From your AMA President...

[wwwarbird]

 On page 6 of the current November 2015 MA rag, a quote from AMA President Bob Brown as published...

   "I recently spent time with quite a few drone pilots. Their focus on electronics and computers is apparent, but these pilots are enjoyable company and represent the future of model aviation."

 This d--m near made me puke. For me those comments were the last straw, I'm done with the AMA and am not renewing for 2016.

[Mike Keville]

On page 6 of the current November 2015 MA rag, a quote from President Bob Brown as published...

   "I recently spent time with quite a few drone pilots. Their focus on electronics and computers is apparent, but these pilots are enjoyable company and represent the future of model aviation."

 This d--m near made me puke. For me those comments were the last straw, I'm done with the AMA and am not renewing for 2016.

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Same here!  Makes me sorry that I DID re-up....though won't be doing it after this.

[Mike Griffin]

Our club dropped its affiliation with AMA.  I personally will not renew after December.  I'm done.

Mike

[Tony Drago]

I would like to write something. But what ever I come up with will get me band....
   Just another money grabbing puppet.

[Randy Ryan]

I'll re-up, not that I want to , but because I have returned to Free Flight and realistically the AMA site is the only place left for decent FF competition on this end of the country. All the arguments are valid, all the attention and leadership has gone to the toy flyers and the magazine has been a mere toy catalogue for many years. But I find myself in a position where I still need them even though they don't need me. So I'll pay my overly expensive dues and fly. 

[PerttiMe]

What's up with everybody whining about AMA President stating a fact?
If you don't like a fact, you can ignore it. Admit it, you still know the earth is flat.

[Randy Powell]

Membership is required to fly in contests (though I'm not sure why at this point), so I re-upped. But I could care less about the AMA at this point.

[Brett Buck]

What's up with everybody whining about AMA President stating a fact?
If you don't like a fact, you can ignore it. Admit it, you still know the earth is flat.

   It's a problem because they are willingly leading themselves, and by extension us, into the dumper. The first significant lawsuit involving a civil aircraft and the AMA is gone for good.

    Brett

[Randy Powell]

>> It's a problem because they are willingly leading themselves, and by extension us, into the dumper. The first significant lawsuit involving a civil aircraft and the AMA is gone for good. <<

And we will probably all get sued. In a civil lawsuit, you name everyone even vaguely involved. I agree with Brett. It will only take one moron flying a drone into a commercial aircraft to end the AMA.

[Eric Viglione]

>> It's a problem because they are willingly leading themselves, and by extension us, into the dumper. The first significant lawsuit involving a civil aircraft and the AMA is gone for good. <<

And we will probably all get sued. In a civil lawsuit, you name everyone even vaguely involved. I agree with Brett. It will only take one moron flying a drone into a commercial aircraft to end the AMA.

Just playing devils advocate here... If someone is flying a multi-rotor in non approved air-space, then they would be voiding their AMA coverage by breaking the AMA & FAA safety code, no? So AMA would lawyer up and spend their kitty defending their position, which could still bankrupt them, lawyers for long drawn out multi-plaintiff (said all the passengers) law suits are not cheap.

EricV

[PerttiMe]

If someone kills a bunch of people by driving a Ford truck into a crowd, who is responsible?
The "someone"?
His family?
Everyone with a Ford?
Everyone who uses the same insurance company?
The insurance company?
Everyone who also has an AMA bumper sticker?

[Mark Mc]

If someone kills a bunch of people by driving a Ford truck into a crowd, who is responsible?
The "someone"?
His family?
Everyone with a Ford?
Everyone who uses the same insurance company?
The insurance company?
Everyone who also has an AMA bumper sticker?

Sorry, poor analogy.  If a Ford drives into a crowd and kills a bunch of people, the driver will definitely be sued.  The lawyers for the plaintiffs might consider suing Ford, but they know Ford has more and better lawyers, so they won't bother.  And the plaintiffs won't really try to stop Ford because some of them will be driving/have driven Fords.  They all will be car drivers, so the thought of putting car manufacturers out of business and banning cars from the road would never even enter their mind.  But someone flies a drone into an aircraft?  They'll all be screaming to have drones banned and the manufacturers sued out of existence.  The difference being?  The plaintiffs like their cars and would never want to give them up.  But Drones?   

[Scott Bauman]

I am a somewhat young guy (46) and I prefer building and sometimes flying my models.  Unfortunately the current future of model aviation is the people flying the quadcopters.  Do you bury your head or try and get them educated.  The good news about model airplanes is fads come and fads go.  Most of the youngsters buying quads will get bored within a few years and the fever over drones will be quenched until the next "future of model aviation" comes along.  This is just my view as a youngster who likes to build CL, FF, RC and on occassion fly my quad.
-Scott

[Phillip Kenney]

I'm sure XXX years ago there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth over the people who were trying to fly models with wires when Free Flight was the "only" true modeling. XX years ago there was the same uproar about the people who were throwing away their wires and getting giant radio's to fly their models. Now the uproar is about quads. Soon it will be something else.

[Jim Kraft]

A model is a reasonable facsimile of the real thing. Quads are a whole nother category. I think the only safe way to fly now is free flight rubber. I suppose they will want to license that also. Anybody for boats or tether cars? In this day and age if it moves, tax it. If it doesn't move, tax it anyway. How can we send illegals to school and pay for their housing if we don't raise taxes? It is us greedy people that worked hard all our lives that don't want to give it away. For shame for shame. My wife says don't get me started.

[wwwarbird]

A model is a reasonable facsimile of the real thing. Quads are a whole nother category.

 Exactly right Jim, and a good way to put it. This is precisely why the AMA should have separated themselves from day one. Sadly, as is typical nearly everywhere anymore, the AMA's greed has outweighed loyalty in looking out for their own heritage and taking care of their Modelers.

[PerttiMe]

A model is a reasonable facsimile of the real thing.

Define "reasonable" in this context.
Aircraft that could accommodate a pilot, when scaled up to "full size" are rare in stunt circles. So are aircraft that would count as "scale" - even squint-real-hard-scale.

A control line airplane is not a real aircraft?

[Mike Griffin]

Jim I agree with you.

I think AMA has made it clear what their intentions are and where they are going.  They are going after the money and will continue to do so until something tragic happens caused by the irresponsible actions of someone flying one of these things.  Basically you have a choice, remain a member (and if you participate in contests you don't have much of a choice except to belong) or if you are like me and just fly for the fun of it when you get the chance, drop out...which is what I am going to do this coming January.  All this arguing and bickering is a moot point.  They (AMA) are not going to change, I think they have made that pretty clear.  The choice to be a part of it or not be a part of it, is up to you.  I chose not to be.

Mike

[Steve Hines]

I don't think control line members pay in enough to cover what the AMA does for control line. I would think that the nats alone cost more than what is taken in dues. don't they give money to the team. Do we want pay to play. there is not enough money spent to keep a engine in production. If it wasn't drones it would be something else. Who cares if the AMA goes way no one like them any way. Or you could all get together and start the CLAMA.

If if's and but's were candy and nut we all have a merry Christmas.

Steve

[RC Storick]

I don't think control line members pay in enough to cover what the AMA does for control line. I would think that the nats alone cost more than what is taken in dues. don't they give money to the team. Do we want pay to play. there is not enough money spent to keep a engine in production. If it wasn't drones it would be something else. Who cares if the AMA goes way no one like them any way. Or you could all get together and start the CLAMA.

If if's and but's were candy and nut we all have a merry Christmas.

Steve

50% of entry fee goes to AMA the other 50% goes to sig. so 100 entrys is aprox $5000.00 but someone has to pay the employees. Their real money is made from share croppers.

[bob whitney]

   I have been flying since 1953 , flew my first contest at age 12.became a CD at 16.Have been Nats ED at least 3 times . spent some of my best weeks at The Navy Nats

i have watched our Benefits become less and less .at the nats each special intrest group runs their own events which means that everyone that helps run an event is a volunteer who spends his or her $$$ and time so we can fly and have fun . if u add up how many volunteers it takes to run each event , speed takes at least five to 7, racing at least five, stunt ,i cant even count, ten to 30 , carrier ,combat scale ,all free labor. we didnt even get a free hot dog. we even pay for the events we fly in which would cost me over $300 if i entered all the events i wanted to enter.
  as far as helping the Teams, they pay the entry Fee and hotel and food .everything else is on the team members. air fare, car rental which this year will be great .Not to mention the cost of the over size  and over weight boxs
  I CD at least two Free Flight contest a year so the FF guys can fly rather than work, i get a discount on my licence for doing this. Now i hear that a new Quad owner can get a free licence with his or hers new Perches , in 62 years i dont ever remember getting a free licence, only an increase.  have u checked your insurance lately, it is an add on

  AS far as Nats entry's go, AMA has an over all Number in mind to keep things going. so the low U/C entry's dint bother them because we are doing the work.and all is good as long as they hit the Big number and we help them hit that number. Rad

[wwwarbird]

Define "reasonable" in this context.
Aircraft that could accommodate a pilot, when scaled up to "full size" are rare in stunt circles. So are aircraft that would count as "scale" - even squint-real-hard-scale.

 PerttiMe, you're reading between the lines here and nitpicking. He's simply stating that in general and for the most part our models, historically, have resembled actual full size aircraft and gliders in that most have the basic planform of such. In general this goes for C/L, R/C, Freeflight, whatever. This would also include helicopters with the normal planform of a full scale counterpart.

 Besides, in Finland it doesn't matter what the AMA is up to.

[PerttiMe]

What people really want is a man-carrying-size quadcopter. They cannot afford one, so everybody goes and buys a reasonable reduced size facsimile.

[Robert Zambelli]

Stay tuned!!!

  Bob Z.