Why join the NAR as a casual low power sport flyer?

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So, from descriptions on YORF, it was 4" PVC powered by a 3 E cluster (who knows how many lit). If that's correct, no way was it a "Model Rocket" by definition.

For advocacy if nothing else, I'm a NAR member. I do low power only, and usually fly with a small local club. I am concerned by the limits and deductibles described, plus the fact that typical use cases don't result in good descriptions of how things work in the event of a claim.

These parts specifically:

Each Occurrence: 1 Million
Fire Damage (any one person) : 100,000
Medical Expense (any one person: 5,000
Deductible per bodily injury & property damage claim 5,000


OK, so we're covered up to a $1M limit for "Something happening"

Let's say rocket goes up, comes down pointy side down, impales leg of person watching nearby. It's not clear that it covers injuries to that non-NAR bystander.

The limit of $5000 medical expenses is laughable. Just showing up at the ER is likely at least $4k, before they actually do anything (I've been to the ER with my family for a variety of things in the last 5 years, probably 10 visits, so I know where from I speak).

So let's say they "cover" the bystander. But only $5k, and the deductible is listed as $5k, so that means no coverage at all really, as I read it. If there's more than a set of stitches or something, let's say an XRAY, an MRI, various doctor services, and a night of observation before discharge, probably ~$15-25k. If they have health insurance (presumably through their work or a private policy), that insurance company is going to come after the rocketeer who caused the accident for every penny the insurance company pays the hospital. And the person's lawyer recovering out of pocket costs of the injured person (their deductible, copay). Then there's the general liability involved (person injured misses work, needs to hire someone to look after kids, has pain and suffering, etc...). Presumably that falls within the $1M occurrence coverage, and claims would vary widely state to state.

Bottom line is that the insurance sounds helpful when negotiating with landowners for field access, but in terms of medical expenses it appears to be of limited value either by definition ($5k minus $5k deductible = $0 for medical expenses) or in practice ($5k payout likely pales compared to even a small ER visit). I hope I'm wrong and welcome those more knowledgeable than I to correct me.



You are wrong. You’re mixing coverages.
The $5000 deductible refers to the bodily injury and property damage coverage.

Medical Expense is separate and has no deductible. Your condemnation of it as “laughable” rankles me. Most medical claims fall within it.
 
Insurance is hard, and I'm not an insurance professional. My insurance coverage is pretty good, and presumably so is that from NAR and/or TRA depending on when / where / what I'm watching or launching.

In my experience when 3-4 insurance companies get involved with an incident most of the cross-talk happens without much interaction from me, as my insurer usually talks to all the others on my behalf.

YMMV, of course.
 
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The bi-monthly magazine and annual member's guide are a big plus for me regarding NAR membership. Looking forward to getting that guide soon btw.
 
You are wrong. You’re mixing coverages.
The $5000 deductible refers to the bodily injury and property damage coverage.

Medical Expense is separate and has no deductible. Your condemnation of it as “laughable” rankles me. Most medical claims fall within it.

Thanks for the clarification; I freely admit ignorance on how all this works. Didn't mean to rankle you.

I still think it would be helpful if they would post some reasonable examples of things that could happen and how exactly it would play out.
 
The deductible is high enough that most typical accidents (like dents to cars) aren't going to be covered by the insurance. The insurance is really for big accidents where there is major property damage or personal injury. Those are fortunately quite rare.

As far as I can tell, NAR and TRA insurance is vastly better than that from other similar hobbies (AMA insurance for model aircraft comes to mind) and is well worth it for peace of mind.
 
Thanks for the clarification; I freely admit ignorance on how all this works. Didn't mean to rankle you.

I still think it would be helpful if they would post some reasonable examples of things that could happen and how exactly it would play out.

I think that’s a great suggestion. I need to write my column for the Tripoli Report anyway and I’ve always been dissatisfied with the explanations of Tripoli Insurance. I’ll see what I can do.
 
I think that’s a great suggestion. I need to write my column for the Tripoli Report anyway and I’ve always been dissatisfied with the explanations of Tripoli Insurance. I’ll see what I can do.

Steve,

Perhaps running through a hypothetical incident, step by step, cost by cost, with coverage by coverage progression might be helpful.

Here is a purely hypothetical scenario to start with :

A rocket is placed on a pad by a Tripoli Member at a Tripoli launch . . . A fault in the Launch System causes the motor to ignite, as soon as the leads are hooked up . . . A Cato occurs upon ignition . . . An NAR Member and a Non-Member ( of either Organization ) are at an adjacent pad, hooking up another model . . . They are both struck by fragments, each suffering an eye injury which will require emergency surgery . . . What happens next and how does the Insurance work, step by step ? Who pays what and how much ?

Dave F.
 
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I don't know about official records but about 10 years ago a scout died due to a low power rocket hitting him and causing fatal wounds.
About 4 years or so ago. An adult, at a launch with scouts. A "Large Model Rocket" (clustered D motors IIRC), where the builder did not use a recovery system. The person killed was the builder, it hit him in the head. Gregory Eberly thinks that was funny. :(
 
See that is one of the things. I dutifully paid my dues to the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) for 30 years. They proclaimed themselves to be a 'powerful lobbying agency' looking after our interests. But along came drones which allowed virtually anyone to be able to fly, and a lot of idiots did a lot of stupid things. Next thing you know the government is requiring folks to 'register' their models and other intrusive legislation. The AMA proved to be powerless. Ruined the RC aircraft hobby for me and left a rather sour taste in my mouth!

On the other hand, if it wasn't for the NAR and TRA successfully lobbying and even going to court against BATF in the 1990s to fight regulations that would have classified rocket motors as explosives, it's possible our hobby would have died by now thanks to even more drastic and stringent regulations than we currently deal with. So, while the AMA didn't help you, your NAR and TRA dues kept and continue to be vigilant about keeping our sport from being regulated out of business.
 
This is in response to another post and so not directly on topic. I'm trying to make a point but if this is not seen as helpful, please feel free to remove this post. Bear with me and I will try to swing around to the topic as soon as possible.

See that is one of the things. I dutifully paid my dues to the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) for 30 years. They proclaimed themselves to be a 'powerful lobbying agency' looking after our interests. But along came drones which allowed virtually anyone to be able to fly, and a lot of idiots did a lot of stupid things. Next thing you know the government is requiring folks to 'register' their models and other intrusive legislation. The AMA proved to be powerless. Ruined the RC aircraft hobby for me and left a rather sour taste in my mouth!

I understand where you are coming from. I have been a member of the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) since 1975. This was right after (or during, a little foggy there) the AMA successfully helped lobby the FCC to get more radio frequencies allocated on the Citizen's Band for radio controled models on 72mhz away from the 27mhz CB channels that were getting so heavily populated back then. The AMA also has helped many clubs keep their existing fields that were endangered, or if unable to do so, offer assistance in finding and developing new flying fields. The AMA, as does NAR, sponsors competition that ultimately leads to better equipment development and support from all of the manufacturers.

The only change I have seen in the R/C hobby for me is that I had to register and need to place a readable sticker on all of my models with my ID number on it. It does not need to be large or detract from the design or color scheme and can be placed in an inconspicuous spot. It has not changed any part of the hobby for me. I do worry about all the drone "pilots" out there that might do something stupid but I can't control that so won't spend all my time worrying about it.

Being part of an organization that promotes anything, in most cases, is better than being a loner. There is safety in numbers not to mention better support and communications. I pay my dues to AMA, NAR, and TRA every year. The support and benefits I personally receive from each of these organizations may be intangeable at times. I believe each of these organizations to be important to the community that each of them serve and often it extends to more than just their own membership.
 
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