A pirate's life

I understand your opinion and I once was an AMA member for the same reasons. Bit I think you miss understood my post above, I was muscled off of public city park land, not an airfield, not an AMA club, but a public park. By a local AMA club. They have no business dictating what I do on my public land, I am a taxpayer. I have since written a letter to the city about this incident and they are now aware of the AMA's behavior.
Log In to reply

This was on public land, land the AMA does not own, control or dictate. Public land, is land that I the taxpayer, have access to freely use as if it's my own because it is. This happened on public land with rules allowing RC flight. Would you like me to approach you on public property and point out all the imaginary club "rules" you are violating? The other "unsafe" footage you site isn't even at that said location, this video was shot over 5 locations spread out of hundreds of miles, some safe some not, but I will make that determination, I was the pilot there at the time. It's sort of ballsy to be telling people what they can and cannot do, on public property. It also ballsy to tell them what they are doing is unsafe when you were not there or lack experience to do it yourself. Try treating someone like this in east L.A. Or off Hagenburger in Oakland ...see how far that gets you, see how free this country can be when it's pushed by bullies...This isn't about the AMA's rules or anything related to RC flight, it has more to do with basic human interaction and respect. If the AMA clubs and members can't even kept their mouth shut where it doesn't even belong, I can imagine how nazi they are on their own fields...I called it muscled off the field because I felt intimidated, outnumbered and bullied. And I stand behind that statement and my feelings. If you would like to call me disingenuous, by all means go ahead and be that guy...Also, people like you! The AMA fanbois that keep defending the obviously bone head actions by these fools is becoming transparent and tried some. Are they paying you to come in here and defend them or do you hold some position in a local club? You are honestly going to sit there and defend someone who is representing the AMA and bullying pilots on public property? Whether you are in the AMA or not, why would you defend that? Unless maybe you were that guy huh? Are you in the Diablo Valley Soaring Society yourself? That's who these nice gentlemen were and they specifically stated they were representing the AMA and they were strongly urging me to join while trying to kick me off a public field...all the while, they were setting up to fly giant fiberglass gliders, most of the time in, excess of 400 feet....
Log In to reply

I think you misunderstood still. This isn't a RC airplane field, it's a city sports park with multiple users, include dog walkers, joggers, baseball diamond with lights, multiple soccer fields and a nice brown field as a buffer (where I was flying). This was just another city sports park, not an AMA park, not a public park with an AMA field on it, not a city park that even requires AMA to use. Just a regular old city sports park. I will completely agree with you that they were trying to be gentlemen, and that is reflected in the brief part of the recording I did share. But the very act, and the fact that they had to try and restrain themselves into being gentlemen points to my point. They should have never approached me like that at all, rudely, nicely or otherwise. The very act itself is insulting and over the line. They could have walked over and said "hey that's cool, what you doing" But instead they choose to try and tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing. It doesn't matter the subject, you just don't go around in the public domain telling people what to do. Sure, they have the freedom of speech and they can say whatever they want to me, but these guys were immediately trying to paint a picture and literally strong arming me out of the park. I am not stupid. But they must have thought I was...and they obviously didn't realize the mic was on... They actually do have an agreement with the city of Pleasanton to fly in that park, AMA membership not required by the city but the club was pushing for signs to be posted saying just that. I found the agreement online. Funny thing is, in the agreement, the city specifically requested the club to keep the agreement non-public, to not advertise it and to not engage in policing the park. I recorded them doing exactly that. I also wrote a letter to the city of Pleasanton to let them know it happened.
Log In to reply