> hi! i see your always ragging the AMA,so what do you do for 
 > insurance?bty...i
 > fly with the old lip-flappen,allways right-never wrong,i can do it better
 > i
 > was your age roger and dole!(ask dole about c/l flying) kevin dixion is 
 > trying
 > to theach me how to fly and i'm doing ok..do you fly gliders? slope? i lo
 > r/c! bye! 
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 >                                                                          
 >
     Since you ask, I fly Sport Flyers.  Annual dues is less than AMA and I 
believe the insurance is better.  The total amount of coverage is the same 
for both AMA and SFA and, there is a $250.00 deductable for both.  The real 
difference is that AMA itself picks up the first $250,000.00 of the claim 
and then the REAL insurance company steps in.  With SFA the whole thing is 
covered by an insurance company.
     The problem with the AMA plan is AMA limits themselves to how much they
will pay out total in any given year.  I think the current limit is 
1,000,000.00  This means that should the worse happen, four claims of 
$250,000.00 or more could leave claiment #5 up the proverbial creek without 
the proper means of survival.  Now, how many modelers do you know who could 
suddenly come up with $250,000.00?
     So far, AMA has been lucky and never had a claim that even came close 
to doing this.  But the question is, with the amount of coverage we now 
have, we have made ourselves targets for some big law suits in the event of 
accidents.  And with the legal climate of today where a little old lady can 
make McDonalds pay for her stupidity!!  I think it is only a matter of time 
before the wrong person is offended by this hobby and takes it to task.  For
BIG BUCKS!
     In addition to this, AMA itself has stated that where both AMA and SFA 
are present, SFA pays first and AMA pays last.  That is the key, AMA pays 
last after all other maens of coverage is EXHAUSTED.  This includes your 
homeowners if you have it.                                                  
     For years we had no choice.  If we wanted to be insured we had to have 
AMA.  SFA gave modelers a choice but, AMA at first started to make it hard 
for any clubs and modelers who wanted both.  Then this court battle between 
the two started.  AMA got the court to place a gag order on things so now 
nobody knows what is going on.  AMA is afraid of loosing control, members, 
and money.  Really the money is the key.  AMA NEEDS the 7 million or so of 
annual dues.  For what I don't know.  I do know this though.  Since the 
start of SFA, about 7 years ago, AMA has lost roughly 25% of it's 
membership.  SFA has already helped several clubs PURCHASE their own flying 
sites while it took AMA 50+ years to get Muncie.
     I could go on and on but the bottom line is this.  If you want to 
compete, you have to be AMA.  They are designated by the government as the 
rule maker for competition.  Many clubs out there also require that you be 
AMA to fly with them.  More and more clubs are allowing you to go both ways.
So, if your interest is just to have fun and fly at the local club!  
Assuming they allow it, SFA is a good choice.  The coverage is better and 
cost less.  And from what I've seen the SFA cares more about the individual 
club than AMA does.
     What do I fly?  I do a little glider guiding from time to time but 
mostly I sport fly stand off scale.  My planes have to look like a real one 
though I do keep a generic trainer type on hand for testing and basic "I 
don't care if I crash" type flying.
     Stick with Roger and the gang.  There's a lot of knowledge locked up in
those grey heads.  You'll be surprised at how much they are willing to teach
you and pass on to you.  This hobby is more than just flying models.  It is 
the history of aviation itself.  Everything that ever flew and is flying 
started as a model in some way.  Enjoy!
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