LEADER MEMBER MINUTES

[admin]

The AMA Leader Member committee has been hard at work and rolling out a new program for our club to participate in.
The program is called the Leader Member Minute. Each month, we will receive a topic that the AMA recommends we discuss for 2-3 minutes at our club meetings.
Since our club has meetings only four times per year we will be posting the topics here as well as at our meetings.

[admin]

MAY 2019
THE LEADER MEMBER MINUTE
There is still a lot of confusion about FAA registration numbers and enforcement. The following are some questions that I have received, with answers provided by Chad Budreau, AMA executive director.

(Question) What is AMA's policy on ensuring that members comply with the FAA registration rule?
(Answer) You are not FAA's enforcement agency. Your role as a club and member is to educate and encourage registration, but you should not police registration. Even law enforcement personnel are not to police registration, unless they suspect a threat, or if they are conducting an investigation. Even then, law enforcement does not have direct access to the FAA database to validate registration numbers.

(Question) If there is an incident and the club/member is sued, will AMA insurance cover the club and members, even if they did not follow the registration rule?
(Answer) We asked our legal counsel if a club could be held liable should a member not comply with the FAA registration rule. We live in a society in which anyone can sue, but our legal counsel believes that clubs could not be held accountable. In addition, the FAA would not pursue a club for a member's non-compliance in the same vein that the FAA would not penalize an airport for an individual pilot failing to renew his or her pilot's license. AMA club benefits and status are not contingent upon every member complying with the registration rule. There are some situations in which a club or CD might be asked to police/inspect registration. An example would be if a club's landowner requests that all modelers be registered. Another possible scenario would be an event held at an airport and the air traffic control tower requires inspection of registration. AMA's position is to educate and ask for compliance with the registration law, but we are not to police registration.
If you have any questions or ideas for a future Leader Member Minute, please feel free to contact me.

Scott Anderson
AMA National Leader Member Coordinator
pscottanderson@gmail.com

[admin]

NOVEMBER 2018
The AMA Government Relations team has been hard at work representing AMA in Washington, D.C. Here are some of the newest highlights to share with your club members:

* Section 349, EXEMPTION FOR LIMITED RECREATIONAL OPERATIONS OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT, will eventually replace Section 336.

* For the immediate future, AMA members are to fly as they always have under our programming.

* It might take months for Section 349 to be fully implemented. In the meantime, AMA and the FAA have created
a team to ensure that our operations can be exempted under 349. We're meeting multiple times a week and things are looking promising.
The goal is for AMA Headquarters to do the heavy lifting in implementing 349, so our clubs and members won't experience much during the transition.

* Section 349 gives AMA a more prominent role in shaping future regulations, allowing us to champion for hobbyists.

* The five-mile airport notification rings will be removed.

* Congress codified elements of our safety program into law including First Person Viewhttps://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/550.pdf.

[admin]

OCTOBER 2019
Club Recognition program
Receive cash recognition for public relations coverage/promotion of model aviation.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics encourages clubs across the country to take part in events and serve their communities in ways that will entice the public to learn more about the hobby of model aviation. Becoming a vital part of your community will help your club build its membership and inspire others, including youth. To encourage clubs to promote model aviation, the AMA offers cash incentives for positive local media coverage for a public event, public service, club announcement, or other coverage.

The program is simple. If your club has received publicity through the local media, simply submit the article, radio segment, or television clip to AMA's Public Relations department. The department will review your application, and reward your club's treasury based on the coverage received.
*National Model Aviation Day events do not qualify for Club Recognition and Reward grants.
Qualification rules
The club must be a current AMA chartered club.
The coverage must include the club's name and information about model aviation.
This program promotes earned media, not paid media. Ads purchased will not qualify.
Event coverage will only be recognized if the event is open to the public.
Clubs can apply several times throughout the year. Awards are based on a first-come, first-served basis. When the allotted budget for the year is reached, awards will be discontinued for the year.
Clubs can be awarded a maximum of $175 per year.
Awards are based on the type of media coverage, not the frequency of coverage. For instance, two $50 awards will not be given for coverage in two different newspapers.
How cash awards are determined

Awards are based on the type of media coverage received. Newspaper coverage will receive $50; radio coverage will receive $100; and television coverage will receive $150. If coverage is published in more than one media outlet, the recipient will receive the highest payout award. For example, if a club is featured in the local newspaper, in a radio interview, and on television, it would receive $150 as long as the other qualification rules are followed.

*Note: If a club has already received an award for the year, it may not receive the full award amount. Clubs can only receive a maximum of $175 per year, no exceptions.
Receive an extra $25
Clubs can receive up to $25 for one of the following:

The coverage includes the words "Academy of Model Aeronautics" spelled out in the piece.
The event receiving recognition is a club fundraiser held to benefit a community organization.
*Note: Only $25 can be earned in bonus cash. Bonus cash will only be given if the club has not exceeded the $175 maximum per club, per year.

How to apply for the Club Recognition and Reward Program
To apply, please complete the Club Recognition and Reward grant application. Submit the form and verification of the publicity received by either including the original newspaper or magazine article, or tape, CD, or DVD of the radio airing or television broadcast. The application allows for these items to be sent electronically, but all items must be received before an award will be granted. The club is responsible for submitting this information.

AMA's public relations department will alert the club if an application is received in the mail and no electronic verification of coverage is received electronically when this option is chosen on the application. Applications may be submitted electronically, but the club is responsible for checking with the public relations department to make sure everything was received.

Questions
If you have additional questions, please contact Mandee Mikulski, AMA Foundation director of development, at (765) 287-1256, extension 277 ,or via email, mandeem@modelaircraft.org.

[admin]

You all are needed now to save our hobby. If you don’t help now, we could lose our privilege to fly!

I’m sure you are aware of the FAA notice that was released at the end of December proposing to regulate and severely handicap our ability to fly our model airplanes. The AMA is doing everything in its power to direct and help create those rules to protect us from government overreach.

The FAA has to hear the views, opinions, and comments of the public before the rules are implemented and everyone’s voice does count. Dispelling misinformation and unique comments are preferred, but the opinions expressed through a form letter is important in letting the FAA know how many people think there is a problem and the proposal needs to be changed.

You certainly can write your own unique letter with information and data the FAA needs such as explaining how the proposed regulations would be cost prohibitive. Suppose you have 100 airplanes and each model has to be registered individually at a cost of $5 each, totaling $500. You would likely have to give up the hobby.

The comment period will be closing soon so time is of the essence. Don’t wait! Act now and get everyone you know to submit a comment. Don’t just sit back and think the other guy will do it. If you don’t act, model aviation will be changed forever.

AMA has created templates for you to easily submit comments, alter the templates with your own information, or inspire you to write your own response. Go to the website listed below and choose one of the template letters. Copy the text of the letter and at the bottom of the letter is the link to the Federal Register comment form. Paste the letter in the comment box, fill in your name and answer several other required questions, and click on Submit. You can return to the AMA page and choose another template to submit another comment.

http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov ... al-comment

All comments are considered and all matter. Contact our Government Affairs team at (765) 287-1256 or amagov@modelaircraft.org with any additional questions or concerns. The latest information can be found at MODELAIRCRAFT.ORG/GOV, in Model Aviation, and on social media.