rivnut13

My Feedback: (24)

Rc is not a sport. Even the national events are not a "sport" They are competitions and there is a difference. With the exception of air racing every other form of scoring rests solely on the OPINION of a JUDGE. Pattern events are judged, scale events are judged. There is no definitive way to win. A touchdown is worth 6 points, period if your team scores more touchdowns, YOU WIN.You beat everyone else around the pylons, YOU WIN. While there are GUIDELINES for the judges their score is still based on their opinion. "I think your loop was rounder than his, you win"
Sorry but I can't buy in to it. This is my hobby and I love it. But a sport? Cheerleading isn't a sport either. The players are nice to look at though.

SteveR Rambin

It's a kid at Christmas when you get your kit or ARF,

It's great satisfaction to build and cover,

It's a heartthrob to maiden,

It's a relief to land it without damage,

It's a pleasure to be with your fellow club members,

It' more than a hobby-sport.

It's great.

avidflyguy

My Feedback: (48)

definitely a hobby, my wife is always complaining about my "hobby" and how much it costs, i told her i would give up my hobby if she would give up hers, not gonna happen she says, she has an addiction to shoes and expensive handbags, so fair is fair

mountainroad

My Feedback: (18)

I say neither, Its a lifestyle!

tryingagain

Sorry but to claim that it is not a sport simply because it requires a judge is flawed. Figure skating, synchronized swimming and gymnastics are certainly sports requiring considerable athletic ability and all at the mercy of judging.

Now, a little off topic but as to the wife or woman bashing. I do feel sorry for any man so jaded towards the fairer sex. My wife has been my biggest supporter. She has encouraged my endeavours to the fullest and sacrificed many of the things she would have liked to see to it I am happy. Do we always agree, get serious. We also have sessions of what we now refer to as "Loving Confrontation", but nothing in this world has been more rewarding or worth of the effort than our relationship. When I look back over the years there are times I marvel my wife did not opt to smother me in my sleep. As we approach 30 years I can honestly say nothing, including this great hobby, (sport, recreation, therapy.... whatever) would be the same without her.

Cheers

Gord

SigMan

My Feedback: (21)

i say sport, because you better be able to move fast when im at the sticks




"I may not be able to turn a kit into a plane, but I can turn a plane into a kit... "

russ_hillis

anyone that thinks there is no physical exertion in curling has never put a broom on the ice in any sort of serious manner whatsoever. We're involved in a hobby, the only physical effort ever involved is walking to your aircraft after scattering it across the field to pick up the pieces!

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

Here is one to think about: Chess today is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee.

Man's mind can physically drench him and bring him to his knees to a place beyond what physical exertion can - even to the point of needing medical assistance. I wonder just how much the mind, eye, muscle, and hand coordination of RC flying can be exerting?

Does anyone get tired after flying all day? What if you set goals to fly complex manouvers and compete against yourself or someone else? Some go to the field to achieve higher levels of flight each time out, others don't really care. Maybe it could be defined as a sport to some and a hobby to others.

I am not sure what I consider a sport and would question some things in the definition. I think the definition of what is a sport is rather vague now and has branched away from being a physical activity.

ovationdave

My Feedback: (16)

I do agree you can feel physically exhaused from mental focus. After I get out of work after having meetings all day, I can feel completely drained. However, I have to say that most of my exhaustion after a day of flying I attribute to being out in the sun all day and the 12 trips I have to make up and down the stairs to get all of my planes from my workshop in the basement to the car, and from the car to the workshop afterwards. (back to that pile of goo thing). I think air races are a sport, operating my radio is not that exhausing (just can't buy the sport thing, at least the way I fly).

;-)

Dave

kiwibob72

While I think this is really a hobby for most of us who do not compete in actual races of judged events (the sport side of this hobby), WHY DOES IT MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT??
If you think it's a sport, good, if you consider it a hobby, lifestyle or whatever you want to call it - good!!

There is a lot of confusion that adds to this, as when flying 'sport', your just mulling around in the air as a hobbyist.
We do not get the cheap 'non-repairable entry level e-bay Chinese disposable junk' planes, we spend more and get quality gear off manufacturers the likes of H9, The World Models etc etc, as this level of equipment is normally aimed at, or sold directly to the 'true hobbyist' .... who just happens to fly 'sport'.
No wonder we can't come to a set agreement with all this contradicting going on!!! (LOL)

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

In our case it matters a lot. After having lost two other sites eighteen years ago we were coming up dry for any help in a site. It was not untill we changed our approach to city fathers which includes the municiple airport and this time presented what me do as a sport and a sport that has a viable place in the comunity, that everyting changed.

A complete about face occured and we had a choice of some wonderful sites and selected the one we have been on for eighteen. years. If we ever changed agine to calling ourselves hobbiest there are factions just waiting to kick us out, that would be a big mistake.

So whats in a name? a lot more than one would think and could affect a lot more than you think. I don,t care what we are called as long as its a sport at city hall.

John

kiwibob72

Sorry to see your local governing body is so anal that a specific classification of 'sport' make's all the difference in allowing or helping your (club ?) to fly.

Not to say we don't have park flier laws down here (must be electric foamies under 1kg and one meter wide to fly at local city parks), but up in Auckland (our largest city), there was/is a club situated out at the international airport for "hobbyist" rc aircraft, and there is one here in Christchurch where I live that I'm looking to join that's not too far (2 or so Km) from the end of the (main) runway where they just have let the tower know when someone is flying (via a quick little phone call).
I'm just glad I live in a place where community groups and clubs are encouraged. I'll grant you that the city where I live isn't that big a place (about 1/4 million or so people), and that we do have a LOT of surrounding farm land around and in the city limits, but with about 4-5+ clubs around the city, we can't be doing too bad!

Re that park flier law I mentioned, I was flying my nitro heli at an 'almost' disused park 2km from home last summer when I had the local council guys show up to clean the rubbish bins out and lock it up one night. Rather than get all upside themselves over me flying my heli in their park (as I thought they were going to as one approached me) ..... all he wanted to know was how much, how hard and where does one get a heli such as mine?? (LOL)

We don't call New Zealand "Godzone" for nothing I guess, sometime I think as Kiwi's (New Zealander's) - myself included, we tend to forget just how good we have it at times re our relaxed view on life and just having fun with it!

I'm still an "RC aircraft hobbyist" flier who uses "hobbyist" level aircraft who is generally just a "sport" flier after all said and done!! (LOL)

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

We are not in a park or are we park flyers. We have a wonderful facility built by ourselves. Our longest runway is 900 feet long by aproximately 100 feet. However we are on municiple property.

This was a simple heads up about a fact of human nature and any government and anywhere its human nature. I do find your choice to turn this into some sort of arrogant bashing of the US offensive. You have a nice day.

John

kiwibob72

WHAT? ...... Do you seriously think I have nothing better to do than spend my time "arrogant(ly) bashing" the US?.
I was merely pointing put how lucky we are locally and how I felt sorry you had to jump through hoops just to get a field approved. So on that front, why do you have to take it down that well beaten and meaningless road of the "US vs the world", as that was NEVER my intention to go down that dead end path.
I'm not going to delve any further into this point, so you have a nice day eh!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ok, back on topic

Lnewqban

How massive each sport is also determines local government decisions.

Soccer, baseball and RC flying cannot compete for the same piece of land in equal conditions.

Highly populated areas are more problematic than regions with lots of open space.

Free fliers know about that more and long time before than RCer's.

kiwibob72

I'm going to stick to my key point here in that "I'm still an 'RC aircraft hobbyist' flier who uses 'hobbyist' level aircraft who is generally just a 'sport' flier", and that it just does not matter how we personally decide to classify this past time/hobby/lifestyle/sport thing.

Regardless of what anyone has or decides to call this thing we do, be it sport or hobby etc - it is what it is - FANTASTIC!!!

With that point in mind, this is really something special in that it is something that brings all of us from around the world together on common ground (or airspace) regardless of culture, economic, religious, locational or what ever other issues we as people tend to bring up to cause a huge pointless fight and lets us get past that rubbish for the most part to just enjoy time together and have fun with life.

(and before anyone ask's, NO, I'm not a tree hugging hippy, I'm more for cutting them down as they tend ruin valuable airspace! )

MetallicaJunkie

it can be both.....for me its a hobby, for those who compete, its a sport

Gizmo-RCU

My Feedback: (27)

For some of us "Sickness" might apply?

jhatton

The IOC recognizes Air Sports as a sport, this includes Model Aircraft... That is good enough for me to call it a sport

[link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_sports#Recognized_sports]IOC Recognized Sports[/link]


[link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_sports]Air Sports[/link]

G.Barber

My Feedback: (1)

If the IOC recognizes air sports (including model aircraft) as a sport, and at sometime in the future it could be an olympic sport, then I'm on-board with that definition. It seems that whenever I put a plane in the air, I am at least competing with myself to do something better than the last time I flew.

smithcreek

My Feedback: (25)

Oh yeah, now I see it, right there after "Bridge" (yes, the card game) and before "Korfball" (some bizarre coed outdoor basketball game) and "Underwater Sports" which by the way includes "Underwater Photography."

Commentator #1: Well, it's all come down to this last shot. Truly an amazing moment in the sport of underwater photography. Wei Fung has picked up his camera and he's approaching the water. He dives in, it looks like he heading straight for the anemone with the clownfish in it.

Commentator #2: Yes Jim, that's exactly what he appears to be doing. Looks like he's chosen his Macro lens, he's really going for the gold on this shot. What's he doing? Instead of shooting from straight on he's swimming OVER the anemone. Absolutely incredible, what a master. If he can pull of this shot he'll take the gold.

Commentator #1: He points, he focuses, he adjusts his aperture, HE SHOOTS!!! Oh no! I'm not sure, but I think the clownfish may have turned away from the camera at the moment he snapped the shot!

Commentator #2: Thanks to modern technology we'll know in a few moments, not like the old days when we didn't know who won for a week while the film was being developed. Here it is. Oh no! A beautiful picture of the anemone, but all we're seeing is clown fish behind! Looks like Sergio Nikon wins again!


Yeah, I feel much better calling it a sport after seeing it on that list, you guys have converted me. I also promise never again to snicker at anyone that calls competitive eating, playing poker, a game of pool at a bar (billiard sports), and yes, CURLING, sports because I'm sure they would never snicker at me for playing with my rc toys and calling it a sport.

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

I know for me just building or flying my planes its just pure therapy! I did like and agree with minnflyer that it is a hobby building and a sport flying! We are just getting into pylon racing at our club and it is something I am thrilled about! I raced the RC cars for 20 years but have always loved airplane, My first love! but to combine both airplanes and racing, Just can not wait!

kiwibob72

LMAO at that 'smithcreak' ...... great reply with valid, yet funny points, a great way to start my day!!