Is the AMA really worth it?
 

First, I am not trying to imply or infer that it is or isn't worth it in any way.
I am a newbie who is trying to decide what I should do.
Now, on to the business at hand. Local club membership is $100 a year. THis club is very nice, nice 300' paved runway in the middle of nowhere with a good sized lake to fly floats off of as well. They have two riding mowers to maintain the grassy areas of the field along with a heated shelter for inclement weather and a small boat for rescuing float planes that had an errant flight/landing. One of the conditions for joining is AMA membership, so total to join club is actually$160 or so dollars a year! My Chief Financial Officer ( Wife ) is not happy about the $$$$ coming out of the "company" funds. Well In my opinion the club is worth the $100. I have no choice but to join the AMA if I want to join.

Club two is not so great, they have a great field but thats it... THey will let anyone fly as long as they have AMA membership.

THird option is: I live in South Dakota, in the middle of nowhere. I have plenty of wide open spaces away from any potential accidents with property/cars/people. Just won't have a nice paved runway.
So far I have flown my trainer by myself with no mishaps except a lil erratic flight.( experienced: 6000 + hours of time in the real deal ) this was done in a cow pasture about 15 miles from the next living person. SO if I stick with this option i sthe AMA worth it to me? I'm not interested in competitive flying or Fly In's or really flying in front of anyone. I enjoy R/C planes just the way I've been doing it. So what do you guys think? Tell me why AMA would be good or not.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

No opinions huh?

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

First, to fly with most organized clubs, it doesn't matter if the AMA is good or bad. Club rules require AMA membership. For an established club with a flying site, equipment and over a handful of members, the AMA is extremely necessary for the insurance coverage provided. Don't be fooled by some saying homeowner's insurance will cover this activity. Each policy is different and many require a special rider for R/C flying. Also, check your homeowner's company track record. Many companies have been known to drastically increase rates or cancel a policy altogether for even a minor claim.

Do you own the field you fly in or does someone else?

If someone else owns the field, do you have their written permission to fly there?

Is the owner of the field aware that your R/C hobby is not covered under any type of liability insurance?

Dr. 1

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

IMO joining the AMA came with getting in the hobby, ANY decent club you want to join will require an AMA membership, all in all it is your choice as what to do, but I think you should join if you want to be in that club,by the way which sounds like a pretty decent club!
Just my 2cent's:D

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

I understand the fact that most clubs require AMA membership.

I got the ranchers permission to fly at the "field" I fly at.
Yes I told him all the inherent risk associated with my flying and that it wasn't covered by any insurance. He said "no problem" just don't chase my cows with the plane.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

I would like to join the club but right now $$ is tight ( I own,maintain, and fly my own Cessna 172N a 1977 model with a lot of time on it so maintenance is high$$) I also like to fly teh R/C planes and don't want to wait to fly it. I eventually will get membership in the AMA and the local club but not for about a month maybe three weeks. In the mean time I want to fly.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Get ama and go to the bad club and fly. Then when you get the $ fly at the nice club, but i am sure there are tons of memebers at the nice club which can mean frequency problems and less flying time.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Warhead,

If your plan is to get into the AMA anyway, just go get the trial membership for $19.95 (Honestly...if $20 is too much of a strain on your hobby budget, you're in the wrong hobby :))

You can fill out the application at https://www.modelaircraft.org/trialmemberapp.aspx and the $19.95 you spend will be credited to your full membership later, meaning it's not 'wasted'. The trial membership is good for 3 FULL months, plus the remainder of the month you sign up in, meaning if you sign up today, the trial is good through July, then for ALL of August, September, and October. FIll out the online app, and you'll have your AMA # e-mailed to you within a week or less.

When you upgrade to the full membership, you'll only pay the difference, which, iirc, is about $35 more.

Now, as for the original topic, the answer, imo, is a resounding yes...it's worth it.

let's forget the magazine, or online benefits, or whatever...most of that stuff is junk imo.

Bottom line : Unless there is NO POSSIBLE WAY your aircraft could EVER injure/damage ANYONE or ANYONE'S property, the insurance alone makes this a no-brainer issue. Since flying by yourself is, at best, a dumb thing to do, then by definition, there should ALWAYS be at least one other person around who could, in a worst case, be injured by your plane. Given that, it's kinda a 'well duh' issue.

Just my $0.04 (adjusted for inflation)

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Ok,
Let's break it down to what you are going to get out of the AMA membership.

A magazine that some say is decent (I personally like it)

A lobby group that protects our flying frequencies and watch other legislation that effects us.

A really nice place to go fly when you are in Muncie, In.

Ok ok, you can live without these
Liability insurance that will cover you in the event that you plane damages property or injures somebody.
In today's lawsuit happy world you could easily find yourself a million or so dollars in debt if you actually hit somebody with your plane and injure them. Hmmm, let's see $58 vs. $1,000,000 . In my opinion it's worth if for the insurance alone!!!!

Hope this helps

Ken

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

All I read was the subject, I haven't read the original post or any of the other post, just a straight answer based off the subject line.

No, its not worth it, however you need to do it.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Well, thanks for the answers guys... I DO intend on joining the AMA and the local club. PArt of this was to get some different perspectives from other R/C enthusiast. THe other part was to kind of express the frustration of newcomers to this hobby. Now $$$ aren't really that tight but the 1/1 scale Cessna does have my priority when it comes to $$ issues. I tried to bring two guys with me into this hobby but the situations I described turned them away. As I have read in the AMA forum a big deterrent to the AMA and the hobby in general is the "Stodgy Old Timers" that really have no interpersonal skills in dealing with prospective members. Yes there are some "old Timers' that are genuinely thrilled to help a newbie or especially a youngster out but the grumpy old guys really overpower any positives from the helpful guy. I myself was helped into this hobby by two old timers that really showed an interest in getting me interested. One was my Dad and the other an old guy that introduced himself and took the time to explain evrything he could to me. He was just set up to fly but didn't fly at all that day because my dad and I arrived with an old Cox .049 foamie 2 channel Piece of garbage which he helped go over to ensure that it was flight worthy. HE spent about 4 hours with me that day and invited us to attend a club meeting. This man gave up his flying time that day to help a newcomer. Later on I joined the USAF and lost interest in R/C for things like girls and fast cars and eventually the real aircraft. When I started becomeing interested in this hobby again I got discouraged by some Old guys that were real jerks. I pressed on with it despite them because I remember "Ol Doc" the retired doctor that helped me 18 years prior. Not everyone has the benefit of meeting someone like"Ol Doc" and they get really discouraged by the overwhelmingly negative attitude of (what has been in MY experience) the majority of AMA members.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Yes as noted above in many different ways you need to join the AMA. The benefits far outweigh the actual cost in $$. What you receive from the clubs will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine. Just getting a plane up and down in one piece (as you apparently have done) is just the beginning. Gaining skills and enjoying the hobby is what happens when you are enjoying it with pilots having the same interest. If you aren't interested in gaining from the experience of those who have spend time enjoying this wonderful hobby and sport that's your perrogative. Attending a contest or big fly in will widen the expereince even more.

EXCAP232

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Being a bit impatient? It was only 10 minutes after your first post. :D

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

I've just got to disagree with your closing statement. I've been around the AMA for a really long time. I don't think I would even use up the fingers on one hand counting the number of AMA members that I've encountered who have an "overwhelmingly negative attitude". Perhaps it's different in your part of the country, but I've met a huge number of really great people flying. Maybe I've encountered a bunch of negative people, but if I have, I just put them out of my mind.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

I have found that more often than not, people see that someone has replied and it piques their interest. Regardless of the fact that the reply was also the person who posted the original. A bit of internet trickery if you will... Its a time honored way of getting replies in a short amount of time. It works for me about 90% of the time.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

He said "no problem" just don't chase my cows with the plane.

Sounds like a nice guy. However, I'll bet there WILL be a problem if you hit one of those cows. You'll probably be run off, if not sued. Good luck!

Dr.1

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Well his cows are actually Buffalo and they usually aren't anywhere within a mile or two of the spot I requested to fly at. I wouldn't fly around them anyway. I figure if the GOV entrusted me with Nuclear weapons I'm responsible enough to know when to not fly at all...
Boy you guys ( Not specifically you Dr1Driver, just members in general) don't read all the post do you? I said I intend to join!!!!

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

It will probably accomplish other, unintended things, but that's not the subject of the thread.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

It's always difficult to explain whether insurance is a good or bad thing. That is, until it's needed!

Only you can judge whether the insurance coverage is worth it or not. I suppose it's not worth it, up to one second before it's needed then it's very much worth it!

-David C.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Warhead --- ENJOY your time with us, in the AMA and at any club field you may visit. Don't even think about some of the OLD GOAT's sitting around, we had them in the service also!!!! ENJOY !!!! RED

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

I can tell you at 31 that I'm most likely the youngest member of my club...although I haven't met every club member. I think it is kinda cool actually. These guys were a bit stand offish at first, but who can blame them. Who knows how many one shot wonders had rolled through that club, and bailed after a few months time? I just love learning from these guys, and they will definitely respect you more if you not only ask questions, but heed the advice they give you.
Right now I'm building a 4*60, and every weekend I take the pieces I've finished out to the club so the guys can look it over and offer encouragement or advice.

I guess my point is, yeah the "Old Timers" can be curmudgeons at first, but my experience is that after you demonstrate that you are going to stick around and not be a "flash in the pan" member they really warm up to you. Plus I feel like I have a whole group of "Dads & Grandads" cheering me on as I continue to learn.

Just my $.02

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Awh I'm 15 and my friend is 2 months older... the next step up is around 35 then from there on your in the 60's-70's+

I love the old guys! Lots of fun! Great advice from them too!

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

The secrete to happiness in this hobby is : Don't tell the CFO everything you spend, but your didn't hear it from me.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

warhead,

Sometimes the not so great clubs will surprise you. As many of the responses point out, clubs will be a lot of fun if you just go with it. Yes, it's true that some of the folks you run into will not even give you the time of day, my club has them, but most of the time all it takes is to ask a simple question about something to get a good conversation going.

RE: Is the AMA really worth it?
 

Not exactly, the rules state: "There is no coverage for injury to a member to his own family (Household and Relative(s) living in the members household) for claims or suits."

Since I don't fly at the local club, the only people that are within a mile or two are omitted from the insurance. That pretty much makes it pointless for me, unless I have some friends with me, since I almost always fly alone or with my wife/children.

Another thing that I didn't care for is that the insurance only kicks in if no other insurance is applicable. I don't want to sound negative, but for most insurance companies that could be translated to mean, "Nothing short of a lawsuit will make us pay."

How many people reading this thread have used the insurance or know someone that has? Was it a good experience? If I had to make a judgment based on the documentation alone I would guess it's pretty worthless.

Before everyone flames me, keep in mind that these are legit concerns, and yes, I am an AMA member.

schu