What is the future of the FTCA

[fliers1]

So, is it AMA club membership declining and not the hobby per se?

It's very hard to find a hobby shop that deals in RC airplanes anymore, and how many distributors and RC airplane manufacturers are no longer in business? Those who like to build can't find kits except for very overpriced kits on Ebay. How many flying fields that are lost to urban sprawl?

 

[tonyturley]

My LHS owner told me he hasn't sold an RC kit in years, just ARFs. RC cars seem to be big around here. I still like to build, but I don't know anyone else who does. I also fly by myself on property owned by my church. I do have AMA coverage just for peace of mind.

 

[Bricks]

My biggest complaint is AMA itself all they really are is a third party insurance company if you have any type of insurance home owner renters etc all those have to be exhausted before AMA will do anything, and then it will be a battle.

Flight Test has done more to promote the sport then AMA in the all the years they have been around. Just a little ranting opinion only.

 

[L Edge]

I'm interested in knowing where everyone is seeing a decline in the hobby in their area and how pronounced it may be.

I'm interested in knowing where everyone is seeing a decline in the hobby in their area and how pronounced it may be.

About 10 years ago:

Airfields: there were 5 flying fields within a 20 mile radius with lots of activity, now 2.
Hobby shops: 6 in a 30 mile radius, last store closed 3 months ago, citing very little business.
Trade shows: now out of existence
Pylon racing: Lack of flyers and club members to run the races in clubs.

Look at RCGroup: plans for foam planes over 3,000,000 views and go to last few pages of comments. Very few compared to the early years.

Also, with all new federal and state regulations in respect to drones(CT defines a drone as any plane that has a camera) can't fly under a bridge, over any public gathering area under 250ft and limited to 400 ft, 2 cities already ban all aircraft in all city parks. Would you start this hobby, probably not.

 

[telnar1236]

I think there are two big reasons for the decline, neither of which we can do much about (and arguably neither is even something we should try and do something about).

The big one is video games - it's cheaper to buy a flight simulator than it is to buy an RC airplane, and you can crash as many times as you want for no penalty and it's less of a time commitment to go and play a game for a bit on your computer than it is to get everything together, go to a park, fly, come home, unpack everything, and do whatever maintenance needs doing. Basically, something came along that is better in most respects for your casual hobbyist. You have to be a bit crazy to want to fly RC planes.

The other is FAA regulations. It's substantially harder to go and fly legally than it used to be and many towns ban them in most places. In this the hobby is a victim of its own success - drones got so popular that people decided to regulate them. And we do need some form of regulation even if the current regulations are ineffectual and essentially punish law abiding people without really impeding bad actors - otherwise it's only a matter of time until there really is a disaster where someone does something really bad with a drone - they're just too capable, easy to fly and easy to buy these days to expect otherwise.

 

[telnar1236]

AMA is a bit of a mixed bag - unfortunately, no other organization provides the kinds of services that they do - FTCA doesn't really provide the same kind of network of flying sites or the same level of ability to support these flying sites with local governments - I'm a member entirely because it means I can fly at a FRIA near where I live with a paved runway.
On the other hand, the AMA in many ways embodies the decline of rc flying as a hobby - clubs are frequently organized around protecting big expensive planes from getting their paint even slightly chipped which doesn't leave too much room for newer flyers or more adventurous flying. I'm lucky enough to be part of a club that takes things much easier, but the next closest one is very strict and not remotely somewhere I'd want to fly

 

[Merv]

I totally agree. The AMA has done some good for the hobby. BUT I believe they have also done a lot to hinder the hobby.

I recall a time when the AMA was very supportive of FT, they even had a booth at FF. From my point of view, it would appear, their relationship has "worn just a bit thin" over time, perhaps even grown "a bit icy". I suspect the AMA is the major reason why the FTCA doesn't do more, like provide insurance as a member benefit.

Is there a better place to get young people into the hobby then at FF?
Yet the AMA is not there.
Their absence speaks volumes.

 

[fliers1]

I totally agree: for over 22 years, AMA has known about an easy way to recruit and retain new members, has documented proof of this method, and has chosen to ignore it. They even had an AVP council member learn how to fly by this method. As a recruiting tool I used this method when I had a hobby shop, ABC Fly Before You Buy Hobby. When anyone came in I would put them on my simulator and they would be convinced to buy a complete outfit. AMA Member Creates Recruitment and Retention Method | Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation Now AMA has lost millions of dollars and had 170,000, now down to 89,000 members

 

[telnar1236]

I totally agree. The AMA has done some good for the hobby. BUT I believe they have also done a lot to hinder the hobby.

I recall a time when the AMA was very supportive of FT, they even had a booth at FF. From my point of view, it would appear, their relationship has "worn just a bit thin" over time, perhaps even grown "a bit icy". I suspect the AMA is the major reason why the FTCA doesn't do more, like provide insurance as a member benefit.

Is there a better place to get young people into the hobby that at FF?
Yet the AMA is not there.
Their absence speaks volumes.

Definitely a case of the only option in many places, rather than a good option

 

[tomlogan1]

Our field is owned by the county government. As it sits in a flood plain, nothing else makes sense to put there due to annual flooding. AMA was mandatory when a 3rd party group managed the field, but now the county manages the field ad issues permits SO AMA is not needed if you carry enough liability insurance which I do. A couple of guys in the past had some crashes in which insurance was needed but AMA paid nothing. AMA provides no value.