The Happy AMA Thread , What do YOU do with them ?
 

:) Back in late 2007 I bought a new DX7 , with a nice new case to carry it in . Shortly after I bought it I got 2008's AMA membership sticker and a yearly tradition was born . In all those years the DX7 and I have had a lot of fun , both flying planes with it and also modding it to my liking (since Init4fun is an electronic hobbyist as well as an RC hobbyist this DX7 has the ball bearing gimbal mod , the switching voltage regulator mod , and the screen backlight mod that looks a lot better in person than in the picture) .

So tell me , what do you do with the sticker that gets sent each year ? Toolbox/flightbox ? Workshop walls ? The trash bin ?

Remember , there are no wrong answers here , and this is supposed to be a happy oasis in the midst of nowaday's AMA/FAA tension , so no fighting please ;)
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I have to admit that I have always tossed them. The artwork never appealed to me. If it were something a bit better looking and in vinyl I might have put them on an airplane.

I used to put them on the back window of my truck topper. Stopped about 5 years ago.......HMMMM...I'll leave it at that to honor init4fun's happy thread wishes! :rolleyes:

Oh, and being that I am NOT an electronic enthusiast, I upgraded my radio last year to the Futaba 18SZ Anniversary edition and got the nice gimbals!

Astro

Thank You gents for the responses :)

Speed , I know what you mean . back when I had cars I didn't particularly care about I used to put them on the bumper or the rear window , and then when I got cars too nice to put stickers on I began throwing them away myself . Then , for a while I'd put them on the door of my hobby room , back when I had the big house before I sold it and downsized . I only have the ones from 2008 forward because since then the TX box seemed like a great place to let them collect .

Astro , that must be one fine radio !!!! Every year for the past 5 or 6 I've thought about replacing the trusty ol DX7 with something newer , and every year I end up flying the DX7 and saying "maybe next year" to myself . I have of course replaced the batteries with a "batteries USA" premade battery pack with Eneloop NIMH cells , and knock on wood my only crashes have been due to me and not due to it . Lately I don't fly much over .40 sized planes , and if I ever do decide to fly some of my bigger stuff that'll likely be the time I get the new radio .

Nothing wrong with your DX7, I used to fly a 170cc powered Extra 260 with one. I did however use a powersafe RX.

I used to place mine on the bumper of my car/truck. Living in the northern states they didn't last long. For the last several years I have been placing mine on a tool case that holds my RC tools and a meter.

Nice topic! Great diversion and a reminder that the hobby can still be lots of fun.

Probably like all my other membership cards and stickers, they'll get put in a desk drawer. When the pile gets too thick, they'll go in the trash.

Thank You for the responses guys ,

To Speed , I have a couple of those dual battery receivers stashed away for the bigger stuff if I ever decide to get them together . I've got some cool big stuff in boxes but the "grab & go" allure of the parkies on up to the .40 size makes them my most used planes . I can toss a couple of them in the car fully assembled , have a few hours of fun , and not have to do the whole disassembly routine to get them back in the car for the ride home .

To jcmors , Thank You , I know there is a lot of tension and worry about the whole FAA thing and I figured a friendly chat thread loosely based on our AMA stickers would bring a bit of the friendly back :)

To Grog , Had I not began sticking them to the TX box I'd likely have not kept them either . Sticking them on a nice car or other nice vehicle wouldn't appeal to me so without the TX box idea I wouldn't have kept them .

A couple thoughts to keep the " goodwill thread " going, maybe expand to what we do if anything to keep our AMA cards from getting dirty, lost and such and maybe some pictures of models bearing our AMA numbers. The latter would be a good tool to let others know what it is each of us are fighting the FAA to preserve. I for one appreciate all forms of model aircraft and others workmanship.

Adding to your thought, a couple of photos of my GP Ryan STA from a few years back making use of AMA numbers and decals.
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I've tossed mine or never stuck em on anything. I never really considered having a AMA sticker a badge of honor.

;) Thank you for pointing that out , I don't think many folks would consider them a "badge of honor" . In my case it was more like a collecting of S&H green stamps kinda thing ....

Oh my! We are getting old, aren’t we? 😉

Astro

Considering S&H went out of business decades ago, you could say that. I remember my mother having a drawer full of S&H books plastered with stamps that she never got to use. What she wanted cost so many stamps that she never got close to what was needed before they went under

We had a redemption center or store or something not too far growing up, I can remember going with books full of those things and helping pick out stuff to redeem them on.

LOL I remember my mother not wanting to shop anywhere that didn't give out S&H green stamps. I also never considered my AMA card a badge of honor either, I always looked at it the same way I do my drivers license, something needed to participate. However, many other members have commented on my 5 digit number and I think it helps them to know I am someone they can approach for help.

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I do nothing with our flying AMA stickers but let them collect dust, but I'm proud to showcase these AMA stickers...
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Yes I remember too. A paper bag full of stamp books, full, and you would have enough to get a hot pad. Or a church key can opener, Lol.

Mine go straight in the trash.

One of the things that AMA should consider is sticking with ONE design that just changes the year. That way, long time members can build a "stack" of them in descending echelon form by putting the latest one on top of and slightly offset from the previous one. Easy to show how many years one has been a member since that is a source of pride for some (see example diagram).
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One last advantage: It would save on design costs (don't spend manhours or money redesigning each year), and may well save on production costs as well.

Or they can just stop making them all together. No need for stickers to show how long anyone has been a member, your AMA number provides that info.

If your audience is ONLY those who are already members, who recognize a low member number vs a high member number, you are right. On the other hand, if you're using them as sort of advertising, then the audience will not recognize the significance of a five digit member number vs a six digit member number ... because THEY'RE NOT MEMBERS ... in which case this might be worth while.

I defer to your exhaustive expertise about all things aviation, advertising, cost controls, managment, policy making, legal and regulatory, marketing, human behavior etc. ... because YOU are a five digit AMA demi-God, while the rest of us are mere mortals with six digit numbers.

One more thing ... given the minutes from the latest EC meeting, with lots of "...declining...", "...going down...", etc. (a 'picture' of financial health and good management), the sticker may be one easy one to put on the budgetary chopping block.

And I really, really think the AMA should seriously consider revoking your membership for cause.

Not because you've spoken your mind, which should be the right of every member. Rather for conducting a social media campaign whose clear intention is the destruction of both the organization and the hobby.

JMO.

On one hand, some in these and other forums talk about how ineffective I am, nobody listens, etc. On the other hand, some seem to see me as a one-man wrecking crew, so dangerous that I have to be deplatformed and or expelled.

So which is it? I can't help but note that if one guy on social media is able to have such an impact worth of expulsion, then I that's all but an admission that the hobby and the organization are in such a weak position that it cannot weather attention. Cannot weather social media criticism, or cannot weather the facts.

What a clown

Your sense of self importance leads you to present a false choice. It's basically "conduct prejudicial." If a Naval officer had issues with an new program, or alleged misconduct on the part of his superiors; and took his case to the tabloids rather than addressing the matter "through channels"; his career would suffer accordingly. The military can and has court martialled individuals when such conduct was blatant enough.

You've stated the AMA is doing more harm than good, that the hobby is dying anyway, and the threat due to model airplanes is real. Right. Fine. Have the integrity to act on your convictions and get out. Do not sell your equipment; destroy it so no malefactor can buy it and commit mayhem with it.

If this is too much for you, at least have the decency not to use any FRIA that does not meet the standards you proposed for public access. Obey the limitations you would impose on others.

Another forum thread gone bad where two or three take things too far with insults and posturing themselves to be more important or more correct than the other person. No one walks away to be the wiser man. Everything else combined, real or imagined, couldn't persuade a new person more to avoid wanting anything to do with this hobby, which includes membership to RCU, RCG, or the AMA clubs from where these attitudes extend. This is the predictable outcome found in so many threads online in our RC world.

It's probably what FAA considered as they're throwing our hobby away for their privacy, control and free airspace as higher priorities than read this stuff and take us as a worthy group. When you display this misfit type behavior, you've captured the essence of why many have flown outside of AMA clubs for years and you've given people no invitation or interest that the clubs have any desirable qualities for them to be part of. All it takes is this sort of thing to ruin it.

If they risk this sort of meet and greet or atmosphere walking in as a beginner, who in their right mind would? This simply adds to the problem of flying rogue whether they're safe or not, following any guidelines whatsoever, all becomes a guess, just to avoid aggressive or passive aggressive behavior and conflict that surfaces, reinforcing the FAA changes you're about to see happen. They can't take us seriously when this is the most common demonstration of how we talk about any random topic online and start with these personal attacks publicly.

+1 I agree

+1, I agree; he thinks he's the aerospace messiah...

Nothing I've said in this exchange with Franklin_m meets the definition of a "personal attack". I've quoted some of his own words, which are a matter of public record; and I've suggested certain actions should have consequences. I've also pointed out the course of action a man with integrity would take.

All just my opinion of course, and others are free to disagree.

Honestly though, when it come's to these forum's who is the common denominator on all these anti-ama faa hot button issues.... Just saying my 2 pesos...

The major difference, which you failed to note, is that one takes an oath in the military, one thats pledges to obey lawful orders. There is no such oath to AMA. We are not obligated to pledge fealty to organization or the EC.

It is not a binary choice. I am not required by AMA bylaws to support all of their policy objectives, nor am I bound by that document to give up my opinions or choose between AMA or my right to express my opinion as a taxpayer. As I've said multiple times, I oppose ANY private dues collecting organization that attempts to use law or regulation to force association (aka compel membership) in order to exercise a privilege in the PUBLIC airspace, highways, roads, or airwaves.

There is yet to be a single FRIA established, and when they are, my hope is that as a condition of such designation they MUST be open to all citizens w/o regard for membership status in any private dues collecting organization. I'm not alone in that opinion, as DJI expressed similar concerns - although they approached it from a different direction - that membership amounts to requiring permission - something the law prohibits the FAA from doing.

Thank you for your kind advice, but I choose not to follow it.

Yes, members will recognize that I am a long time member my my 5 digit AMA number. As non members go, they usually couldn't care less about my flight box or transmitter case, they are usually looking at my custom built, high quality, beautifully finished and flown airplane that has my AMA number incorporated into the paint/covering job. When they ask what AMA 22554 means I explain it to them.
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Truly virtuous. I don't know how any of us could hope to be so graced to just be in your presence. I mean to be near someone with clearly superior knowledge of all things aviation, of all things legal, of all things policy, of all things regulatory, of all things human nature, of all things marketing ... I think we should nominate you for AMA Sainthood. I mean clearly you're better than all of us who just fly our less beautifully constructed, less impeccably flown, and certainly so lazy we don't even take the time to make custom transmitter boxes and surely other unmentioned custom one of a kind museum quality items. Probably many are even gold plated. I guess we lesser hobby types should just genuflect in your direction and stop mid sentence when you speak.

But that's right. AMA continues to lose members, and continues to see declining member revenue, and continues to see declining advertising. I can hardly wait to see how the five digit AMA number solves that one. But I forget, I'm sure you've got a magic wand, something issued only to AMA royalty like you.

;) Gents , please remember this is supposed to be the non fighting thread . I know the whole FAA/AMA/ hobby decline thing is both stressing and distressing , and it's quite easy to let the tensions come out whenever and wherever , but I'd really like to see this one thread remain positive , if we could do that ?

With all due respect , I would suggest you direct your request to the guy who is dishing out the majority ( by a large margin ) of disrespect towards other members and posting off topic.

"If ya wanna stop a bunch of mechanically inclined people from arguing , show em something SO cool they'll be too amazed to argue"

And so , coming at ya , here's Goodyear's light up tires .

Really ? Light up tires ? Your BSing me here init4fun , right ????

Nope , for real and dead serious , in the late 1950s / early 1960s Goodyear experimented with translucent rubber with the express purpose of lighting the tires from within , a way cool prehistoric forerunner to today's (not quite as cool) "underglow" lights seen on custom cars . They fielded several test cars fitted with the new tires which were a hit everywhere they were shown . In the black & white picture a young lady adjusts her stocking by the light of the tires in New York circa 1961 (if you look close you can see the wire running into the wheel hub that brought power to the 20 bulbs mounted to the inside of the rim) , and in the color shot is a much later custom car sporting a set of the translucent light up tires .

Sadly , they never went into full production as both cost and traction issues forced the abandonment of the project sometime in the mid 1960s , but man oh man would I just LOVE a set of these for my Firebird !!!!
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Quite interesting indeed, I was not aware that illuminating tires were ever tried. Honestly I think it quite amusing how when I post a picture of an airplane that I designed, built and have won masters pattern with on a remote controlled airplane site that it should ruffle someone so badly. Think about that for a moment. Are people really so petty that they feel the need for cheap shots at somone sharing their works of art to fellow members?

Post #19 was a test of sorts. Note that I made no comment (like trashing stickers) not made by someone else earlier, and even posted a suggestion that might be an alternative to the multitude of designs. And that comment was immediately quoted and met with:

And that was followed by a pile on of sorts. It demonstrates to me at least that no matter what, anything I post even when constructive and non-controversial is met with snide responses from virtue signalers.

Post #19 led off with:
Constructive start, wasn't it?

Yes, you piled on Speed after he politely disagreed with you in #20.

And it demonstrates your essential hypocrisy to practically everyone else.

Now, on the happy side: I'm about to consume an enormous piece of French silk pie!

Funny, you pick out mine, but take no issue with any of the four prior comments, including your own:
All of which reflected people throwing them in the trash. I guess it's "constructive" for YOU to say you throw them in the trash, but when I do it, you opine:

First, I don't see Speedy's comment as polite, I see it as virtue signaling with his five digit AMA number. That and $5 will get you a cup of coffee ... that's how little it matters in the real world.



See above for a great example of hypocrisy : how "they'll go in the trash" is constructive when YOU say it, but when I say "they go straight in the trash" - it's NOT constructive.



Enjoy your pie. I'm having a 20 year old Armenian Brandy ... same brand given to Churchill by Stalin at Malta.