Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

How many people would be willing to pay a dollar a day to fly at a field owned by the AMA?

Here I am talking about people in the large metropolitan areas that are fighting with other development groups for acreage.

If fifty thousand of the AMA membership committed to a project like this it would generate eighteen million dollars a year. It would not take too many years to have decent flying sites in several parts of the country.

It would be wise to have a credit card or bank account billed bi-weekly for the money and a third party for oversite of the AMA to make sure the money goes for the intended purpose.

Those AMA members that did not want to commit could pay $10 per day just like going to a show or anything else that requires admission.

This will never happen with the AMA membership but a group with a good business plan and the right people could make a version of this work in some areas.

SSRCCPREZ

I'd donate 5k to have a designated AMA owned field so I no longer have to have the everpresent threat of field loss.

$1 a day I 'd really pay $10.00!!!!

SSRCCPREZ

LANNYBOB

NO im taxed enough, leave me and my hard working MONEY alone. call up oprah and ask her. you'll get the same response. NO. have all employees of munci indiana give up their money. what is this. next year it'll be two dollars then twenty then hundred. when will it stop. the buck stops here no more.

RTK

My Feedback: (1)

Put me on the 10 dollars per admission plan.

ira d

I for one would like to see more AMA owned or controled sites accross the country where
for a modest fee you could upgrade your membership and have the right to fly at these
sites anytime you want.

rnav

How about just over 9 cents a day to join our AMA charted Club. If you send me the money ILL send you a membership card. we are located in northwest Ohio,* just minutes off the Ohio turnpike. fly what you bring, free flight, heli, glow, gas, big or small, gliders, what ever, if it fly's bring it.

KidEpoxy

is this an offshoot of the NATs Roadshow & BBQ, with the regional MegaSites?

Hossfly

Please check my math however your figures consider that the 50,000 members paying $1 per day are paying for each day of the year, or $365 each per year. 50,000 x 365 = $18,250,000

That is a long way off of paying $1 per day to fly since I -- just by experience alone -- doubt that the average flier flies more than an average of 2 days per week. That brings the total down to $2 per week X 52 = $104 per year, X 50,000 = $5,200,000 per year.
That may build 5 secure flying sites over 50 states. Not much!!! 10 sites if in danger of civilization catching up within the next 10 years.

When one runs to AMA to furnish their site, then what is a decent site? Here in the Houston, TX area alone, there are 2 excellent public sites in Harris County with all the amenities, yet there are some 17 area clubs with at least 5 sites OWNING their own land.

50 AMA sites will not be a significant grain of sand on the beach. I sure as H_ll have no intention to drive 1/2 way across TX to fly on any day. Club members willing to pay $365 annual club dues can, in some manner, obtain a decent site, without depending on AMA.

edited to add an n: the to then.

LuftwaffeOberst

I pay $40 a year to be a member at my Club. If I wasn't a member of any Club... sure I'd pay a $1 a day if I had too.



Peter Dowling aka Luftwaffe Oberst
AMA District II # 865404
Aero Modelers Club
Pulaski, NY

ira d

I think it would be a good idea for the AMA to partner with several clubs in each state
that have nice facilites, they could maybe pay some of the clubs operating expenses
in exchange for AMA members that have an upgraded membership being able to fly there.

It may be a good idea to limit this option only to flyers that visit from out of town say
they live over 100 mi from the site otherwise the club should expect you to join if you
live in the local area. anyway just some food for thought.

I know many clubs do welcome guest but some want to charge day fees and you have
to know someone in the club to gain access, but if it was an AMA premiere status club
you would have free access and no day fees, I thank the title of premiere status just
has a nice ring to it.

LuftwaffeOberst

Before I joined my Club, I could fly there 3 times for free... then I would be asked to join the club. I flew once, and then I joined because I liked it so much there.

I didn't know anyone. I just saw a house at the field, banged on the door and introduced myself. And I became the owners guest until I payed my dues.


Great bunch of guys, even though I was the new guy and was the brunt of everyones jokes... but I flew full size planes, so I've been there and done that. [sm=lol.gif] I just return the abuse. [sm=lol.gif] Every year we vote in a Safety Inspector... the one who has the most crashes gets elected. [sm=lol.gif] Just kidding. It's hard to be the age of 40, and still be the youngest member at the field.



Peter Dowling aka Luftwaffe Oberst
AMA District II # 865404
Aero Modelers Club
Pulaski, NY

Bob101

I used to pay $125 a year where I flew and believe it or not I came out cheaper than if I paid $1 a day becuase I fly 4-7 days a week. Now I just walk outside and crank up the plane and taxi/fly so i don't belong to a club now.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

Horace, did you see anywhere in my post that it said a dollar for each day that you fly at the field? It said a dollar a day period.

Also you will notice that there was a comment about large metropolitan areas smaller areas were not mentioned.
Also not stated is that old farts like myself would not benefit from this because my flying days would be over by the time this could be implemented.

The most salient point would be whether about 1/3 of the membership based on a census of at least 150,000 AMA members would commit to such a concept. If the money part can be answered all of the negative problems can be overcome.
In my world, I have more than once had to open meetings by saying "I am aware of what you can't do. Now,tell me what you can do."

Silent-AV8R

Land around me averages between $150,000 and $1,500,000 per acre, so let's call it $825 K per acre. Due to urban encroachment we will need say 150 acres. That's only $123,750,000!! Let's GO!!!!!! Heck, even at $150K per acre we would need $22,500,000 :~{

Maybe we should start someplace else.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

Maybe we should buy up EPA super fund sites. After all what is an extra finger ot toe amongst friends?

Hossfly

Gremlin, since you did not specifically state just what you were speaking of, I addressed both points. "Please check my math however your figures consider that the 50,000 members paying $1 per day are paying for each day of the year, or $365 each per year. 50,000 x 365 = $18,250,000 " In addition I provide an estimate of a situation where you might have been speaking of per flying days. Since you fail to be specific, then I have to cover all bases, in order to make something of your communications.

If you think you are going to get 50,000 AMA members to pay $365 per year to fly their models even after having spent several thousand on some of them, then you have some kind of marketing plan beyond anything that I experience with these people. Modelers are very tight and small thinkers which is one BIG reason that AMA is in the shape it's in.

Jetero gets some of your people down here to the annual Pattern Contest. They all fly at public fields in your area. Big D & FW could have many private fields on the outskirts. DO THEY?

I have been trying to get Jetero to go ahead and purchase the two 10-acre lots, one each on the south and north of their facility. Priced at about 70% of current value, they will not raise dues to make a 15% down payment, ( they have adequate money in a savings account plus a year-end surplus of almost $8000.00 plus 07 renewals coming in) 20 year mortgage at fixed 6%.
Considering that dues are now $150.00 per year, how do you expect to get these guys to take on $365.00 per year for some possible pie-in-the-sky?

If I get run over by an errant 18 wheeler, my heirs are not going to be so nice to a toy airplane club. If Jetero loses the right to overfly those 20 acres, then they are out of business.

Not trying to be negative, however I have had a number of opportunities to observe modelers at work. Buy the latest fads, radios, engines, whatever, however someone else MUST provide a flying site, all pristine and for NOTHING! Difficult for me to understand such minds.

So before smarting off Gremlin, be certain you say what you mean, if you happen to know what you mean.

Silent-AV8R

Lennar Homes just did that here. A place called Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. 4,700 acres that they got for a song. Something like $175K per acre. Only 822 MILLION dollars. Sorry.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/4b229bb0820cb8b888256f0000092946/0846b624a4a5f1b388257007005e9448!OpenDocument

Not trying to put a damper on th idea. There are many places it might work. Sadly I do not think SOCAL is one of them []

Rustysocket

In a nutshell, No I would not.

KidEpoxy

I keep telling you SaCal guys, plenty of BLM land out I-15 & the 58

Baker aint too expensive either... and they have that big thermometer to remind you what exit to get off the freeway.

There is alway the good neighbors of Irwin & Yermo to slap a club site between, if you want cheap SoCal land.

Best bet is the BLM land, nobody will ever take that away.

Silent-AV8R

Let's see, on a good weekend with Vegas traffic Baker is a mere 4 hour drive (if I'm lucky). About 170 miles.

We live in one of the worst areas for land and such. I am lucky that we have the OCMA site which is only 25 minutes from my house. But by and large we are screwed here in most of SOCAL.

On the other hand it was 81 and sunny today. A pleasant 64 right now (11 pm). More of the same tomorrow.

LuftwaffeOberst

Good point! Land is becoming more expensive and personally, I can't afford to own land. The Taxes are outrageous... especially the School Taxes and what have you.

So I have a full understanding if the Landowners wants to start charging a Buck a day, at least it will help take care some of the cost a bit. Especially in a area that there isn't any Clubs around for miles, and the land is located in a area that people like to fly R/C Planes.

Also, I consider nice land like a Park. Many times I've just brought a lunch and my plane... and just sat on the Picnic table and enjoyed the scenery, it's well worth a dollar a day in my book.

But even that said, $40 a year fee for dues... is a steal compared to $200 or $100 a year most Clubs charge.


Peter Dowling aka Luftwaffe Oberst
AMA District II # 865404
Aero Modelers Club
Pulaski, NY

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

No

YNOT

BINGO!



I'll do 365 a year for a site. I have been waiting for a club/field with valet parking, a/c and heated club house with flat screens, T1 line and Dish network with the girls who fill and start the planes and when I am done the offer a massage and an iced tea.

Sign me up.

Food, it needs to have food and will it have the guy in the rest room with the towels and mints?

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

YNOT, you have selected the next tier which would be $3,650 per year plus $36,500 membership fee.

However, there is a waiting list for this level, It seems that a bunch of people that can't get into third rate country clubs are joining up just for the club house amenities. We are now having to factor in the cost of larger parking lots which may not leave much room for the runways. It looks like our best bet might be more monitors and keyboards so that the membership can fly their simulators and post out here on the AMA forum.

STLPilot

My Feedback: (21)

Why would anyone want an AMA field? Apparently the AMA can't handle the budget properly on a "commercial" magazine and now they are going to jump into the real estate game? Why don't they just get into the AMA Water Bottle company, that has more profit margin. Or better yet, AMA Video Game Consoles, those are super hot right now.

I never understood the AMA super field theory. The whole point of the AMA is so that they don't have to set up AMA fields, rather provide the tools for you to create a field and work on the legislative and operational backend. Why have the AMA come in to a region with their name brand and then knock out all the smaller fields in the region???? DUMB.