| After many years away from the hobby I have decided to give it another shot.
| A guy at my local club informed me that club costs are $70 per year
Higher than most, but not that much so.
| and I also need a license at $75 per year from the 'AMA'.
AMA dues are $58/year. They do give you a discount next year if you
join in the middle of the year and explicitly ask for it next year.
(Not that this changes your initial outlay, of course.)
(Of course, I guess that the plan is that they get to keep your money
if 1) you don't renew next year at all (perhaps you decided you didn't
like R/C planes?) or 2) you forget to ask for the discount next year.)
It's also not a license, even though it says it has a `license
number'. Basically the reason the club is making you join it is that
the AMA provides insurance (they don't care if you have insurance from
elsewhere, they want AMA insurance.)
You don't need to be an AMA member to fly R/C ... but if the club
requires it, then that's what you've got to have. Without it, you can
still fly, but you'll have to fly somewhere else.
| Does this sound correct to you guys? That would be $145 in costs
| before I even look at equipment. Any info or links to licensing
| details appreciated. Thanks...Alan
Quite a racket, eh? :)
Of course, you do get something for your money. You get $2.5 million
dollars of insurance (assuming you follow the AMA rules (which are
reasonable)), and you get use of the club field, and they'll probably
teach you to fly for free. Less tangable benefits include knowing
that you're helping the AMA promote the hobby, and you're helping the
club continue doing all the things that the club does.
--
Doug McLaren, snipped-for-privacy@frenzy.com
We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.
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