true even for the small group of vocal malcontents.
Flame away!
Randy (Digger) Birt
Right on! Some seem only to want to tear-down. I shutter to think what would happen if the primary national organization for modelers ceased to exist.
For a vision of that future, ask a sport control-liner what has happened to the availability of his flying sites over the last 40 years.
If we fall out of vogue, raise the ire of the general public, give people reasons not to throw their money into their models, and there is no-one to stay our cause, our hobby will wither and die.
I'm glad that the average modeler is nothing like most of the folks that post here. If they were, the bellyaching would drown out the engine sounds at the local sites across the country every Sat. morning.
This is supposed to be fun people!!!!
If y'all want to post back and forth all day pi$$ing and moaning without anything actually constructive to say, well "good on ya!" As long as you don’t hurt anyone but yourselves.
But, if you foul it up for the thousands of us who actually enjoy this hobby, then SHAME ON YOU!!!!!
Send them your 58 bucks, vote your opinion and GET OVER IT!
Modelers need the AMA
The AMA needs modelers
Is it perfect? NO!, but the the above facts are true even for the small group of vocal malcontents.
Flame away!
Randy (Digger) Birt
11-05-2002, 12:19 AM
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Lets back up!
Okay first of all no matter what anyone says, the ONLY leg that the AMA has to stand on IS insurance. Period! They talk a great deal about the promotoin of model aviation but the fact is without insurance as the primary reason we join, the AMA numbers would dwindle rapidly becuase the vast majority of modelers DO NOT need the AMA to enjoy modeling. At this time the AMA is banking (literally) on the numbers of it membership growing in the future.
Why doesn't the AMA (since insurance is reportedly NOT their primary focus) simply drop that part of their service and just continue what they say they are doing - supporting and furthering model aviation? After all the insurance seems to be a big and growing problem. Why not trim the fat and run a lean and mean orginazation? Without all the bothersome red tape of the insurance layers and regulations the AMA could redirect its entire focus on what it TRUELY is all about. Right? Surely everyone will glady reinlist, right?
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FACT: Without dangling the "insurance" carrot, the AMA will die. Period.
What I, and I suspect most people, have a big problem with is the fact that the AMA is no different from any other large corporation or business that uses other peoples money to grow itself but they won't admit to it. They put on this ridiculos and insulting front that they are a wholesome and wonderful orginasation that only wants to help us.
I started building and flying models long before I even heard of the AMA and I'll bet so did most of you. If the AMA folded tommorow I would still build and fly model airplanes. Companies that are in business to supply modelers like us with the tools and materials of our trade will continue to do so. This is a fact of life. I am tired of being told that without the AMA I could not do what I do.
I do not hate the AMA or anyone that works and profits from my membership with the AMA I just don't want to be told that I should honor them for it. They are a business and are supplying a service. As long as the vast majority who use this service find it acceptable they will continue to use it.
I do not want to work for or be a leader in the AMA, I just want to get to fly airplanes, thats all. I hope and pray that somewhere down the road, the AMA has competion for our dollar. It will ultimately be an improvement for RC Modeling, and after all wouldn't the AMA want it that way!
Why doesn't the AMA (since insurance is reportedly NOT their primary focus) simply drop that part of their service and just continue what they say they are doing - supporting and furthering model aviation? After all the insurance seems to be a big and growing problem. Why not trim the fat and run a lean and mean orginazation? Without all the bothersome red tape of the insurance layers and regulations the AMA could redirect its entire focus on what it TRUELY is all about. Right? Surely everyone will glady reinlist, right?
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FACT: Without dangling the "insurance" carrot, the AMA will die. Period.
What I, and I suspect most people, have a big problem with is the fact that the AMA is no different from any other large corporation or business that uses other peoples money to grow itself but they won't admit to it. They put on this ridiculos and insulting front that they are a wholesome and wonderful orginasation that only wants to help us.
I started building and flying models long before I even heard of the AMA and I'll bet so did most of you. If the AMA folded tommorow I would still build and fly model airplanes. Companies that are in business to supply modelers like us with the tools and materials of our trade will continue to do so. This is a fact of life. I am tired of being told that without the AMA I could not do what I do.
I do not hate the AMA or anyone that works and profits from my membership with the AMA I just don't want to be told that I should honor them for it. They are a business and are supplying a service. As long as the vast majority who use this service find it acceptable they will continue to use it.
I do not want to work for or be a leader in the AMA, I just want to get to fly airplanes, thats all. I hope and pray that somewhere down the road, the AMA has competion for our dollar. It will ultimately be an improvement for RC Modeling, and after all wouldn't the AMA want it that way!
