Busting AMA Insurance Myths, Part 3
One of the many benefits you receive with your AMA membership is insurance coverage for your modeling activities. There is much confusion and misinformation regarding this benefit. Over the next few months, we will address some commonly asked questions to help members better understand this valuable benefit.
AMA is not an insurance company and does not "write" its own policies. We purchase the various policies and ensure that AMA members receive insurance coverage through those policies. The 2014 Insurance Summary provides an outline of these insurance benefits. You can find a copy of this summary on AMA's website at www.modelaircraft.org/files/InsuranceSummaryMembers.pdf.
Q. Will my membership dues increase if I file an insurance claim with AMA?
A. No. The insurance coverage is provided to you as a benefit and your membership dues are not based on any insurance claims you may file.
Q. Do I have insurance for my model if it accidentally crashes?
A. Unfortunately, there is no available policy that would cover the damage to your model. The only policy currently in place providing coverage for the loss of your model and related accessories, including RC equipment, is for fire, theft, or vandalism. We will review this policy and provide more detailed information in an upcoming issue of Model Aviation.
—Safety & Member Benefits Department
David Johnson 1919–2014
An AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame member and the first person to fly an RC model aircraft over the Arctic Circle has passed away. David Johnson, 94, of Hemet, California, died May 15, 2014, at his home. In his lifetime, he taught more than 100 people how to fly RC aircraft and developed a method to teach the hearing impaired how to fly.
In 1976, David fitted his RC Comanche with floats and decided to fly it over the Arctic Circle to commemorate the bicentennial. He and his wife, Dottie, drove 3,400 miles to Yellowknife, Canada, then flew in a seaplane to the Arctic Circle. The model airplane’s flight, which took place on July 12, was featured in Model Airplane News, and there is a video about the flight at the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana. According to David’s AMA History Project biography, he made an entertaining slideshow about the event, which he loved to share.
David started building balsa models in the 1930s and progressed to rubber-powered free-flight (FF) scale. He learned to fly full-scale aircraft and spent four years serving with the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. After the war, he began flying and competing in FF. In 1969, he tried flying RC aircraft and joined the Northrop Radio Control Club. David competed in the U.S. Scale Masters three times.
He spent more than 25 years teaching people how to fly model aircraft—including hearing-impaired students. He taught them by placing his hands on their shoulders and gently nudging them in the direction he wanted them to move the controls.
David was inducted into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the Waldo Award in 1992 for significant contributions to the promotion and enjoyment of miniature aircraft.
Survived by:
- Two sons
- One stepson
- Several grandchildren and great-grandchildren
David’s AMA History Project biography can be read at www.modelaircraft.org/files/JohnsonDavid.pdf.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
