Money Matters 2015/03

The AMA Expo was held in January in Ontario, California. This was my second year to attend, and it was great to meet members from the West Coast. Of course, Southern California weather sure beat the 17° I was greeted with when I returned home and tried to start my diesel!
It appears that 2015 is definitely the year of the drones. The Consumer Electronics Show, held a week before the AMA Expo, was full of multirotors aimed at consumers who want the latest and greatest. There were many multirotors marketed at the Expo as well. This influx has created significant challenges and a few opportunities for the AMA.
The challenges have certainly been well documented in the media. It seems that every time you turn on the news or look at a newspaper, someone has flown a drone where it should not be flown. This has caused a lot of problems for the modeling community because we are lumped in with these people.
The financial cost to the AMA has been significant. We have already spent more than $1 million on government relations. It sometimes feels as though we’re trying to hold back the tide with a broom, but we are making progress.
The National Parks Service has banned drones in its parks, but some of these same national parks are home to active AMA clubs. These fields have not only remained intact, but many of the parks have indicated that they want more clubs. Responsible modeling is wanted; irresponsible droning is not.
AMA has challenged FAA’s latest interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. It is still in the courts, but we hope to eventually reach a positive agreement. Several AMA clubs are located near large airports. We have worked with the local FAA and airport to keep these clubs open and active.
The next challenge is in public opinion and the media. If it bleeds, it leads, and the media is quick to jump on any drone incident. It is hard to fight against sensationalized news stories.
No matter how much money we raise for the Wounded Warrior Project on National Model Aviation Day or how much money is raised for local charities at fun-flys throughout the year, we will never receive the same amount of coverage. At best, it will be a quick piece at the end of the news or a 2-inch blurb deep in a newspaper.
A full blown marketing campaign would cost millions. Most people remember the iconic Got Milk advertising campaign that ran for more than 20 years. In its first year (1994), $37.9 million was spent on the campaign. The ads were effective, but AMA is a tad short of the money to finance such a campaign. What we have done is hired a PR firm: CLS Strategies.
As I am writing this, we are three weeks into the relationship and are already starting to see results with the Know Before You Fly program. This campaign was just launched. Take the time to look at it. Many new drone owners do dangerous things only because they don’t know any better.
AMA is also actively seeking a full-time public relations/media person. This person will have numerous contacts with national media outlets to help get us in front of the cameras and share our message.
AMA’s last challenge is education. This is an area in which the AMA excels. An educated drone user poses no threat to the modeling community. If these people act responsibly and within our safety guidelines, then they are the same as any other modeler. Education is the key to a long-term solution.
There will always be a group of drone owners who have no desire to be responsible, because they simply don’t care. As Ron White so eloquently stated, “You can’t fix stupid,” but we can reach out to the rest.
Some feel that AMA is interested in the drone users so that we can “collect a quick buck.” That’s right, because it costs much less and takes less time to educate someone to be responsible than it costs to fight the negative publicity created by an uneducated person who never knew where to go to find the answers. As the leader of the modeling community, it is AMA’s duty to embrace and educate these new users.
Thousands of people are currently being introduced to modeling via drones. Anyone who has ever flown one knows that it does not take long to become bored flying a multirotor. If these people become members, they will be taught how to be safe and responsible operators. They will also be exposed to all aspects of aeromodeling through Model Aviation.
DJI reported more than $130 million in sales last year. This indicates the many people who could be converted to all aspects of model aviation. Where education is the key to a long-term solution, embracing and converting the new user is the key to long-term growth.