RE: Dave Browns perception
So many very good points have been made here I don't know where to start. I am glad this topic drew attention and reaction because we flyer's need to express our opinion and not just with a split S. This is the future of what we do. Kids are the future of all that will be, no matter what it is.
The one point I am trying to make is the new person needs instruction no matter what it is they want to fly. Some people may not agree but that's OK. If the new person is successful the natural progress is to nitro or high end electric. As part owner of a hobby shop I can tell you first hand we don't sell much in the way of electric. The cost for a nice flying 40 size electric cost's much more than nitro. Since we have a lot of birds flying around saying cheap, cheap, cheap nitro is the way most go. We only sell aero-modeling products and we do very well.
Another point is, AMA does already spend millions of dollars in advertising. The cost of putting out a magazine alone is in the millions but who are the one's that get this magazine exclusively? Just AMA member's. Has anyone seen this magazine at your local news stand? I haven't but that doesn't mean it's not out there, I just haven't seen it. Remember a couple of years ago AMA sent out a bunch of DVD's? I wonder what that cost to do that? I also wonder whatever happened to that? All that being said, all these effort's and dollars are being spend on those of us that already fly. What about those that don't? There not even being contemplated for what could be a target market. You would be surprised at what the target market could be. I have found that everyone that passes by and those that stop in are the target market. I Do this daily. There are many way's for the AMA to get free advertisement as a non for profit organization. AMA clubs in every area can do this. I did this for our club and we have been on the radio, newspaper and TV and we did this for free. We sent Dave Mathewson a copy of the television show we did so he could see how this can be done for free. It just takes a little initiative that the AMA district associate vice presidents are not doing. There is a ball being dropped somewhere and I believe it starts with the AMA. Promotion can be a lovely thing especially when it's free. But as AMA say's, we are all the AMA so take that as you may.
Instructor's are the key to this whole situation. We get people flying successfully, that have never flown before in an extremely short period of time and we don't sell them parts for there broken plane, we sell them there next plane in about a month because the want to upgrade from there trainer that they fly around successfully and is not smashed, not smashed!!! We have them hooked for life from there. And we do this daily. We don't charge them for lesson's but those that don't have the time to come out on beginner night and wait in line are more than happy to pay. So yes we do charge but yes we do teach for free. Needless to say we had to extend training night from once a week to twice a week and we are jammed pack each night.
As far as Texas is concerned, I heard God lives in Texas, lol. Remember we may be D... Yankee's but you are North of South America. I have been to Texas it is a very nice place to visit. The only bad thing I can think of about Texas is G.W.B. This d... Yankee will never move from the Big Apple. I don't want to be anywhere else. Some of my friends are from Texas. They moved up here permanently. Hmm go figure. But as they have told me since I drive a big V-8 Camaro when gas is almost $3.00 a gallon and I live in a rural area and listen to Johnny Cash, I might be a redneck.
Happy landing,
The Doc.