how does one go about joining? i live in california and i want to know if there are any certificates i need to fly turbines from an old airfield?

You can go to www.modelaircraft.org and join there. Or get the phone number and call them. Or fill out an application at your local AMA station (usually a LHS). Or print out the application online and mail it in. Hardest part is stroking the $58 check!

Yes, there is a waiver you need from the AMA to fly turbines. You can find that info on their website. You'll also need a couple other things besides the waiver.

Andy

VF-101 Guy, technically the AMA does not issue a !QUOT!license!QUOT! that authorizes you to fly a model or a turbine model. The AMA membership !QUOT!license!QUOT! card grants you associate membership in the NAA which is sanctioning body for all things aviation related. The license opens the door to competition. The side benefit to the sport flyer is camaraderie, an organization big enough to lobby, and secondary insurance coverage. Through and effort to keep safety preeminent in the turbine world the AMA and the turbine flyers in the organization have developed a lot of help and documentation to minimize dangers and reduce the learning curve.

That is your principle benefit of joining the AMA

You state that you want to fly turbines off an old airfield. Do you know how to fly RC now? Are the folks flying off this airfield organized as a club? If they are and they are an AMA club then you must have the AMA membership.

If the idea is just you out at an old airfield, then the issue is if the airfield is still active in anyway (does it show up on a sectional) then you should have the land owners permission, and you must respect and avoid the full scale aviation going on there.

Lastly if you don't know how to fly RC, AND you intend to fly this turbine by yourself, FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY SAKE DON'T do it without qualified help. Since you're apparently proud of your heritage, please remember not ONE pilot in VF-101 STARTED in an F-14, They ALL started in a T-34 or T-28 TRAINER. The same goes for model aviation YOU need to start with a trainer.

Maj Tom USAFR ret
AMA 8026

Personally, I think that: I want to fly a turbine and how do I join the AMA are questions that shouldn't be asked by the same person. We have a turbine flyer in our club and he has years of experience with flying R/C Aircraft. In fact, he traveled to Lubbock Tx. to get his waiver for flying his new turbine jet. If you would like to read an artricle on his maiden flight, you can go to: http://www.americanturfflyers.com and check out the newsletter section. It may be the one that is currently there, or the last one, just not sure as we are updating the link this week.

I just joined the AMA wit hthe online submission. I only went with the 3months for $19.95 as I am leaving the US soon, but, I had my membership card in 3 days

Thanks for the info. As for the airfield there are no clubs currently using it. My uncle owns it and flies out from it on the weekends so i have permission from the owner, its an old airfield that he bought just to keep his cessna 150 in so i dont think there will be any problems there and from what he's told me is that noone has permission to land or take-off from the field but i will do more checking into it. I also know that no naval avaitor has ever started off in the tomcat and i am proud of my heritage. Im just looking to build a 1/9 scale tomcat and have it as close to the real thing as i can get in honor of 101's last few months before retirement. I have flow turbines before, still have all of the trainers i started off with. I will check out the sites you guys told me about and i apperciate all the info..