r/cnerd

So what was the story w/ the $15,000, anyway? THat's like $1 per member....you could attract a lot of new flyers w/ that kind of cash!!! And it sounded like that was only part of the spending for one event!

r/cnerd

Oh yeah...and what about the member age/future membership predictions....I've asked that and no-one's touched it! It may be a matter of survival to recruit new members, everyone stops flying one day! I'd be very curious to see some stats on member age if anyone would share...

kenair

My Feedback: (10)

I'm an old timer and I don't give a razz azzz what you call me, you can call me whatever you want as long it's not late for dinner.

RC nerd has some good ideas for moving maac forward but will never work, maac is about the past, staying in the past and reliving the past ( yeah sonny, I was the salt mine champ in 1955 and my model stayed up for a whole 15.45 seconds), so it's hurts some feelings, get real, we have landed on the moon you know and they used a rocket not rubber ,boys and girls can we say rocket....
R O C K E T

Who will be the next maac prez after Carl, who on the current board has big aperations to be the next prez and is moving in that direction currently.

If I were a betting man, I would have to put my money on .. (now that is scary)[:-]

r/cnerd

LOL!!!!

Morison

The reality of MAAC is that apathy is the leading cause of all teh problems.
R/C Nerd does have some good ideas, and clearly has a head for marketing and promotions. There are two committees that coudl prpbably benifit from his ideas, the Public Relations Committee and teh beginners committee. BOTH committees appear inactive (I haven't seen a PR report for the mag since the current chair took over) and the chair ofteh beginner committee is ALWAYS lamenting the lack of valuable input.

As with any body that is governed by a committee ... change takes forever ... but it can be MUCH easier to impliment on the committee level.

Morison

I'd much rather see a speeding registry (only half joking)

r/cnerd

Thanks....I think you've hit the nail on the head! Just musing here, but maybe MAAC could be "pumped up" by industry...they have a vested interest in the future of our hobby! I'm thinking of an organization run like a business rather than a club, where there is a clear vision of where it is going, how they'll get there, etc...

If eveyone is wondering why I just complain/suggest, and why I'm not DOING anything about it, well for one I can't commit year round as my business is very seasonal. As well I contribute by always trying to encourage anyone who expresses an interest in RC flight or cars or boats. I have a GWS slostik just for training! I've tougt 5 or 6 people to fly now, and a couple have actually remained in the hobby. This is great ROI for the guy who tought me!! I have explained MAAC to them but all felt that it was too great a commitment. No suprise since I know lots of guys who are hardcore car, boat plane guys with thousands into it who think MAAC is "a waste of money." (I don't agree BTW, I'm a member). It's not the actuasl cost that scares them though, it's the commitment, IMO. Even if they don't find time to fly for a few months, that membership is still ticking away. I know it's dumb, but these same guys would pay $25/day to fly at a cool site without blinking! It's all about optics to today's consumer...look at the prevalence of "pay as you go" cell phones...4 times the price but with no commitment...and they're flying off the shelves!!

OPEN STATEMENT TO MAAC PR/BEGINNERS COMMITTEES: While I don't have the ability to commit to a permanent position I hereby offer any services which would help...I am an entrepreneur with a background in Marketing and my wife is a bcomm with a background in advertising, doing catalouges and promotions for one of Canada's largest retasilers before she quit to stay home with our son. (I'm volunteering her services as well!) our fortes are understanding customers and seperating them from their money, all the while making them feel good about the transaction...

Morison

Best contact them directly ...

Public Relations
Henry Zwolak - [email protected]

Beginner
Terry Lyttle
[email protected]

britbrat

r/cnerd, calling someone an Old Timer is both rude & insulting, all in one lump. It is a pejorative term implying that the subject person is not only old, but no longer of use, or importance, and not really connected to to the main stream of life. You re-inforce that negative connotation by suggesting that the "Old Timers" won't be interested in teaching lots of new commers. I'm not even sure what you imply by that -- Old Timers don't care? or Old Timers can't handle it? or Old Timers don't want to teach kids?

You furthrer re-inforce that negative connotation by suggesting that somehow I'm an exception because I am involved (presumably unlike the rest of the Old Timers), thereby negatively branding every modeller that meets your undefined criteria for being an Old Timer. You are splattering away with a broad & mucky brush & it isn't appreciated, either for the gratuitously insulting references to age, or for the innaccurate picture that you are attempting to paint. The instructors in my club, for example, vary in age from the mid-fourties to the mid-seventies. All are interested, connected, skillfull, & very generous with their time & money. You insulted all of them & I am mighty pissed.

I have no problems with constructive suggestions -- but I strongly object to the implication that MAAC & the rest of the "older" modellers are somehow mired in the past. Some of your ideas may indeed merit exploration -- again, in some cases -- but they aren't necessarily new. For example, there has never been any prohibition against individuals starting a model flight school & charging a fee for lessons. However, the free lessons from local MAAC clubs sure make for tough competition. I suggest that you go for it yourself.

BTW, Ken is a superb modeller & pilot who is also an interesting an entertaining guy -- one who has a huge anti-MAAC chip on his shoulder, & he drags his coat in front of the hounds at every opportunity. Be wary of swallowing the bait that he throws out, & be wary of the veracity of the bait. He has as much fun with this as he can -- so far you seem to be well & truly hooked.

r/cnerd

Wow talk about sensitive.....

I called no-one anything, since I referred to no specific individual.

To all forum readers: please accept my sincere apologies for use of the non-pc (apparently) term "old-timer". When reading my posts please substitute the term "respected elder modeler" for "old timer". If this pisses you off you can also substitute "age challenged individual" if it suits you.

To the old timers: (sorry) no offense intended, I have the utmost respect for everyone who has contributed to our hobby. I truly meant no disrespect.

I still feel that an old timer may have more important things to do than teach a bunch of annoying kids to fly.

Is it insulting to call an old timer airplane an 'old timer'?

If you have an old timer for eggs in your kithcen is that also offensive?

britbrat: your blood pressure is not appreciating you reading my posts...perhaps you should block me...

BTW 40's to 70's = old timer....not an insult, a fact...if you don't believe me ask tomorrow's modeler!!!!!

r/cnerd

I keep asking about member age stats and getting nothing...does anyone have this info? I'm starting to think the MAAC insiders are afraid to share these stats cuz it'll put fuel into the fire of my suggestions...

I'm sorry if this is an offensive way to ask the question but I've asked it before and gotten no replies so I'll try to be simple and concise:

Is MAAC membership going to die out as it's members get older? Are enough new, young members being added each year to ensure continued increased membership? Is there a large percentage of members who could be expected to retire from flying soon?

WHERE ARE WE HEADED MEMBERSHIP-WISE???

britbrat

Why would MAAC release confidential information to you, particularly on a public forum?

britbrat

You're right, -- a registry of slow speed drivers is needed [&:] You know the ones who plug the outside lane on multi-lane highways [:@], & the ones who dawdle along on the open road, at or below the limit, then accelerate to 30 kph over the limit on the passing lanes [sm=punching.gif], --- and those who bumble blithely along with 30 vehicles in a train behind them, but haven't got the brains to pull over and let traffic by,[sm=bananahead.gif] --- and those who pull out in front of you when you are the only car in sight, then accelerate at the speed of a sundial [sm=confused.gif] -- & especially those self-righteous @#$%^&*#$ who think that they are doing the world a service by driving 20 klicks below the limit to keep us safe from speeders [sm=redface.gif].

r/cnerd

Well excuuuse me!

I thought MAAC was a club, I was a member (not that kind[:@]of member!) and this would be public info anyways....I stand corrected...I think. So it's a big secret then? Why's that?

Morison

I'm not 100% sure that the association has a handle on this information ... but the 'seat of the pants' take is that the average member is getting older. I do know that we typically loose as many as we gain in a year ...

Of course a big question is why are people leaving the hobby. If we increase the numbers coming in without addressing why they leave, all we do is increase the 'transient' portion of our membership.

britbrat

For starters -- nobody knows who you are -- you could be anybody, from anywhere, with any motive.

Secondly, while MAAC has a slot on the membership form for date of birth, questions of a personal nature do not have to be answered. Furthermore, it is unlawfull to distribute confidential personal information without specific individual authorization of the member(s) involved.

Which brings us the the anonymous "global" information that you seek -- I think that MAAC would have to request authorization from the collective membership to distributed that information outside of MAAC itself.

can773

My Feedback: (1)

Probably quite true....one year when preparing our solicitation letters for the F3A team I called the head office and asked for an excel sheet of club listings that would save me a lot of work of inputting them myself. Linda indicated that they could not provide me a file like that, even though club listings are on the website.

My guess for the average age would put it 40-50 ish. I am 28 and am very routinely one of the youngest (although rarely the youngest) at many events I attend each year.....although I have been at it for 16 years so maybe I am an oldtimer as well.

R/cnerd - for someone who cant commit to a committee (I am on 3 its not a big commitement) for lack of time you sure find a lot of time to post on RCU. [sm=sunsmiley.gif]

DSLarkin

Ken,

You really ought to try to tell the truth once in a while. The figure of $14,000 for my expenses is nonsense, but it is true for the amount of money wasted by the then MAAC President calling an unnecessary Extraordinary General Meeting - the one you didn't attend because you had resigned rather than face an EZM. You were replaced for that meeting by Frank Hummell, and subsequently by Jeff Helps. The EGM was called to go over business that had already been decided at the AGM and the outcome was precisely the same. I asked the Board if they would consider re-imbursing me for half of my expenses, bearing in mind that I went into the fee negotiations with my eyes open and that the Board were under no obligation to re-imburse me. As I've told you before, a motion was made by a Board member who now lives in Manitoba,Ken Thomas, and the Board approved it. Have the courtesy to ask Linda for the exact figure rather than inventing a wildly inflated one. Your figure is about eighteen times higher than the truth. I did save MAAC a bunch of money.

Other people at the meeting who should be able to confirm the facts include Eldon Linden, Jack Humphreys, Louis Lebel, Ken Jones, Ray Brosinsky, Gerry Shaw, and Marcel Lahaie.

Furthermore, since I have been the MAAC ACC rep, MAAC's fees have gone down, and I hope this will continue. But they are apt to be affected by the Swiss franc/Canadian dollar exchange rate. Kindly refrain from commenting on matters about which you know absolutely nothing. I'm not claiming any credit for the fact that our fees have gone down, everybody in the ACC had their fees go down as a result of the work done by Bob Clipsham to ensure that Canada's FAI fees were more fairly decided. The fees for some other countries, like the US and France, went up.

Applehoney

My Feedback: (3)

Dave, there used to be a game that small kids played at school. Endlessly repeat a word or short phrase and it becomes increasingly inane and meaningless. Ken has long mastered that art with his incessant postings...

Sharpy01

My Feedback: (12)

...wow, this one has really fallen off the tracks! [&:]

Britty...... Your pretty sensitive about the "oldtimer" label. I personally think you should consider it a badge of honor. ........... because it won't be long before I'm there too so I need to think that way.

Take it easy oldtimer, don't let them young whippersnappers git ya riled. lol

kenair

My Feedback: (10)

Dave, my apologies, my source told me in no uncertain terms that you went cap in hand to maac for an sizeable increase in acc fees (over the$16,000 or $18, 000) we are billed by the ACC ( have we ever seen any accounting by the acc since we are the largest contributor), but my reliable source must now be unreliable, I'll have to ban that guy!.

Was it not at the 1996 AGM board meeting that there was a motion made at the board meeting to reimburse you ~$14,000 or $17,000 that you had spent without board authorization and the motion was turned down (I won't mention how you were nominated for the executive and maac vp but the majority of the board voted against your nomination twice, maybe that is what they call support down east - must be tose liberals)

I do recall after louis Lebel resigned and a few other zone reps changed
and basically a new board was in place that they agree to pay you an amount - but hey, I could be wrong, it could have been another agm.

I've got such bad artritis in both shoulders, I have
trouble carring the world on my shoulders, the maac chip, oh so heavy.


Man, it's gonna be 2006 in a few weeks, and maac is still putting up money to see if
we can do any better flying in the salt mines, no wonder things have gone a little goffy over the Nats 2006 - go figure.

Dave, I know in your heart you thought you were doing the right thing, maybe you were, but you sure set one heck of a precedent for attacking president and going against the vote of the majority of the maac board.

You haven't been moonlighting in the SW zone and doing some coaching on working with maac?

gingertoad

I usually ignore the inane ramblings from Kenair as they are invariably inaccurate, inflamatory, exagerated, fabricated and plain senseless. His latest delusions with regard to Dave Larkin are so ludicrous that I feel compelled to counter his fabrication with fact.
Dave Larkin was, by vote of the Board of Directors, reimbursed to the tune of less than a thousand dolars for the work he did in repairing the damage caused by the improper and unconstitutional ACC resignation. He voluntarily paid an equal amount of the expenses from his own pocket. His expenses were documented.
When Dave set to correct an improper vote by the Board, it was because that vote had contravened our constitution and bylaws and was thus illegal. When the Board realized the negative connotations connected to what they had previously voted, they were quick to reverse the decision.
Dave's record as a Board member over a five year periond was excellent. Kenair, by comparison, fled the job to avoid an EZM which would have forced him from office.
In Dave Larkin's work with the ACC, we have seen our dues go down, rather than up. Dave champions the cause of MAAC extremely well.
Kenair, like any childish vandal, you seek to discredit, sully and destroy what you are incapable of emulating. Please cease, desist and grow up.
As to flying in a Roumanian salt mine - your favourite topic- I will offer to pay your airfare to the mine myself, on one condition. You stay there, permanently.

Richard Barlow

DSLarkin

Ken,

As I've told you before, several times, I'm on a pension and don't have that kind of loose cash, and even if I did, my wife would kill me if I spent it that way. To set the facts straight:
- I informed the Board at the Montreal AGM of what the costs had been up to that point to negotiate a new fee structure for the ACC - remember in those days we didn't use e-mail and so there were high fax and telephone costs to deal with the various other aerosport association officials spread over the country - aerobatics, soaring, hang and para gliding, parachuting, sport aviation and ballooning. But there was no way that the costs could have gone to $14,000. I still have all the phone records (which were also submitted to MAAC). $1,600 gross is more like it, for which I was only partly re-imbursed. Other people were out of pocket for similar amounts.
- by the EGM, some two months or so later, I had the final figure and put that before the Board saying that I went into the task with my eyes open and there was no obligation to re-imburse me. But that I would appreciate being re-imbursed for half the cost seeing that I had negotiated a structure that was fair to MAAC and far better than the one we would have had to meet if someone else had produced the structure without a MAAC input.
- As MAAC members are by far the largest block in the Aero Club, MAAC had a responsibility to work out a solution. Nobody else was doing this, so I was asked to step in.
- The task wasn't difficult, certainly not for anyone used to working in a government agency, in my case DND. It was just a matter of getting on with it
- Frankly I doubt if you have an informant. Past experience leads me to believe that you just make up your own 'facts'. If you do have an informant, have the guts to say who it is.
- my current MAAC responsibility with the Aero Club is to protect MAAC's interests. Your suggestion that I would seek to increase our fees is highly defamatory.
Remember all of this is in the minutes of the MAAC meetings and is easy to check. The ACC minutes are also available.

britbrat

I guess that I overdid the righteous indignation bit eh? [&:] It's about the only way left to scare the little ba$tard$ into a modicum of manners & respect. [:'(] Good thing that you're getting here soon, I feel lonely at the top -- er bottom -- wherever. Bring your badge & we'll speed off for some coffee -- maybe pick off a few slow drivers & register 'em real good. [>:]

DSLarkin

I have no idea what the figure of $15,000 refers to. Kenair trotted out a figure of $14,000 which was pure fiction.