Everyone tells beginners to join the AMA. Is it worth the initial cost if your a beginner? Do they have plans where you can join as a beginner at a discount? Do you get any instructional help (videos, workshops, etc...). As a beginner I am looking at all the initial costs of the equiptment added to membership fees and the dues seem excessive. I have been encouraged to join for the insurance itself. My experience with this set-up has been negative in the past. Looking for advice and please don't just guide me to the AMA website. Thanks! Tommy

AMA---Good or bad??

That a topic thats been debated here on RCU to death..

Simple Fact 99% of clubs require AMA membership (For insurance) before you can fly with them.

Like it or not AMA dues for most of us are just part of the cost !!!!!!!!

1. There may be reduced cost, depending on age, not that you are a beginner.
2. Instructional help can be found at your local club.
3. Most local clubs are AMA chartered, and therefore, it is required to be an AMA member.
4. If the dues seem excessive then you may want to; a)buy a couple hundred acres and start a private club.
b) Consider another hobby, because the cost of the dues is not a great expense compared to radios, engines, planes, glue, etc.

Hope this helps...at least a little.

These are the responses I feared. Thanks anyway. You guys make the hobby sound very elite. Tommy

I don't like having to pay it either. I'm a good pilot, and I can't remember the last time I crashed a plane due to pilot error. But this year I lost one to radio failure. Nothing I could do about it. Fortunately, it hit a swamp, but it just as easily could have hit a car, or a building, or, God forbid, a person.

I don't like having to pay it, but I would never want to be without it.

It's not elitist, but there are certain realities to it. You might not have a realistic idea of how dangerous these models can be. For most modelers, AMA membership is a de facto requirement to participating in the hobby. Even the public field I fly at requires AMA membership. The reason for this is fear of litigation when an accident happens.

The folks in this hobby are by and large some of the nicest and most down to earth you'll meet. This forum is a good example of just how willing to help most of us are. It's very easy to make new friends at the field, as you've all got something in common already and most people's experiences in learning are similar to everyone else's.

There are costs involved. Fuel is $10-$18 a gallon, depending on where in the country you live and how the market is there. Getting started realistically costs a bit over $400 dollars. It's a very rewarding hobby, and one with an almost endless amount of variety. Have a look here http://modelaircraft.org/templates/a...33A9987267FA43 and find a club near you. Get in contact with them, or pay them a visit some nice weekend afternoon. You'll have a much better feel for things once you've done that, and it won't cost you anything but some time.

If you can swing it spend the money and become a part of this hobby. I know it's a hefty chunk of change but it is well worth it. It is the most rewarding activity I have ever taken part in. I have met and become friends with some terrific people. I know its hard to dish out $400+ without receiving some form of immediate gratification but after your first successful flight you'll be so glad you did. In regards to the AMA, I am a member primarily for the insurance. No club in my area will allow you to fly without membership. Unfortunately, in todays age of suing everyone for everything I wouldn't be caught dead without it. Good luck!

I cannot understand the people who complain about the AMA dues. There isn't another better bargain around at any price. Reliable supplemental insurance, a reasonably decent magazine, good representation with those officials in government who count, better than average dissemination of hobby related news and activities and this is all done by low paid but dedicated individuals who truly have our interests at heart.

Rodney,

Believe or not most modelers I know use/benefit only form the insurance. By the way long discussions on how good or bad the AMA is or isn't go in the AMA Forum, Do they not.?

Most beginners I meet are suprised to learn theyhave to belong to the AMA To fly at the club.

Simple Fact Rodney No AMA No Flying!!!

Simply not true. I know of plenty of people who fly on private property.

If you want to fly at an AMA chartered club (benefit of membership), then you need to be a member of AMA.

If you have property to fly on, and are willing to assume the legal/financial risks, you don't need the AMA's supplemental insurance!

Anyway, this is off topic for the question asked in the first place.



Bottom line is, everything costs somthing. It's a great hobby with many different benefits. You will find that 99% of those who fly are far from elitist.

P-51B,

Most of the clubs I know of are AMA only and since this post was made by a beginner who will most likely need to learn at the local club. WHICH MEANS HE WILL NEED AMA or NO flying...

As far as private land you're right I've been flying on and off for 18 years I do have my own private land and I've only been a AMA member fro 4 of the 18 years.

Thing is folks flying all alone gets boring and while I'll fly at my place without insurance I won't let others! Simple fact it is to risky for both me and them liability wise.

But maybe P-51B you know of an other way the majority of beginners can learn to fly in their areas without having to pay an instructor or join the AMA.

duplicate

You made a blanket statement, then got caught. I have cited a method of flying without joing the AMA, you even quoted it! :sunsmiley

YOU CAN FLY WITHOUT IT, I wouldn't recommend it, however.

Maybe you should change your statement to say; Simple fact, Rodney, no AMA, not as much fun flying alone on private property, but it can be done.

Once again, the direction this is going should be in another thread. The bottom line is still, it's a great hobby, well worth getting into.

Either way, a person should have some sort of liability coverage. Accidents happen. Even the fellow flying the small electric in his neighborhood park should have it. Model airplanes always attract kids who don't always know how to behave around them.

Actually you can fly without an AMA license at an AMA charter club field. Per AMA web site:
"A non-AMA member may fly at a Chartered Club field and receive member liability insurance protection as long as he/she is flying under the direct supervision of a club-designated Introductory Pilot. The Introductory Pilot must hold a current AMA open membership license with the “Intro Pilot” classification. Supervised flights must take place at an AMA Chartered Club’s field, and must be closely supervised in a one-on-one relationship. The non-AMA member will have the same liability insurance coverage that other AMA members receive, solely while under the direct, one-on-one supervision of the Intro Pilot, for a period of 30 consecutive days starting from the first session. No other AMA benefits are provided to the non-AMA member.
Participation in this program is on a one-time basis only; an extension cannot be granted for any reason. This program covers
training activities only, and does not constitute permission to fly in any organized event of AMA members or clubs, sanctioned or otherwise. No AMA card will be issued to the non-AMA member during the 30-day introduction period."

This is a great way to get someone introduced to the hobby and gives them the opportunity to see if it is really worth it. "It is, believe me." Unfortunately most clubs are not aware of the Intro-Pilot program and therefore don't participate. Our club has 3 Intro Pilot instructors which is the max.

I have no problem with paying the AMA dues - not to mention that I also pay for my wife and 3 kids to have AMA licenses. Our club dues are $70 a year. The way I look at is I can pay a little now and have a lot of fun because the day is going to come down the road when I want be able to do this. Our youngest pilot is my 3 year old son that can already do loops on a buddy box and our oldest pilot is 83 and he is very active. Our club has been around for more than 20 years and we have never had an incident that required us to file an AMA insurance claim.

The other way to look at it is $58/52 weeks a year is only $1.16 a week. If I take my wife and kids out to eat and to the movies one time, that far exceeds $58 and guess what - it's over with within a matter of hours. $58 is for a year and I can guarantee you that you will have far more fun than the movies and eating out. I get more laughs joking around with the guys at the field and seeing how some of them fly than anything else...

Just my 2 pennies...

Not to stir the pot further, but I had to say a couple things. I recall those first few trips to the hobby shop as a beginner, and I was surprised to find out about the AMA, and that cost, too, so while lots of people MAY complain about the AMA, keep in mind he just might be a 'beginning' beginner, and might be looking for options. It doesn't do the AMA a favor to make blanket statements that you need the AMA to fly, because not only is it not true if you have access to private land, I have read many threads that could be very misleading to a beginner, to make him think that once you pay the dues, you are covered to fly anywhere. I know that sounds stupid to those that have been around forever, but again, he is a beginner. That is exactly why Crashem WON't allow even AMA members to fly on his private land, because the AMA won't pay on any liability there. You need to be on a sanctioned field. Finally, for the cost of club and AMA dues, you are pretty far on the way to a park flyer, some of which are pretty cool in their own right. Not that I wouldn't have kept going, but I sure wish I had heard about park flyers from the start, I'd have done that first, and then graduated to bigger planes when I had the money. And I think most would agree if you have a large nearby park and a basic electric parkflyer, AMA really is optional.

uonlylivetwice & splitess....Thanks guys!

I belonged to the AMA for about fifteen years before I ever set foot on a AMA sanctioned club field. The AMA safety code doesn't, or didn't say you have to fly at an AMA field to be insured. You must simply follow their rules. The alternative is your own umbrella policy. Thats liability insurance that is really part of your homeowners, but covers you away from home as well. Its about one hundred bucks a year. So really, the AMA insurance isn't a bad deal..............................Having said that, go ahead and join!! Then come back and complain about the AMA with the rest of us.

Isn't there another alternative? How about http://www.unitedmodelers.com/

This organization sure is keeping a low profile, but as far as I know, they are still in business.

Take care,
CCR
http://www.kites.org/rc_instructors

either way sounds like union strong arming doesnt it? gotta pay to belong, gotta belong to fly, if ya dont pay ya cant play, Not a member now but suppose I will have to be soon, and I recall the AMA mag pretty boring 10 years ago, when I was a member, just a high dollar subscription to a bad mag , well this is the wrong forum to vent , sorry, Rog

Wow! Thanks for all the advice. I got more info in one day than I ever expected. I am a rank beginner who has never flown and nothing said here has discouraged me. Just the opposite. If so many people are this passionate for the hobby it's got to be great. Thanks you all! Tommy ps Thanks splitess, your info is what every beginner should know.

Wow! ROG, you hit the nail on the head. Now I'd like to add my two cents worth. A word about the AMA, and it's insurance, better read the fine print before you join the AMA just to get insurance coverage- you may be in for a little shocker. Also if it were up to the "locals" at the AMA fields, I never would have gotten into the sport!!!! Sometimes you just got to follow your own path.


Jetts

My thoughts:

1) If you fly gas you should be in the AMA. It's a projectile, end of debate.

2) If you fly parkflyers at the local middle school (which I do), then I'd still recommend insurance and if you don't have any you're not going to get insurance cheaper than AMA.

3) The magazine is definately lame, very little information, mostly reports from competitions that I could care less about.

4) Clubs are more fun than flying all by yourself in the middle of a field afraid that someone's going to call the cops.

5) Its only four pizza a year.

GB

don't think for one second that just because its glow powered it can do more damage then electrics.

Ghostbear in case you haven't seen them electric powered planes rival glow in size and performance.

I think you are classifying all electrics into the slowflyer/parkflyer category. That is simply incorrect.

As for it being only for pizzas a year I agree 100%

I'll give you one better past Saturday I took my wife and 4 daughter to a movie 65.00 for tickets and snacks. Movie lasted 1hr 45 min Insurance 58.00 one year

Insurance is something you pay for grumble about the cost, hope you never need it, THEN THANK GOD FOR IT WHEN YOU DO!!!

yeah if you hit an elephant in december in Kansas with a .47(exactly) powered airplane (jets and electrics and biplanes dont count) and it totally destroys your plane and the elephant craps when you hit it ,,, they will pay to clean up the crap,,, but.... only if it is on a sunday between 12:00 and 12:08 and there is no mass or communion (2nd sunday) and your best friends dog didnt pee outside yet that day.......... sorry but my view stands, it is a union you have to belong to to fly, and I coulda had 8 pizza's thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rog