I just signed online for AMA membership.They say it takes 1 week to receive the AMA #!
What a joke this online application.I can't imagine why it takes this long!
After being a member of a local club, how's the trainning classes done, are for free usually?

Nilo

nilo,

If you paid with a credit card you can go to there web site and see the status of your membership in a day or two. If you paid by check it will take slightly long.

If you call them they will even faqx you a confirmation that you can use untill your card arrives via mail

No Joke!!

talk about wanting instant gratification!!!!

My experience with AMA was great. I send my aplication to join via email about 3 weeks ago. Got confirmation via email ( this is usually good enough at most clubs till your card arives) and had card in hand in about 7 days

Very happy with the exp. I also called and they gave me my AMA number before my card arived.

From my expirience most clubs dont charge, and if they have an intro pilot program you dont even need AMA insurence untill you start to fly on your own.


Just my expirience, others may vary

mj147

Thanks,

I thought all clubs required the AMA# to accept new members.
I paid by credit card online.Will check this out will local club.

Nilo

I thought you were kidding for a minute. You REALLY expect it to take less than a week for an organization to process your membership and issue you a card? You can't have very much real life experience.

If they said three weeks, it wouldn't have surprised me. Just wait until you get out in the real world. [sm=bananahead.gif]
Dennis-

I remember my AMA and hubbys also being a very pleseant and efficient experience. Did a credit card online, recieved an email confirmation (which is proof of membership) in a couple of days and membership card came via the mail in another 3-4 days.

well whats wrong with people today ? there is no patience in the world anymore. not while driving not with there childeren, not with anything COME ON PEOPLE SLOW DOWN AND QUIT MAKING YOUR LIFE GO FASTER THAN IT ALREADY DOES. so what if it will take a week, take that time to do some more research about flying or spend it at the field getting to know your new club and members. life is to short to get upset everytime things dont go as quickly as you would like . SO START HAVING MORE PATIENCE WITH EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL ENJOY LIFE MUCH MORE.

JUST MY .02 WORTH



BASSMAN

Nilo,
The key is that clubs require you to be an AMA member, with AMA insurance. The number is used to confirm that. However, every club I've heard of will take a fax or print out from the AMA website or email as verification that you are an AMA member until your number shows up. Then you just give the club your number later.

If you need it soon (because you are running out of good weather), then try sending email to the address listed on the AMA website for membership stuff. I've sent email to several differnet AMA departments over the years for various reasons, and I've always recieved a prompt (day or two) response. Frequently, I get same day response, which is great.

If you didn't know this, AMA chartered clubs send the AMA a list of their members with AMA numbers, and verify that everyone is, in fact, a member. This also allows the AMA to keep stats on their membership and club membership etc.

Is there somebody here working for AMA?I didn't see a reason for being so upset with my question!
I just got surprised about the delay because today, IN THE REAL WORLD, you can by whatever you want online and have it delivered in same week, credit approved and everything, not only a # issued!
I already signed in to my local club yesterday after confirming they accept the confirmation email from AMA, so I apology for rising the question without being fully informed!

Man, what a cross fire I got on me here!

Nilo

They're right, Nilo. Let's see - being a 'puter puke myself:

You sign on at work or at home to sign up for AMA. Give 'em your info. There aren't too many places in the world that actually deal with that info in real-time, and the AMA is a non-profit organization. They probably deal with it overnight.

The next day they process it, verify your info (CC# and expiration, etc.) They might or might not be online with a CC# processor and it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't - that costs money.

Then print it out, stuff envelopes and mail it. Call it 1-4 days for snail mail, depending on your location, and you've got a week. That ain't bad.

If they spent a ton of money on state-of-the art systems, you're still looking at same-day electronic processing and the snail mail delivery....2-5 days.

And while we're on the subject "are the lessons for free, usually'? Have you visited the club and talked to anyone? They'll give you all the info you need. It's a local thing, but I don't think I've ever seen a club charge.

When I signed up for my AMA, I did it over the phone and had my membership number the next day by fax. All you need to do is then go to the AMA website and do the verify membership and print the screen. Most clubs will accept this as proof of membership.

Jacob

Because yesterday was the last day of trainning(for free) of the year offered by the club, they said I will have to ask somebody help from now on, direct in the field, or probably have a paid class if I want.
I've been looking at this hobby for last 5 years, and finally started, but at the wrong time, summer is gone!

Well, get to know the guys at the club, and see if you can find someone who would be willing to help you out. Some "unoffical" training goes on at most all clubs. It's a matter of making friends and finding people you like to hang around with who are willing to help you.

Sorry yours took so long. I registered on day and was a member the next. Fax confirmation. Don't think it could happen too much faster.

Anyone ever try getting a AMA card through a Hobby shop? I saw this when I was going to get my membership online. I am going to try and get mine tomorrow through a hobby shop I will be near when I am on a service call for work. I cut and pasted this from the AMA site. It also has a list of authorized hobby shops by state.

Chris

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NRHSA/AMA Hobby Shop Pilot Program
The following hobby shops are participants in the NRHSA/AMA Hobby Shop Pilot Program. These stores are members of the National Retail Hobby Store Association (NRHSA) and are authorized, by the Academy, to provide new AMA memberships at their store.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well i did the online application and got my card a week later... no probs


BUTTTTTTTT

The snakes got my year's worth of money but only give me membership till Dec. 31st.
What a rip! I called and asked what's the deal? After switching me a few times they finally said i would be getting a "renewal letter" with a credit of 29 bucks! What lammo's... haven't they ever heard of computers? It sounds like they're too lazy to update so that a year is a year. Even with the credit i lost two months worth... she said didn't you read the fine print? NO i read where it said ONE YEAR for $58

oh well... such is life!

Before I start, this is just my humble opinion, so take it for what it worth:

Even though the AMA is a member services organization, it still has an obligation to manage people's expectations. As you have brought up "real life experience", it is not unreasonable to expect that an online application, paid by credit card, should be able to issue a member number immediately, with no waiting period at all. If not, I would question what is being done with the information (such as receiving on the AMA end, and then someone manually processing it). There is no benefit at all for having an online system if it needs to be processed manually. My expectation, as with many other people that primarily operate in an online environment, is that things happen systematically and immediately - otherwise, I would chose to use some other medium. I chose to interact online to remove people from the equation, as it has been my experience that accuracy and timeliness improve when things are done through a back-end system and without human intervention. If that is not what's happening, they could clearly let people know up front that an online application doesn't get processed any faster than say a faxed application.

I am not saying that people shouldn't be more patient, or that 3 weeks is a long time to wait. Just that online means instantaneous to many people, and it is the responsibility of the site owner, whoever it may be, to manage that expecation when dealing with people, especially if it involves a monetary transaction.

That's all. Like I said, just my opinion! :-)

Actually, the AMA *did* manage my expectations when I applied last month. First of all, the online application is "courtesy of District VIII Web page". I take this to mean that National hasn't spent the time and money to put the functionality into their web servers. After submitting the application, the followup page states that it will take about a week.

I am an impatient type as well and as soon as I saw the charge on my CC (online, of course), I called the AMA. Jeff Hoover was very nice and told me my number over the phone. I then printed the member verification page.