manateemedia

Hmm... any other newbies out there ever get the feeling that experienced R/C airplane experts, Gods, etc. take things
a weee bit too seriously? Paid for a membership to a local field and after a few emails finally got a reply. They didn't want
to give me access to the field until someone came out to watch me fly. I can understand that, but it's only a slow stick. I can
even understand it if it is just a slow stick. What gets me is the attitude that I notice from SOME of these R/C Gods. I can sort
of sense a negative vibe... like the last thing they need is another newbie around. Yet there are other R/C experts that are totally
friendly, helpful, positive and encouraging about the hobby. The prez of this club makes me not want to be in it at all. I won't mention
who and where, but wonder if anyone else out there has experienced this same type of behavior.

I got in this hobby to have fun, not to be dictated to! Geez... I guess I'll just take my park flyer to a park. Would have been
nice to take it to an airfield, but what fun is it to fly at specific times while being watched like a hawk? My work schedule isn't conventional...and
sometimes I just want to take it out, fly, then come back home. Never expected such Nazi like behavior.

Anyway, just had to vent... these guys are driving me nuts!

Time to find another field... what a waste of money.

[:@][>:]

redbirdy

I can only say that this will be a long thread with a high probability of being locked.

manateemedia

lol... just had to vent

wildthing7037

You will find most people are generally quite helpful, and most people realise its the newbies which will keep the sport/hobby going into the future.
However I know sometimes it can be a little pain when there are new guys wanting to fly and ask questions when in fact you just want to fly yourself, but I never will go to the extent which you said below, and do my best to help them out. The last thing most clubs probably want is to not have newbies comming into the sport/hobby.

Cheers,

Stefan

mekanic

My Feedback: (2)

I have also ran across some guys that are just not friendly but on the whole I think most are really great and are just trying to look out for our safety. Since I have joined RCU I have gotten a lot of help from guys that has saved me a lot of work and money not to mention headaches. I don't write very much but I like to read the threads they have a lot of advise. Thanks.

Airdale CPO

My Feedback: (3)

Its to bad that you have had that kind of experience. If I may ask, did you !QUOT!preflight!QUOT! the club before you joined? I do that everywhere I go so I can get the fill of what the other pilots are like. If I don't get a response when I ask a question or if they don't invite me to fly then I don't join. I don't want to belong to a flying club where you are not a welcome flier. Heck, when I was in Florida, the club that I flew at didn't even require you to join. You just needed to have AMA. If you joined though, you got the keys to get in the gate, access to the coffee pot, etc..... They were by far the best bunch of guys (pilots) that I have ever been around. They would pretty much give you the shirt off thier back to help if you needed it.

Good luck manateemedia!

LuckyArmpit

I just joined a local club in order to fly my glow powered aircraft. Smallish club with about 25 members. I called all the officers
and spoke with them. Told them what I fly (flying all my 21 electric models) for 3 years. Most of the membership fly electric too so
there was no snubbing etc. As long as you have AMA they don't care plus, the club field marshall watched me fly my wings and helps me
with my .46 powered Arrow. I think I was welcomed because I knew electric very well (ie. batteries, motors etc.). I also visited the field
quite a few times. Prior to this, I flew by myself and I am self taught.

Dave...

Love1/4Scale

My Feedback: (26)

I ran into a similar situation not to long ago after moving to a new area. Closest field was a small strip in the middle of a field with no ammenities whatsoever. Apparently it was a small enough club that they just didnt want new members. It took two weeks to get a response by phone/email and noone was ever at the field when I drove by. After being rudely talked to by the pres. on the phone and finding out yearly dues were $150.00 plus $50.00 initiation fee, I looked elsewhere. Found another club (an additional 20 min. drive time from the house) that was a 180 degree difference. Beautiful field on top of a hill, covered picnic area with a full kitchen, clean porta-pots, electricity of course, and the nicest bunch of people you could ever meet. All for $90.00 per year. I wasnt in the area long enough to really join (didnt have anything ready to go at the time because of the move), but I visited quite a few times and went to some IMAC meets and so forth. I wont mention the sucky club but the other was The Tri-County Wing Snappers in Hamburg, PA. Just a great group of guys there.

britbrat

Give it a chance. The club (collectively) has safety & liability concerns & I'm sure that once you demonstrate that you can fly safely, things will be warmer. If not, go & find a club that is more congenial.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

People in all walks of life are different. Get too many of one type of person in the same club, and their rules can really get out of hand. I was in a club once (for a VERY short time) that was so big on everyone following the same path, that one guy was even trying to make everyone use the same "homebrew" for cleaning their planes. His actual quote at the meeting was:

"Ok, so this stuff works good, and it's cheap and easy to make. So let's not see any more of those bottles of 409 and Windex out there."

That was my last meeting with that club.

Fortunately, I have been in 5 other clubs, and all of them were outstanding. Sure, you have to put up with the occasional idiot, or Know-it-all, but that goes with any and all of life's endeavors

Davesplace80

Sorry you have had that kind of experience. I for one have started flying R/C this year, U control for a while but never in a club. Everyone that I have come across at my club has been more then helpful in every way possible. When I broke my plane I had offers to help me fix it, I even had someone offer me a new fuselage to help me get back in the air quickly. What a great bunch of guys at KRC ! From the first time I came by to visit I have felt welcome by the experts and students alike, I think it is up to the experts to create this kind of welcome while the student is in training.

One of the club rules is that ANY member has to get checked off by two trainers before they can fly. I think this is a very good way to insure the safety of everyone at the field. Drop me a line if you ever visit Pa. I would be happy to introduce you to many of our members at KRC

Dave

dicknadine

Welcome aboard to Rc flying. apparently you have never tried to join any other type of club or association. Remember PEOPLE are PEOPLE, we all have our problems. learn to play the game. its like-- whats policticaly correct today?. sometimes, even I do not agree with myself. dick

doggscube

My Feedback: (1)

That's funny, Mike. I can see him running around the field like Eliot Ness, putting axes through the barrels, er, squirt bottles of the illicit liquids!

-Jeff

manateemedia

I tried to get a feel for this place, I showed up several times when they were supposed to be around flying. I drove 10 or so miles to the field and every time nobody was there. I figured if people don't show up very often, perhaps they could simply give me the combination to the field
after I pay and I can play around with my little slow stick myself. Then, I paid and several days went by with no response at all... and the tone
of the emails didn't seem to warm as well. I finally got the combination, but I don't even think I want to bother with it. I think I'll find my own field and be a rebel! ha ha [8D]

manateemedia

$50.00 Initiation fee??? What is that I wonder? Do they make new members go through some kind of degrading experience? Maybe
they make new members dress up in a pink ballerina outfit and gas up the RC Gods planes?

manateemedia

people may be people, but people can also do simple things such as reply to emails after you mail them a check and ask questions. I really
wouldn't mind being checked off or whatever - if they would have told me and been a little more positive about it. I even offered to help out
with their web site and free web hosting and there was absolutely no comment about that - not even a thanks for offering. eh...

Love1/4Scale

My Feedback: (26)

LOL, maybe initiation isnt the right word to use but I dont think it is that uncommon. Usually it is just a fee for newbies to help build the club treasury. Although the ballerina thing wouldnt surprise me with this place.

manateemedia

Couldn't resist...

smoothyfp

I haven't gotten into the hobby yet, but I'm a licensed amateur radio operator, and while I haven't experienced the "cold shoulder" of ham radio, I have read MANY stories about people who have. No matter what you get into, there will be people who think they are the god of insert hobby here. I just hope that you do find a club that will welcome you with open arms and help you with whatever you need.

Mike in DC

You may be absolutely right about the attitude at the club, but from my reading, you may be absolutely wrong. From here, it appears that you are reading way too much into stuff, because (like everybody) you assume everybody is a lot like you. Waiting "several days" for response to email is the NORM in the real world. It's only Internet addicts like RCU members that reply to every email in 5 minutes. And then you didn't like the tone of the email! Come on! This is a club of guys who like to fly airplanes. You can't really expect wonderful prose from them. Why would you expect the tone to be "warm"? These are GUYS!

I don't think anybody is being hostile to you, it's just nobody has gone out of their way to be really friendly. My guess is that they fly different planes than you do, and just aren't particularly interested. If there is rarely anybody at the field, why are you worrying about them watching you like a hawk?

Actually, as I re-read your first post, I'm thinking it's a troll. The reason is the word "Nazi". That doesn't seem like a word that an offended newbie in your position would come up with. Also, the part about not naming names. If I'm wrong, I apologize. The paragraphs above are assuming you're sincere.

Love1/4Scale

My Feedback: (26)

[sm=lol.gif] Too funny....can we assume that is you in the pink halter? lol

manateemedia

That's my guess as well.. and that is fine. They can fly their planes whenever they want. I just want to practice flying my harmless slow stick
around! What is it going to do, kill a bird?

Yes, you could be right about the timing of the emails. Maybe tone isn't the right word - but if someone offered me help with web site, free web
hosting I would at least say thanks for offering even if I didn't need it. It's stuff like that...

Troll? Hardly... I'm new to this hobby and I simply want a place to fly my harmless little electric Slow Stick. There are tons of hills and trees
around here, so finding a field is tough.

mikeboyd

I was a newbie in my new town four years ago. I now belong to 4 clubs, each one is very different than the others. Each has its' own agenda and types of aircraft flown. I was readily accepted at each one, with no problems, plenty of offers of help, and friendly and courteous treatment. I did "pre-flight" each field, by showing up early on a Sunday afternoon, explaining I was new to the area, showing my AMA card without being asked, and asking if I could join them in flying as a guest, until I could join. This was done at five or six fields. According to the reception and attitude of the pilots, I decided not to join a couple of groups. About a year ago, I got invited by an elite group of IMAC pilots and 3D guys to join a new club at a private field with limited membership (by the owner of the IAC) field. I was very honored and asked why an intermediate pilot, such as myself was asked to join such experts. Thier reply was, that they enjoyed my company, ready assistance at the field, and my safety concious attitude.
The moral of the story here, is, that not all clubs are for everyone, but everyone likes helpful courteous people, who follow safety rules, and share flight time. I hope all the other newbies out there can find the terrific comraderie and friendship, I have found in this great hobby.

Sport_Pilot

You know you don't expect people to restrict your use of a toy, which is basically what a park flyer is, it isn't likely to hurt anybody when your parkfllyer hits somebody. On the other hand you don't expect to just hop in a full scale airplane and expect to learn yourself. Our model planes lie somewhere in between in danger which means there should be some demonstration of skill. You may fly a slow flyer now, but if someone doesn't bother to check you out you will likely bring a larger model to the field later.

Wish our club would be so restrictive. We have models flying over a house and the neighbor will probably shut the field down, yet the leadership doesn't seem to see the need to even make meetings mandatory.

scratchpc7

manateemedia,

Sent you a PM.

Doug