BillSOCAL is right on with all of his responses to this topic. Being around AMA for a long time and being involved with his AMA District business has given him a good look at how the political part of AMA works. When I was flying controline combat airplanes years ago I was a member of the Special Interest Group ( SIG ) MACA, or Miniature Aircraft Combat Association. Just like IMPBA, they have elected officers that run their business. Dues are $15.00 a year, mostly to cover mailings, etc. I presume all of AMA's SIG's are run in a similar way. If IMPBA were to become a Special Interest Group of AMA the reality of this whole situation is that IMPBA would still have to have a Secretary to do ALL of what John Equi is doing now ( which is a VERY underpaid position, just ask my Wife ). It is hard enough to find someone to do this job at all, much less to do it as well as John is doing it. THANKS, JOHN! IMPBA members will still have to pay dues to IMPBA to cover all of the expenses we have now..................except the insurance. I don't think they will dig us a pond or find us a lake to run boats in. Jim Irwin had a guy in Muncie that was going to dig a pond on their property in the mid 1990's and they jerked us both around for a couple of years ( SEE MY EARLIER POST ON THIS ) before we said screw'em. AMA has helped the modeling community in regards to securing the frequencies we use to operate our cars, boats and airplanes. AMA was lucky to have some influence with the FCC at the time when the cell phones and other electronic gagets were booming and secured our use of the frequencies we use today. In looking out for their own concerns, they covered ours, too.
AMA is a great organization, but so is IMPBA. I don't want to see 60 years thrown under the bus because a few people are tired of looking for the right insurance. In my opinion, if IMPBA were to go as a Special Interest Group ( SIG ) with AMA ( it would NOT be a merger ), your AMA membership and your IMPBA SIG dues ( remember, we still have to have a Secretary and operating expenses to run as we do now ) would probably be at least $100 to $120 per Senior member. If someone is better with the math than me then you do the numbers, but that's what it looks like to me and it looks pretty stupid. I pay $150 each year for an APBA Racing membership to race my Stock Outboard hydroplane. Each sanctioned race we go to has to pay APBA a minimum of $2500 just for the insurance for that race. Entry fees are usually $30 or $35 per boat to race PER DAY. Each day is its own race to race for points. It can get expensive...........
I don't want to see IMPBA go away from the organization it once was and can be again. If the people running the show will take some responsibility and find the right insurance for IMPBA's needs we won't need to go to AMA to bail us out. This is not an impossible thing to do. I was in the "hot seat" once and Priscilla and I stepped up to the plate and got the job done. Raise the dues up so that the Secretary can run things and not wonder if there will be enough money to do the organization's business with. And give him a raise for what he does too, because NOBODY would do what he does for what he's being paid.............trust me, I know.............ask my wife.
Don't bail out to the AMA. The only thing they can or will offer us is insurance. You can find insurance anywhere................it just comes with a price. You just need to do a little shopping around to find the best price. We all do that with our cars and our homes, don't we? Why can't IMPBA?
Dick Tyndall