Yep. I've heard that one. It applies when all people do is P&M also.

So what are you saying little boy?

Everyone looks out for their best interests. This is why we get up and go to work each morning.

Back when you refer to in this statement "We flew planes for years before we ever knew about the ama." the courts were not filled with crazy lawsuits and such non sense. People were not quick to sue your pants off like now a day. Not hating....just saying. Times have changed and so have the folks who made it through time.

Kevin

Sounds like you would recommend joining the new mindset if you can't beat it to me.

Robo........99% of your posts are P&Ming about what others have to say. That's usually all you've got.
Basically nothing.

Just saying. Only a few guy's drive 57 chevys now a day. I respect them and always will. Time stands still for no one. I dislike constant change....seems like as soon as your comfy with something it's obsolete. However I learn to live with it....as much as I hate it. Please don't take it the wrong way. Just adding friendly chatter.....back to the hole.

Kevin

You got that right for sure...

Under "Lobby', the AMA spent 8 months of the last year with its people sitting at a table with the FAA due to Homeland security, making sure that our flying could go on unfettered. There are new rules coming out in 2010 that were settled on after these long negotiations. They wanted to just lump us into the UAV category, which I think is now called UAS. Had the AMA not done this, ALL RC flying would have been severely affected. And it's not the first time they've done this. They constantly keep their ear to the ground and work with the government. After 9-11 anything is possible as far as controls and restraints being put upon us. I'm glad the AMA was in there working for us.

Anyway, that about covers what I wanted to point out under the "Lobby" heading.


Jimbo

Good point, Jim.

Sometimes it seems that might be the case. But RC keeps changing, and just like the way WE are always struggling to keep up with it, like 3-D, electric, Helis, and all that, AMA is always trying to stay AHEAD of every new thing that comes over the horizon so that it can make a place for it and make sure the insurance covers it. Not a job I would envy anybody. That's gotta be tough.

Jimbo

By the way, Kid, sorry I missed you at the Jim Rice. I didn't think too many folks would be going after the rainstorms that blew through that morning and stayed all day. I was prepaid, I should've buzzed out and checked it out.

Jimbo

Read more carefully and you'll see that you can fly because of what they do every day for you. When you take your 6-lb plane and your skills have improved to the point where you decide to go fly it elsewhere, your card will be needed.

Insurance is something folks like to play down. I've never understood why. If you've never had an accident with your car then I suppose you haven't confronted liability firsthand. I've owned companies and when an employee has an accident, insurance becomes VERY important. People will take what you have and never look back. Some are just that way. It's as simple as that. AMA stands between you and somebody taking your home and belongings just because of a dumb-thumb moment or a radio or equipment failure. If you fly regularly, you've seen all three of these occur.

I don't know if you fly at an AMA field or not, if you don't then I do not know the extent of coverage, I think conditions matter in that case. That's personal choice.

Almost everybody is pretty much neutral on the magazine issue. It gives us contest dates and news and some bathroom reading.

Not to influence you one way or the other, those are just the basic facts that apply.

Jimbo

You have said twice now that "because of what they do for me every day I can fly." First of all, I would like to propose that it is because of the men and women of the United States Military that allow us all to do our everyday items, such as playing with our toy airplanes.
I am not being sarcarstic but truly asking out of a voice of question: What does the AMA do for me every day??

You spoke of insurance, and I find that a poor argument. A persons home insurance is what the claim gets filed against on the one in a million chance that the aircraft actually damages something/hurts someone. If you fly your aircraft in compliance with the AMA rules, then hitting anything other than a tree would be hard to do. If you are flying around in your neighborhood you are clearly not covered due to the not following the rule part. So no matter where i wreck my plane here is the logic that I follow:

A) if i crash into the dirt does the AMA cover the loss of my aircraft? NO-no coverage exists

B) if I crash my plane into a car windshield, does the AMA cover the windshield? NO-home insurance-which means out of pocket to save a claim on my insurance

C) if I crash my plan into a person and it kills them, my home insurance again will cover it, after thier life ins policy covers it's max limit

so the only reason I will need this card is to fly at the AMA required fields, and to donate 58 bucks to a group of people that everyone says do so much for me, yet if they didn't exist nothing would change for me and my planes except I would have 58 more bucks.

Please please, don't get all pissy about this, just tell me what the AMA did for me today, and what tommorow?

Absolutely........... AMA Club.......... AMA rules. USAMA Club (if it even happens) USAMA rules.

Seems pretty obvious, as you said to argue that the AMA should not make rules for AMA Clubs is sophomoric.

TSP-
You need to become better versed with the actual text in sUAS ARC, and with the AFS400/g0801
before you brag about what is in them or what Muncie has done in the past.
Muncie will be the first to tell you that what is actually in the ARC text is not what they want to happen.
And I am having a hard time finding folks on the AMA forum that will recognize AFS400/g0801 existing.

that absolutely has not happened,
what is coming may or maynot be what the ARC 'recommends',
and we know that what is in the arc text is not what muncie wants,
so stop painting the ARC as muncie making fed regs for us

No it doesn't, unless one doesn't understand the meaning of the word Monopoly.

There is VAST differance between being the sole organization that promotes hobby and being an entity that provides the ONLY method of enjoying the hobby. People fly everyday without being AMA members.

Good morning, The insurance issue is something I have wandered about for a while. If the Insurance we pay the ama for doesn't pay for anything, I.E. the Home owners insurance is the one used to pay for damages, Why are we forced to buy it in order to be a member of the AMA. And yes I am a member. And I want to show my support for the AMA.

THANKS

You are not forced to buy the insurance in order to become a member of the AMA. You choose to join the AMA for whatever reason, and the insurance is a "benefit" of being a member.

Yup, a package deal.
If you choose to join AMA
you choose to support the magazine
you choose to support the insurance
you choose to support the PPP
you choose to support paintballing planes
and you choose to support the internal procedures that we can use to change any or all of the above.

We got the magazine/insurance/PPP/paintballing cause we elected folks to AMA seats that created those things, just as we can elect folks to those seats to end those things.
Thats why I love the AMA.

[sm=eek.gif]

"Oh don't worry about that, it's just a cold sore."

Frank

Nobody has ever been **** enough to say the AMA has a monopoly over participating in this hobby. What the AMA does have is an EFFICIENCY MONOPOLY when it comes to signing up and insuring the vast majority of those who are looking to join a club that flies large models.
To argue this point is as ridiculous as saying the local power company isn't a monopoly because you run your house off your own power system.

For those of is overcome by change there is Old Time Stunt in control line;1951-1952 rules and up through 1952 airplanes. There is a lot of SAM stuff as well. There is also an antique RC group.

Again your point is obvious....... to fly at an AMA Club you must be a member of the AMA. DUH

There is no barrier to entry for a non-AMA Club to fly large models without AMA. As the "kid" has pointed out numerous times there are low cost insurance options for site owner protection.

The reality is the benifit cost, ie the insurance cost is factored in the fees somewhere, so yes you do pay for. It's the only way the AMA can have events and not having to take insurance out on each event, costing much more, and much more to participants. It would really make the cost factory go out of control. So the just spread it out over all members. 

That is the number one argument for club fields requiring AMA membership is insurance. I can kind of see their side. It would be really hard to police who is insured and who is not so the simple answer is make everyone carry a AMA member then the liablity is put off on that, in simple terms.

Maybe it needs to be structured different or sold differently because for someone like me who sees the AMA as a pass to the flying parks it doesn't add up. I am a homeowner with current insurance. There is a very little, smallest chance that anying I could do including kill someone with an airplane would ever dip into the AMA insurance pool.   

And it only gets harder to swollow when its AMA dues the club dues on top of that. And the one club I did belong to had a small clique agenda that made it hard for me to enjoy flying or the hobby that much.  

I have moved now to another part of the country and maybe it's different, but finding the same mentality in IPMS as well I doubt it. 

I will once again feel forced in to the AMA and a club inviroment to fly. 

Sometimes I think that I should just stick to flying helis in my circle and not get reinvolved in airplances at all, but the passion for them is too hard to let go.

Se here we go again. The same arguments that were going on in 1993 the first time I joined the AMA. 

I am hoping that it will not be the same thing again. I think I may have found a sutable club for me. I have visited it several times (over 10) and only once were there a couple pilots flying otherwise empty. I think I know why: there is a low ceiling 800FT IIRC because of a nearby regional airport. Otherwise it's quite, paved runways, clean and in a state park, and I don't fly way up there in oblivion anyway.

I guess the bottom line is since there is still so much debate and argument over the AMA issue it's not a perfect system nor always makes good sense. 

Then all you can do is start a competing orginization, which we've looked into in the past.

That makes even less sense than just joining the AMA.

Ideal solutions, common sense, and the obvious isn't always reality.

This might be a stupid question, but what would the AMA do if you cause damage to someone's property and do not have homeowners insurance, because you do not own a home? Where can I read more information about AMA's coverage and protection?

That's all I do, just send in the $58 and have fun with some peace of mind.

Years ago I approached our local city airport with nothing more than a AMA card in my pocket and established an agreement with the airport to allow C/L flying there. Now you can drive by any nice day and have a good chance of seeing a pretty good show from the dozens of flyers who show up from miles away. That's what AMA did, provide recognizability and credibility.

Devil, The AMA will have you pay the $500 deductable deal with your claim directly.