AMA membership VS AOPA membership

[Harold Morgan]

I saw an ad for AOPA on our newsletter. Currently a member of AMA. Does AOPA offer enough to belong to both?

 

[NealJ777]

I'm curious. Why did you join AMA? Did you see anything beneficial to drones with the AMA?

Does paying $70-$150/year to the AOPA really get you anything?

 

[BigAl07]

If the majority of UAS operators in the US joined AMA can you imagine the group #'s and potential benefits?

But the AMA was hesitant to embrace MultiRotors (and IMHO rightfully so for a while) but they are coming around.

IMHO we NEED to join and let our $$ do some talking but unfortunately the AMA can't work with Political Affiliations so we would have NO lobby support

 

[NealJ777]

I agree. The AMA is reluctant to embrace sUAS, but they're mellowing out a bit.

My dad has been a member of the AMA for over 50 years. He now lives in "Lower Slower Delaware" (AKA "LSD" I don't think they thought that one through!). He said that they do get requests from drone owners to use their field but they still tend to cater to R/C (planes/helicopters) and not drones. From speaking with my dad, AMA members are not really too gung ho about drones. They feel that the increased attention from the FAA is due to the increase in drones. They feel that if it weren't for drones (and irresponsible drone owners) that the changes coming about wouldn't be happening.

I told my dad that unfortunately, the people that go to Walmart and get a sub-$100 drone look at it as a toy and they are either (a) not aware of the regulations surrounding the use of drones or (b) don't care. The drone owners such as myself will take drone usage seriously and abide by regulations.

I am sure that if the shoe was on the other foot and there were cheapy r/c planes infiltrating the market and the airspace the AMA wouldn't be happy about that either.

 

[DamienC]

Sorry to be a bit of an ignoramus...but what is AMA and AOPA? Kinda new to the game....

 

[Thomas B]

If the majority of UAS operators in the US joined AMA can you imagine the group #'s and potential benefits?

But the AMA was hesitant to embrace MultiRotors (and IMHO rightfully so for a while) but they are coming around.

IMHO we NEED to join and let our $$ do some talking but unfortunately the AMA can't work with Political Affiliations so we would have NO lobby support

Really? Check out this page on AMA political action.

Government Advocacy | Academy of Model Aeronautics

Protecting the hobby, sport, and educational use of model aviation.

www.modelaircraft.org

Please correct me if it’s tangential.

 

[NealJ777]

what is AMA and AOPA?

AMA - Academy of Model Aeronautics

AOPA - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

 

[Harold Morgan]

I'm curious. Why did you join AMA? Did you see anything beneficial to drones with the AMA?

Does paying $70-$150/year to the AOPA really get you anything?

As I read their copy, they do offer automatic liability insurance up to $2.5 M for recreational users. $25 K accident & medical coverage, some accidental death coverage and $1,000 theft, fire & accident coverage. Sincerely doubt anything but the liability insurance would ever be of value. I agree that they aren't really "our cup of tea" and it appears that AOPA is more in sync with quadcopters.

 

[BigAl07]

Really? Check out this page on AMA political action.

Government Advocacy | Academy of Model Aeronautics

Protecting the hobby, sport, and educational use of model aviation.

www.modelaircraft.org

Please correct me if it’s tangential.

It looks like I've been misinformed. I need to go back and share that with the group I got the previous information from. Good catch bud

 

[NealJ777]

Now I'm getting AMA ads!

 

[brettbrandon]

If the majority of UAS operators in the US joined AMA can you imagine the group #'s and potential benefits?

But the AMA was hesitant to embrace MultiRotors (and IMHO rightfully so for a while) but they are coming around.

IMHO we NEED to join and let our $$ do some talking but unfortunately the AMA can't work with Political Affiliations so we would have NO lobby support

There is an AMA flying area about ten minutes away. Problem is that they have one little corner area where drones are allowed. Pretty much a joke as alot of folks back yards are bigger...

EDIT: I was actually going to join to be able to use the field until I found out about the limitation.

 

[DamienC]

AMA - Academy of Model Aeronautics

AOPA - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Ah! Ok then... Now I have no excuses....Many thanks!

 

[lilewis]

I belong to AMA strictly for the liability insurance. I know the MP2 is reliable but there's always the possibility of a malfunction or pilot error - and the drone coming down on a person on the ground or car on the highway.
$70 for $2,000,000 liability insurance is worth it to me.

Also, I'm not into model airplane building but a friend of mine in another state is. I called AMA and they agreed to send their montly magazine to his address instead of mine.

 

[Boback]

There is an AMA flying area about ten minutes away. Problem is that they have one little corner area where drones are allowed. Pretty much a joke as alot of folks back yards are bigger...

EDIT: I was actually going to join to be able to use the field until I found out about the limitation.

Having been a member of AMA for 34 years, and being a RC Helicopter pilot since day one (I fly RC airplanes and drones also). I have seen a lot of AMA fields that restrict RC Helicopter and now drone flights to a limited area. I was chased off one Southern California Public RC field by the Park Ranger because I was flying my helicopter around the pattern with other fixed wing aircraft. I was told that i am not allowed to do that and I am restricted to a hover circle. When I asked why, I was asked to leave or be arrested. I have seen this same type of segregation at multiple RC fields across the country, ever at the AMA home site in Muncie. Now that the FAA has classified ALL RC aircraft as drones, AMA needs to take a look at themselves. One of that biggest RC Helicopter events is at AMA Headquarters yet the segregation happens at other times of the year at that same site. If AMA wants to represent all of the RC Pilots in the country, then it needs to support all of the RC Pilots in the country. AMA is slowly getting on the band wagon for drones and has made a lot of progress in behalf of their official flying fields. But there is a long way to go. The RC world is changing and the FAA is changing to try to keep up, and keep control. AMA doesn't seem to want to change as it will affect many types of RC flying its members do.

Fortunately, my local club has no restrictions on types of aircraft that fly (except restrictions established by the city (size and noise), who's property we fly on). And we all take turns flying.

 

[BigAl07]

Having been a member of AMA for 34 years, and being a RC Helicopter pilot since day one (I fly RC airplanes and drones also). I have seen a lot of AMA fields that restrict RC Helicopter and now drone flights to a limited area. I was chased off one Southern California Public RC field by the Park Ranger because I was flying my helicopter around the pattern with other fixed wing aircraft. I was told that i am not allowed to do that and I am restricted to a hover circle. When I asked why, I was asked to leave or be arrested. I have seen this same type of segregation at multiple RC fields across the country, ever at the AMA home site in Muncie. Now that the FAA has classified ALL RC aircraft as drones, AMA needs to take a look at themselves. One of that biggest RC Helicopter events is at AMA Headquarters yet the segregation happens at other times of the year at that same site. If AMA wants to represent all of the RC Pilots in the country, then it needs to support all of the RC Pilots in the country. AMA is slowly getting on the band wagon for drones and has made a lot of progress in behalf of their official flying fields. But there is a long way to go. The RC world is changing and the FAA is changing to try to keep up, and keep control. AMA doesn't seem to want to change as it will affect many types of RC flying its members do.

Fortunately, my local club has no restrictions on types of aircraft that fly (except restrictions established by the city (size and noise), who's property we fly on). And we all take turns flying.

Our flying club has no "aircraft" restrictions. Thank goodness our club is and has always been very "innovation" accpeting and even fostering. Our members were building custom massive MultiRotors before some of the forum members here were driving a car. That was before multi-axis gyro stabilization was off the shelf and cheap.