Agreed, but that's a hard one to solve. Mr. Beshar tries very hard, and
clearly has great intentions. However, in the recent past when I tried to
get help from AMA for that sort of thing, I was very sorely disappointed in
the quality of the program. It (then - I don't know about now) consisted
primarily of a packet of info and testimonials from lesser known astronauts
that clearly linked their involvement in model planes to their success as
astronauts. Great, but how the hell does that get me a flying field or ride
on a rocketship for that matter?
Again, this is a very noble goal, that the AMA be involved and be a TRUE
resource for lobbying and securing long term solutions to flying sites in
the respective areas. I don't think that the staff (or the budget) are
presently up to that task.
I also think that the AMA better come up with some REAL solution to the
Parkflyer / renegade flier (vs. or nearby) traditional fields issue. Seems
to me a long time ago the AMA could have simply huddled with the 3 or 4 RC
TX manufacturers and gotten them to voluntarily put the parkie (4 channel
and under) radios on a select few channels and warned the rest of us to stay
clear (like driving on New Year's Eve).
Bottom line for me is that the AMA has a lot of dedicated volunteers who
mean well, but either aren't informed as to the AMA's goals, policies and
issues, or are clueless due to time constraints, age-related technophobia
(VCRs are blinking 12?), or are simply in over their heads. AMA's primary
goal seems to be gaining membership. Their answer to the "where's the
beef?" question is rather lame.
The solution to all of those is LEADERSHIP. I haven't seen much of that.
Yes, I have looked for it.
I don't think we are talking about soaring here...
Lee
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <Soaring@airage.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 2:55 PM
Subject: [RCSE] Re: Some thoughts on AMA-it's about LAND
While the Internet has changed a lot of things about clubs and getting
together and etc. it can't give you land to fly on. For the next decade,
this is
the largest challenge our hobby faces. Even park flyers will feel the
Pinch as
more and more people cram onto smaller and smaller park spaces for more
and
more of the day's flyable hours. Already I have to forget trying to fly at
most
of the flyable park land in my area because team sports are using it
continually for one sport or the other, and the darn games overlap each
other. Yes,
you can fly in a driveway or cul-de-sac, the planes getting smaller and
smaller... but that's not the only kind of flying I want to do. And as
glider folk,
I don't think most of you do either.
Access is the real problem looming, with land prices going ever-upward,
and
"developers" grabbing up farm land everywhere you look, and a more
litigious
and over-careful society that more and more, looks at our hobby as either
an
annoyance or national security threat... How much flying will you be able
to get
in when you will have to drive an hour each way to the field or slope?
It's
going to happen, just a question of time.
This to my mind is the number one goal AMA should have now: getting, and
keeping flying sites with a long-term view. And that's a worthy goal no
matter
WHAT you fly.
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