It's not really a license, more of a national club membership bundled with liability insurance.
The national club part includes a magizine, scehduled national events and compitions, some guidlines and rules for self-policing, and some level of gov lobbying.
Ihe insurance part protects yourself and spectators and property in case a crash causes damage or injury, so long as you follow their general safety rules . . . some of which are common sense, some of which are mildly stupid.
what you can't do without it:
- Join a local chartered AMA club, or fly at most club feilds. Many club fields are open to "guest" pilots, so long as you have an active AMA membership and you ask first -- Great for flying while out on vacation.
- participate in sanctioned AMA events beyond a spectator . . . like FTFF, SEFF, Nall, NEAT, NATs, WoO, HHAEFI . . . you get the idea.
The liability point is of arguable value -- it's good insurance, but like most insurance, you likly will never need it.
The magazine is not bad . . . if you like that sort of thing.
The local clubs and events are the big draw -- there's a big social aspect to this hobby, if you don't care for it, you're not missing much . . . but are you sure you don't? Hanging out with a bunch of other pilots at one of these events, goofing off, building, then flying is an amazing experience well worth the annual fee, IMO.