O.K. What happened to the beautiful, large membership sticker the AMA used to give us? This year all I got was a dull colored, postage stamp size membership sticker. I always put the big one on the back window of my truck's canopy. I often had people comment on it, ask if I flew model planes, and gained a few new club members from the attention it got. This new one attracts the same amount of attention as the oil change reminder on my windshield.
If cost was a consideration in the size and beauty of the old sticker, then why not offer it in their on-line catalog?
| I recall being asked if I had an ama card when I was flying. I told them I | did not know what it was. Was 13 years old at the time. | | Still don't got one...sort of like aarp...all they want is the $$$.
Well, it does say `license' on it ... so obviously you can't fly (legally) without it!
I always thought licenses were issued by a government, i.e. state, feds, etc. Plus you usually had to prove to someone that you might know a little something about whatever the license was for. But in the case of the AMA it's a purchased license which really relates to bribery. But to me they can call it anything they want but it ain't no license. I've proven this by flying my plane when I didn't have a license and it works just fine.....
Obviously there is more to flying R/C than possessing a license.....AMA issued or not.
I've visited numerous flying fields where "pilots" had a huge stack of AMA cards (licenses) in their flight boxes, and still couldn't fly worth a hoot.
| Obviously there is more to flying R/C than possessing a license.....AMA | issued or not. | | I've visited numerous flying fields where "pilots" had a huge stack of AMA | cards (licenses) in their flight boxes, and still couldn't fly worth a hoot.
To be fair, I've seen people with valid driver's licenses (which usually (but not always) involves some testing) and they couldn't drive worth a hoot too :)
The AMA by your membership *license* grants you permission to fly models within their sanctioned activities and freedom of action to act within their grossly restricted sets of rules, thus a "license".
But in
I have to purchase my licenses for my autos, so AMA is not the only bribery.
I have to purchase my fishing license, yet my last several trips have displayed that I no longer know much about fishing anymore!!
The whole AMA "license" issue really revolves around lawyers, liability, and insurance. If there were no meritless lawsuits, the "restrictive rules" would be much less restrictive. However, with a progressively litigious society, more restrictive rules and higher "license fees" for insurance will continue.
| The whole AMA "license" issue really revolves around lawyers, liability, and | insurance.
Actually, it revolves around marketing.
There is certainly a certain percentage of AMA members who are AMA members because they feel that they need this `license'. If the AMA were to call it a `membership card' rather than a `license', there is a certain number of people (hopefully small) who would not join the AMA, or who would let their membership lapse once they noticed.
The belief that you need an AMA `license' to fly R/C planes is pretty common. I've even heard stories (rumors?) of police asking people flying park fliers at a park (not a club) for an AMA license, because they thought it was required.
I'm sure the AMA is well aware of all this, and has probably come up with an estimate of how much it would cost them if they actually changed the name, and since there was probably a signifigant dollar figure next to that estimate, and sice there's no real advantage to changing the name (beyond ending this debate) they've decided not to do so. Certainly, it's no accident that it's there.
============================================= My 2004 sticker is about the same size as my 2002 and 2003s. I agree with the other reply... contact AMA.
It's an argument in semantics. A membership card implies "belonging" and "being a part of something". While a license establishes authority and a sense of "must have in order to do". In short it sounds to me like someone wants to give the impression that "you must" be licensed (via the AMA of course) in order to be able to fly models in the US. While at the same time the feeling of belonging to something is at the very least, not re-enforced. And possibly even discouraged for some.
Sounds like a bunch of Horse Crap to me. And I already have plenty of that a scant 100 yards away. Enough of this, I'm going to go play with the ponies now. Then fly on my own field without AMA's license or blessing!
Because it contained those "Stir It Up" letters: AMA. Posts containing that particular letter combination always turn into rants. I'm still waiting for my 2004 *membership* package so I have no idea what sticker I will receive.
OK, since no one is addressing the problem, here goes.....
For the last several (not sure how many) years the AMA sticker sheet consisted of 3 stickers. Two of them were small rectangular ones and then there was the "nice large oval shaped one" with the current member year marked on it (my personal favorite too).
This years sticker set consists of 4 stickers on the same size sheet and the one that states the "member year" is only about 1.25 X 2.5 inches in size. Though it is bigger that a postage stamp, it's only about 1/4 the size of the old one. I'm disappointed too.
First of all, I agree Tom, I've been an AMA member for 19 years and I like the larger oval AMA sticker with the winged logo. I've got a new truck and had waited to put the new sticker on the cap window.
Second is toward the rest of the comments, not you Tom. All of this license discussion is a bunch of crap. AMA is a national club like AAA or the NRA. It has a voice that people in authority tend to listen to, but does not say who can and can't fly model aircraft. If you want to buy and fly a model plane in your back yard, feel free; welcome to the hobby and enjoy.
What AMA does do for you is to help govern (good and bad) and direct the hobby as a whole. More importantly, if flying by their rules, they provide $2,500,000 liability insurance (as read from the back of my 2004 card). So, just in case an accident happens, they'll help cover your tail.
I fly 20 pound airplanes swinging an 18" prop. I've been flying for
20 years this year, have been a club instructor for 14 years, and consider myself a proficient flyer, but accidents do happen. That's why they're called accidents. If my plane breaks in flight, or I get a hit from radio interference, whatever, and my plane goes through a house, car, or worse, I know that I've got insurance through AMA to back me up. I'd never fly without it.
If you're flying without it, fine. If you do the math from the above, I flew without AMA for a year or more too. That was flying gliders off a hill, so I dodn't see much danger in that and I was only 14 at the time. I'm not trying to tell you're you doing anything wrong either, just that you need to be careful; as do we all.
Have you contacted AMA with your concerns? No one in this newsgroup can address the problem you describe. They can bitch, argue, take the thread off topic, etc. But, they cannot do anything about the size of the sticker.
Contact your district VP, the other district VPs, and Dave Brown; and express your concerns to the people who "can" do something about it. I have no idea if they "will" do anything about it for 2005, but I seriously doubt that posting in this newsgroup will be much help. If enough people contact AMA, it is possible they will listen.
I do not put stickers of any kind on my truck. Small stickers fit my flight box just fine; in fact, the smaller the better.
For the last several (not sure how many) years the AMA sticker sheet consisted of 3 stickers. Two of them were small rectangular ones and then there was the "nice large oval shaped one" with the current member year marked on it (my personal favorite too).
This years sticker set consists of 4 stickers on the same size sheet and the one that states the "member year" is only about 1.25 X 2.5 inches in size. Though it is bigger that a postage stamp, it's only about 1/4 the size of the old one. I'm disappointed too.
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