82 M ODEL AVIATION
A subjeCt I’ve mentioned many
times—but never really delved into—is
clubs! Let’s spend some time identifying
the “whys” and “wherefores” of this
interesting aspect of AMA.
At the time this was written (November
2000), there were approximately 2,564 clubs
and chapters chartered with AMA. They
range in size from the minimum number
required to charter (five) to more than 400
members (such as the Arvada Associated
Modelers in Colorado). Somewhere in
between lies the “average” club.
I researched this subject by asking
AMA Club Administrator Lois Pierce what
the average number of members in a club
is—we settled on 30.
How scientific was the research? Lois
searched her memory and visualized the club
papers sent in; I relied solely on my experience.
An honest answer may be that we guessed!
Using the number suggested (guessed!)
yields a figure of a little more than half the
total AMA membership (165,000) for club
membership. That probably isn’t correct,
because some individuals are members of
more than one club. It seems safe to say that
approximately half of AMA’s membership
belongs to one or more clubs.
Some individuals are not enamored with the
concept of belonging to a club. Sometimes past
experiences feed this feeling; other times it’s
because a person is not a joiner. It’s also true that
in more remote areas, there may not be enough
activity to warrant the creation of a club.
As a newcomer, you will probably be a
little curious about clubs. I recommend
you check in with an AMA chartered club;
the reasons are straightforward.
You can receive help and get started by
learning techniques and equipment selection.
The club often has an instruction program that
will help you learn to fly. You almost always
have an experienced modeler willing to
answer your questions and concerns.
Flying sites are more often than not
“attached” to a club, either because the club
owns or leases the property, or the club is
given the authority by a public entity to
operate the site. If the club is AMA chartered,
you can be more certain that those flying with
you—and the club and site owner—are
protected with liability insurance.
Clubs often provide a variety of
events beyond flying, such as swap
shops, social gatherings, demonstrations,
etc. They tend to provide a more
structured flying-site atmosphere.
Clubs not only come in a variety of
sizes, but also in a variety of “political”
configurations.
In the simplest form, some clubs are little
more than a loose collection of individuals.
These groups may not have formal meetings
or much structure, but they provide vehicles
for maintaining a flying site and the
important liability coverage.
You may not find formal programs of
flight instruction, but individuals can be
called upon to help you. The responsibility
of seeking them out will be yours.
The largest percentage of AMA clubs fit
into a middle-ground area. They have
monthly meetings, formal bylaws, elected
officers, and a variety of events and programs.
Look for meaningful demonstrations of
techniques during the meetings. Even if these
are short, simple explanations of materials and
techniques, they can be very helpful.
These clubs often run balanced meetings
of short business sessions, informational
presentations, show-and-tells, etc. Films or
videos are often used. Generally, these clubs
will publish a monthly newsletter.
A third level is the larger membership group.
These clubs are often operated in a high
businesslike fashion. Various committees
manage the affairs of the group, and in order to
keep business matters brief during meetings,
employ a board of directors to oversee activities.
In many cases, these clubs derive income
from one or more major events held during
the year. The club may require participation
in these events as part of the membership,
but is able to provide higher levels of help.
These three levels are generally defined
here, but there are many subsets. You may
find clubs that limit membership in some
fashion or another, such as a club associated
with a large corporation and flying on
company property.
Because of field constraints or siteowner
desires, sometimes a club will
maintain a cap on the number of members
allowed. Some clubs evolve from a single
individual’s interest or a commercial
operation (such as a hobby shop).
The governing of the group may be akin
to a benevolent dictatorship rather than a
democracy. This may be the result of the
flying site being operated on property
owned by the group.
However, don’t dismiss these groups as
unacceptable! If handled properly, there is
much less hassle dealing with this leadership
than trying to deal with normal club politics.
Dues structures vary widely. They are
generally based on the expenses necessary
to maintain the site and/or activities. An
initiation fee may exist for your first year’s
membership. In some cases, a current
member must sponsor you for membership.
AMA considers the club an autonomous
group. Although AMA can provide
guidance in setting up the mechanics of the
club structure, it is not directly involved.
At times, individual clubs have requested
that AMA mandate rules for them, in an
effort to break political logjams. This is not
done, but AMA has utilized the district vice
presidents or other personnel to mediate
differences of opinion.
Concerns may cover a broad range of
subjects, such as frequency-sharing plans
between closely-spaced sites, use of
alcoholic beverages, etc.
Being part of AMA’s chartered club
program helps provide extra levels of
liability protection. This is valuable to the
club in general, and to the officers and
flying-site owner specifically.
The knowledge that the directors and
officers are afforded a primary level of
protection above their individual secondary
coverage is comforting for everyone
involved.
shopping around for a club is easy.
Contact a local hobby shop; more often
than not, it maintains a bulletin board with
names and addresses of individuals involved
with the clubs in your area. It may even
have application forms and handouts telling
how to get to the flying site and when and
where the club meets.
Remember that AMA chartered clubs
require you to be an AMA member!
Some hobby shops are part of an
AMA program called the Hobby Shop
Pilot’s Program. These shops are
members of the National Retail Hobby
Stores Association (NRHSA). You can
sign up if you are a new AMA member
(no renewals). You can also download
the application from the AMA Web site
(www.modelaircraft.org).
Bob Underwood
N e w c o m e r s
32 Hollandbush Ct., St. Charles MO 63376
… clubs are a
positive influence
and they
often provide
valuable services …
Another way to gain information about
clubs is to contact Lois Pierce in the
Membership Department at AMA
headquarters ([765] 287-1256, ext. 291).
You will be provided with a listing of the
clubs in your district, then you can locate
clubs in your immediate area. The listings
are by state, with cities in alphabetical order.
Go through the entire state listing; a
club contact in a large metropolitan
area may live in a smaller surrounding
city or vice versa. A contact for a club
flying at a site in St. Charles MO may
actually live in St. Louis.
Seek out one or more clubs in your
area. Spend some time with the members
at the meetings and at the flying site.
There are some real advantages to being
able to “speak models” with others who
have common interests.
Far more often than we would like,
model airplane clubs suffer from divisive
political overtones. They are a microseism
of humanity, subject to the same ego trips,
mistakes, etc., as in other bodies.
By and large, clubs are a positive
influence and they often provide valuable
services—not only to their members, but
to the community as well.
Following are a few “laws” relating to
clubs that I penned a decade ago, while
serving as the AMA Technical Director.
• All clubs are subject to the 10% theory.
This states that 10% of any group will
be… Fill in the blank with any word you
want as far as group dynamics are
concerned, and it will be true. Try words
such as helpers, workers, complainers, etc.
• All clubs have at least one self-styled
“expert” who knows about every subject,
and is ready at a moment’s notice to share
this information—whether it’s correct or
not! Some clubs have two experts. They
may be identified by the small group of
individuals who cluster around them at
club meetings or at the field.
No club has three experts! If a third
springs forth, one of the original two
will move down the street and start a
new club!
• All clubs subscribe to the seven-year-itch
syndrome. Clubs will peak with a high
level of interest, then gradually decline
until someone scratches the group the
seventh year and the cycle starts over.
• Most clubs are like Sunday school
classes; they reach an optimum size,
usually close to 100 members, then level
off in membership growth. If you take 10
of the members and start a new club,
within a few years you will have two
clubs with 100 members.
• All so-called “club laws” are inaccurate,
and cannot be relied upon as factual.
Cheers! Find a club, and have fun! MA
April 2001 83
