AMA Membership: Worth it?

Jeff@W · Apr 20, 2018

So, as is always the case when I wake up 3 hours before my alarm, I was browsing other Yuneec topics and saw a few suggestions to join the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). I applied for a three month trial membership and then browsed a few local AMA chartered flying clubs; none of which seemed to include drone pilots.

So my question is two-fold:

1) Are we (drone pilots) welcomed in the aeronautical modeling community?

2) Irregardless of the answer to question number one, is an AMA membership worth having?

DoomMeister · Apr 20, 2018

I didn’t opt into the AMA while in The Villages, FL this past winter. Besides the actual AMA membership that includes insurance coverage, there were dues for the local club and I would have to fly at their field ( great for flight training, but boring for video ).

There are several members of the forum that are and have been AMA for many years. They will be able to give you better info on benefits of membership. Not sure if the insurance from AMA covers you no matter where you fly, or if it only covers you while flying at an AMA field.

Let them weigh in here and then decide what path is best for you.

Jagerbomb52 · Apr 20, 2018

Hopefully PatR will chime in. He had a very good post a while back about how he feels about the AMA. Wish I could find his post and link it to this one.
It would open a few eyes about the AMA and their insurance.

BobW55 · Apr 20, 2018

I am a AMA member.
Yes your membership provides insurance, but this is only when you fly at an AMA sponsored field, or an AMA sponsored event. If you are flying from your back yard and crash into your neighbors house you are not covered.
AMA insurance DOES NOT cover commercial insurance needed by PART 107.
There are many AMA sanctioned fields around, I do most of my flying ( H and Fixed wing) there. Like DOOM said, gets boring for doing video- photography, but I have fun trying to do air to air filming. It was thanks to the AMA that the FAA registration got relaxed for a bit.
The AMA is not perfect, but they really have model flying at their best interest. While local law enforcement is very slow to grasp the "DRONE" laws and such, flashing them an AMA card can help settle the argument that you know what you are doing. When I was checking on Drone insurance for commercial work, ( I think it was state farm) one of the carriers wanted you to be an AMA member.
All that said, if you just fly out at your own big farm field, joining the AMA probably would not benefit you much. But if you regularly fly at parks or other recreational areas, having an AMA card may not be a bad thing.
This is the same discussion gun owners have about the NRA in the USA.
My personal opinion, the AMA does us more good than harm.
I still feel the AMA,/FAA need to better define a drone vs a Radio Controlled Aircraft. My ranger (with an autopilot) can loiter for hours on the right setup. while it can not hover, it can fly autonomous, yet it is considered an RC aircraft not a DRONE.

Jagerbomb52 · Apr 20, 2018

BobW55 said:
I am a AMA member.
Yes your membership provides insurance, but this is only when you fly at an AMA sponsored field, or an AMA sponsored event. If you are flying from your back yard and crash into your neighbors house you are not covered.
AMA insurance DOES NOT cover commercial insurance needed by PART 107.
There are many AMA sanctioned fields around, I do most of my flying ( H and Fixed wing) there. Like DOOM said, gets boring for doing video- photography, but I have fun trying to do air to air filming. It was thanks to the AMA that the FAA registration got relaxed for a bit.
The AMA is not perfect, but they really have model flying at their best interest. While local law enforcement is very slow to grasp the "DRONE" laws and such, flashing them an AMA card can help settle the argument that you know what you are doing. When I was checking on Drone insurance for commercial work, ( I think it was state farm) one of the carriers wanted you to be an AMA member.
All that said, if you just fly out at your own big farm field, joining the AMA probably would not benefit you much. But if you regularly fly at parks or other recreational areas, having an AMA card may not be a bad thing.
This is the same discussion gun owners have about the NRA in the USA.
My personal opinion, the AMA does us more good than harm.
I still feel the AMA,/FAA need to better define a drone vs a Radio Controlled Aircraft. My ranger (with an autopilot) can loiter for hours on the right setup. while it can not hover, it can fly autonomous, yet it is considered an RC aircraft not a DRONE.

They AMA now has commercial insurance
AMA Gets in on Commercial Drone Insurance Market
And I would not agree the AMA had anything to do with the relaxed registration. The fellow who got that tossed out did it all on his own. Thanks to John Taylor it was relaxed for a while and the AMA tried to take credit.

BobW55 · Apr 20, 2018

They AMA now has commercial insurance
AMA Gets in on Commercial Drone Insurance Market

Yes this is true you can purchase commercial insurance from the AMA. But it is separate from the basic insurance you receive for just being a member.
Join the AMA, a local club, it is YOUR choice. So far it is NOT a requirement.

DoomMeister · Apr 21, 2018

A point that must be taken into account is that the AMA was formed to promote safety and comradery among RC modelers. They pioneered the sport of RC piloting including multirotor aircraft. There main focus is on flying, with photography as a secondary factor.

I personally have great respect for them and their sport. If not for them, I would probably not be able to enjoy photography/videography from a multirotor craft.

Jeff@W · Apr 21, 2018

Thanks everyone for the comments. I took the three month introductory offer and am waiting for my membership card. I’ve looked at two clubs nearby and plan on contacting them this week.

RickJKelley · Apr 29, 2018

Jeff@W may I ask you what the other 2 clubs names were? I am interested in getting more involved in drone flying since my goal is to do it for preliminary surveying for a volunteer group I am in. We help with disaster relief and reconstruction as well as outright brand new building to replace the old one if the need be. I did a video of a local reconstruction to show what damage the parking lot and the landscaping suffered as well as flew over top of the single story building to inspect the roof.