The Toolman

Our out house has a big enough hole under it to last for many a year yet. Even when gas was $4 gal it only took about $5 worth to mow the place. If ya notice in the pic back aways we just mow part of the lot, the rest of it is hayed a coupla times per year. Yep, we got everything we need right here but people to fly planes.

Our little pit lean-to is 30 by 12 with a nice tight roof an a back wall. Has a pebble rock floor higher than the ground by about 4 incjes so ya never get yer feet wet if it rains an plenty of work benches also. oh yeah, we always got a nice southwest breeze coming thru the pit bldg. The runway is due east-west.

WE are not the picky type either to tell ya you hafta do this or that unless its just really, really unsafe.

dbcisco

The clubs in my area range from $25 to $100 per year if you need (or want) to join one.

The Toolman

I'm outta here for awhile, goin' back to the tractor forums for a bit......


Ron

rigrandy1959

All the more reason to keep our feild on privite land and anyone that can show they can fly has full us of the feild.. many of us will take the new guy in and show him or her the roaps.. we not require or want AMA involved. with our feild.. we number 85 now, and more young men & woman comeing every week end.. we have building groups. that a lot of the retired guys teach and keep them under their wing...but hey it works for us.. lots of family and good food & drink and different types of aircraft...friend ship at it's best.. we charge no fee.. everyone helps keep the gounds up. and the lady bring loads of great food...it's all about giveing . no takeing... and donate what you can for the cause... fuel. parts.. airframes no longer needed..

Randall Robertson
Pirate R/C
south eastern North Carolina

Longbaskt

My Feedback: (5)

Sorry, I thought you were replying to why the AMA is not growing... not a flying technique. BTW... after reading about how you teach.... GOOD JOB... that addresses something that the buddy-box doesn't. I'm glad that's working for you. I've done the struggle over the box approach and the buddy box... next time out, I'll try your technique. Thanks.

nachman4859

My Feedback: (3)

[&o] I Think The posters are missing the forest because of the trees ... The AMA is Losing membership and the average age of the members is going up because.... A new generation is coming in.. and it is weened on the computer. The attitude is different... It is not run an event , or membership drive , or lower the price... you all dont get it. I realized this one day When I was in front of some kids Showing my plane... and all of a sudden... I lost my audience, I realized... it.. and it has a word (The internet, xbox, textmessaging kid) our future [:@].. has no interest in our sport [:'(] ... when you are weened on cell, text, highspeed inter-networked gaming.. who would rather text message each other (in the same car) ... instead of communicating .. out loud ..It is going to be a tall hill to climb... the closest interest I got, Was the new Simulators.. YES you know which ones (the ones that shoot)... But instead of training thease kids ..thats all they want to play ... I asked dont you want to go outside in the sun and fly the real thing ???? You would have thought I was asking them to do chores or clean their room... I got the question that really ticked me off [X(]... When Is the better Simulator Coming OUT??? If that doesent tell you why .... the AMA is losing members... I cant explain it any better.. Nachman -AMA 30 years in RC

dbcisco

We are all giving our opinions on the "why". He brings up how the AMA is not interested in new techniques and innovations.

dbcisco

I didn't do anything in the way of modeling between 18 and 40 years old without electronic gadgets to blame. I was too busy hang-gliding, working on real aircraft, drag racing, playing in bands and going to college.
The "kids are lazy computer game players" line is about as real as when many of our parents believed that our generation were are all TV addicts or pot-heads. Bunch of baseless stereotyping.

theriddler33872

well i'll agree to disagree i think alot of parents now-a-days don't show there kids the ways of ol' my boy well be 19 this year going into the navy why because his dad (yes thats me ...i hope) served in the marine corps. i was involved with him through out school and his life, maybe true i owned my own business and i could make time but i was also divorced from his mom since he was 1, parents don't get involved much anymore the video game is the babysitter........sad but true parents would rather have a child then turn them over to someone else to raise and if your not that kind of parent and your at least trying to get him or her involved pat yourself on the back your doing more then most .

as the"oldhats" die off thats the decline and yes nachman4859 your i'd say 70% right

and rigrandy1959 when i get back up that way don't forget the shine now ok i'm counting on you
your club has the right idea it's something that i've been going over and with USAMA and the land i haveback in virginia i could make it happen seeing that ya'all in N.C. are doin' good at it .

it's the attitudes and now i can see the money that some AMA'ers are putting over the heads of the newbies scaren' your future right out the door i've seen on this threadalot of reasons why there is a decline in membership and not alot of good ways to reverse it.
i throw some ideas out there and the AMA'ers don't like them i maybe a non-AMA'er but heck at least i'm trying along with a few and i mean a few of the AMA'ers for such a big strong organization ya'all really ain't working to help yourselfs much less the few non-AMA people that would like to get involved but are getting slapped at the club level .

ask me the AMA well continue to decline and well be gone in the next 10 years if it's members don't get off that high horse thier riding .

nachman4859

My Feedback: (3)

[&o] Dbcisco, I never said anything about lazy or implied a stereotype.. Only that, The average kid 18years old and younger ...is a lot less interested, in learning to build and take instruction from us old farts ( ME!.. ) Im not stereotyping the Older rc'ers.. mind you.. This is what they like... Ive got teenagers ... Im raising some... Ive got some gorgeous rc airplanes ...cars ,even a helicopter, Does my son have any interest at all in them ....NO! .. He tells me (18 year old) there is no reset button on the real thing... I dont want to break one., I Tell him If you want to make an Omlet you have to break a few eggs [] (Planes) I said... He has a point there . I guess im the gambler in the family , Im wiling to spend , work and fly (risk) my creations without a second thought, ... I guess im a little crazy that way... but then arent we all... [&:] ... Nachman I Love the AMA! Ill be a member till im dead.. or run out of cash whichever comes first....

rrudytoo

My Feedback: (27)

All I can say is that I've been in this hobby since 1985 and I joined the AMA that same year. Each of those years has given me some wonderful memories and even more wonderful friends. But..............

Last year was hard on a lot of us and the radio control hobby took a hit. One only needs to reflect back to the fire sales on RCU and eBay with guys like me selling their stuff for a fraction of the original cost. Why? Survival. Jobs went away and expenses remained. When the choice comes down to food or fuel, especially if a family is involved, the answer is a no-brainer.

The last thing I wanted to do was to sell things I spent years acquiring, dreaming of completing and flying one day but reality is what it is. After losing my Yellow P-47 that I had sunk a few grand into and a year's efforts, I had to reconsider my priorities. I sold off a bunch of stuff but held onto a couple of planes, a few plans and my radio gear for when things improved. They didn't improve and I lost a recently completed Uravitch OV-10 Bronco that was on its sixth flight. That was it.

Why isn't the AMA growing? Has anyone looked at the time frame to see if the economic situation of 2009 made a dent in AMA membership? I'm sorry, very sorry, to say that I won't be renewing my membership at the end of this year and it won't be for any dissatifaction with the AMA but for purely economic reasons.

I am grateful to the AMA for the splendid work they've done and I wish them the best. Enjoy this wonderful hobby!

Al

fireman350

May Be I got the odd ball computer addict kid but my 9 year old neighbor cant find anything better to do than help me build or watch me fly "little fingers can be a big help sometimes" early in april I bought a pair of guillows 95 cubs the easy build stick builds we all started with and I taught as I build side by side with him he built his and I built mine I promised him if he stuck with it I'd buy him a airplane for his birthday last month we wound or rubber bands for the first time and let em go and after a little twisting tweaking and explaining why we had 2 nice freeflight aircraft we build its the third of the same in my collection . Yesterday was his birthday and true to my word I bought him a flyzone playmate and I spent 3 hours tonight teaching charging and flying and I think this kid is hooked no give me a good reason to bring him into the AMA fold and I will might even rejoin myself with a good enough reason

littlecrankshaf

My Feedback: (58)

Would like to learn more about your club...sounds like an awesome club. Does your club have a website?

dbcisco

I can only go by our students. Most are great kids but there are a few goofy ones. Same goes for the adults I know.
The only reason I got into aeronautics was 90% of my relatives and neighbors worked in the industry.

fliers1

I'm sorry you aren't able to connect the dots. Yes, I was indeed replying to why AMA is not growing. I was giving the main cause and a workable solution. If giving flight instruction was much easier, more people would want to do it. The reason AMA is not growing, is because there aren't enough ready, willing and able flight instructors. Using the buddy-box is very stressful and creates a long and drawn out learning curve. The quicker you learn to fly, the quicker another instructor can be created.

This method is also very useful giving hands-on fly before you buy promoting. Every 5 minutes I can convince another person to join AMA. Even those who at first proclaim they have no interest in flying or say they won't get into the hobby/sport because they are afraid of crashing. As I've said, I've been extremely successful doing this for several decades.

Instead of simply complaining about something no one can do anything about, such as today's instant gratification society, kids who would rather play video games, etc. I am offering a real solution, since we cannot change human nature.

BTW, I am glad you plan on trying my method, but keep in mind, I've been perfecting this method for over 40 years, so don't expect to learn it right away just from reading instructions. Although there is enought information there to help you learn something very useful.

Fliers1

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

That defines what a true club really is [8D] A group working together for a common goal...a team. Can you move that field to VA near me?

theriddler33872

when you look at this as a whole and as i've said when it comes down to the economy free don't hurt anyone it's sad to think that some clubs need to charge $100 or more, i am wondering though and just off the cuff any club ever just give back to each other, not the community thing a member down on his luck somewhere someone must have had there club step in and give back to a member ?
i've been in clubs (not RC related) were the dues were $0.00 and if a member fell on to hard times we as the club would step in and help that person out .it's human nature to want to help.
i'm just wondering i'm trying to hear about something positive besides insurance, magazine and flying at a field i know there's got to be a club out there that has dropped everything to help ...........

or is the decline in the AMA the only thing there members worry about ........................

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I recently visited a man and he said his daughter had sent 40,000 text messages! YES, 40,000, and people think kids today are doing OK? I think some adults are in denial here in a big way.

I remember when I was growing up and when we got off the school bus, we had to come in the house. We had to go to our rooms and put on our work clothes. We could grab a snack, then we had to do our evening chores. Once that was done, then we stayed outside and played until time to come in. How many kids know what outside is? And, guess what, none of us were overweight. The only overweight and obese kids were those that had medical issues and it was unavoidable.

If any of us stayed in the house, it was because we were sick with fever or something. We were told to get outside and play! No questions asked. Looking back, I am SO glad we did that. I learned so much and really grew to appreciate life. Anyone that tells me that kids living on a couch in front of a video game is learning life skills I would have to imply have missed something about their childrens' lives and are failing them as parents. That is my simply my belief.

I am not in anyway advocating that playing video games is somehow evil or wrong. It must be done in moderation, just like texting on electronic devices. They should be good tools and not abused all the while the child is missing learning life skills.

Think about this for a moment. Two days ago, I had one young lady tell me that her friend had texted so much that she had to do an English report for her class and the teacher had to fail her because she would write things like U for the word "you" and the number 4 for the word "for". She had texted so much she no longer knew how to write correctly. How many of you think this is good and acceptable? This is not as rare as you would think it might be [:@]

kamakazi

My Feedback: (1)

I've helped a lot of young guys learn to fly. But the 1st thing they have to do is show me the "want to". I always furnish the trainer plane and everything else when I teach. See if they show up after they have had their 1st lesson. If they come back and for more, you might not be wasting their time and yours. If they keep showing up after several lessons and can learn to get'em up and down without major crackups, then they are hooked. Thats when I start teaching more advanced stuff and graduate them to an Ugly Stick. The Ugly Stick is as gentle or as mean as you want it to be. After mastering the Ugly Stick I tell them to get whatever plane suits them. I've had a really good success rate using this formula. But if a student starts making excuses why he cant come for more lessons, you might as well tell him that he's wasting your time and his. He will never be in the hobby, he was just curious and after the "new" wore off, he turned his attention to something a brain dead goober could do, like riding 4 wheelers.

theriddler33872

luchnia thats exactly what i've been saying i'd like to add to your statement if you don't mind .............................. if your the parents of a child get involved guess what it's up to YOU to say enough with the phone trust me that child will not drop dead if you take there phone, computer and video games away it might just teach them a little something, i think parents today are scared of there own kids it's crazy but true.

kamakazi with a name like that you teach oh no just kidding, i teach about the same way as you i just tell them this is the time and this is the place it's up to you to figure the rest out ................................. in the last year i've turned out 3 and i hope they forgive me for sending them to the AMA .

both of thosepost like so many othersare about getting people involved in the hobby the positive side of the hobby i can't say it's all about the AMA because some of us are not members but are still helping out your cause it seems at the club level some of you should be doing what others that are not involved are doing i can't understand how you don't see how the AMA is declining when some clubs charge over $100 for membership and don't offer anything to help out the newbie it's more important to continue your lavish lifestyle without change.

p.s. i still haven't found a $500 club ????????

koastrc

Fliers1 has the best system to teach than any I have seen. Now, does what I think make any difference to anyone. Not really. Like it or not I have helped people get in this hobby/sport for years. Late sixties is when I started. Desire to help. Does that mean anything? No. If I made a statement of fact why the AMA numbers are down. Would anyone say that is not it? Sure. Perhaps some People are becoming victims. We drive on roads with bad drivers. All we can do is complain. To whom do we complain? If we didn't have the government agencies to complain to about the roads. Then who?
If we get into this hobby/sport to be happy. Then why is it that some are unhappy. How is it that something like model aviation can cause so much unhappiness? Could it be we seek happiness in the hobby/sport and it just not what we wanted or desired?
To Fliers1, Thank you for your effort. The sad truth is many in this hobby/sport, like many other things. Some will never be happy doing anything. Your desire and effort will be appreciated by most. The sad truth is there is those that will never be satisfied with you, me or anyone.

fliers1

There is one other thing that is missed as cause of AMA's membership decline. Although clubs may have many members, for some clubs, possibly a good number didn't acquire a very good skill level.
They may tend to crash a lot and finally just gave up and quit. I've found that out when I ran my training school. I'm talking hundreds of pilots all with the same story.

They were first warned that crashing is a "necessary" part of the learning process. This turned out to be a self forefilling prophecy, as their instructors turned them loose too soon, just to get rid of them.
So, they flew on their own after they earned their wing certificate and then proceeded to break things on a regular basis. Some stuck with the club for a period and some simply quit the club, AMA and the hobby/sport altogether. This took several years, in some cases, they belonged to a club for 5 to 10 years before they quit, mostly out of frustration.

Every time they crashed, they became more fearful of flying, which in turn caused them to crash more.

Fliers1

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

Excellent post! Hurrah for this one.

I still maintain that crashing IS NOT necessary and I believe can be almost completely avoided if risks are kept at a minimum by teaching with proper training pre-flight checks, flying habits, when to fly, etc. Are regular pilots tought that they will crash at some point or crashing is a necessary part of the flying process?

I have watched RC flyers that crash constantly and I have noticed that there are some fundamental things that they either forgot from their training or did not learn at all during training. A refresher course would save them many dollars and much grief.

arcticflyer

Selling the house.......and moving to that club in North Carolina

fliers1

Also, there are some fundamental things that their instructors didn't teach them, perhaps their instructors didn't even know themselves.
I was told literally hundreds of times from all those I trained that even though they may have several hundred members on their roster, only a tiny fraction of their members actually know how to fly. Say they may have 120 members, most are still in the learning stages, even though they have belonged to the club for several years.



Fliers1