Thud_Driver

My Feedback: (1)

Igo to a jet meet to fly. So does my buddy. Dozen or more flights every day for each of us. Ask all the guys we fly with. We fly hard. Most years over 700 flights so showing off isn't something I need to do. I tend to have the least interesting jets there andin between flights I do say Hi to my friends. Except they weren't there and there were no spectators. Just a few clubguys who I did talk toplus Mark and Kent. In recent years I've always gone for the bombing event, except this year my bomber caught fire and crashed about two months before the meet.

I've stayed at a lot of events for days after my stuff was out of action. So, bummer,standing there looking at each other, with both our jets out of action (Flash/F-15), empty pits and rows of empty tables, empty parking lot, none of our usual pals and absolutely nothing else going on, what's to hang out for??

You'll have to ask the organizers why their meet failed. So, yes, read between the lines. Do a search and find out what happened 3 years ago. There's a little more to this storythan what's here. Ask them why they didn't reach out to the jet guys the last two yearsto get them there.

They're going in a new direction which is in effect moving on. Good luck to them.

essyou35

My Feedback: (11)

Not sure if it has anything to do with it but the runway at 485 ft is a bit short for any serious scale jets IMO. Of course it is doable, but risky. Most jet rally's I have looked at that get a lot of attendance are at actual airports.

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

This is not a theoretical argument. We flew everything there was out of there . For years. Big fun. Maybe 75 pilots and real nice planes and great camaraderie. Very good pilots and beginners. df and turbines.

I was never a huge fan of the airport meets but i liked the vibes of superman. We went there a half dozen times or more. Word on the street is that Kentucky jets is the heir apparent.

ExFokkerFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Not an organizer, but I am a Fresno member, and friend of a few former Fresno Jets regulars... But the primary reason that attendance dropped the last couple of years, at least the way I see it, is that the guys who normally put it on... simply didn't do it anymore. They either were tired of the hard work and wanted a break, found other interests... whatever, but they just stopped. Nothing wrong with that at all. Anybody who has put something like this on knows how much work goes into such an event.

Not wanting to end the event, others tried to continue it. These guys were very well intentioned and hard working themselves, neither flew jets nor were overly involved with those who did. We only have a couple of members that even have jets, and honestly, I can't remember the last time I have even seen one at the field. They tried their best, but without being involved in that segment of the hobby, how would they know how to put out the information? I remember talking to some members shortly after one of the disappointing events and they were under the assumption that promotion was just taken care of... everybody knew when it was, they just simply had to open the gate. Obviously that was wrong, but again, these guys were not putting on the event for themselves... they were doing it for all the others who came every year. It was a tough spot to be in, and while it didn't work out, it was simply because they didn't know, not because they didn't care.

Our members are 90% sport flyers, mostly retired folks. They are mainly interested in their little segment of the hobby, and don't seek out much else. They enjoy the events to come out, support the club and buy a hot dog, and watch the planes. We have a few heli guys, a couple IMAC guys, but for the most part it's all sport flying, sunday flyer type stuff. We had a few guys like Dave F, Mark T, and now Ricco (again) who in recent years built some great events in the Jet community. But without them, we won't have them. Ricco is trying to put together a different kind of event for 'the rest of us' and I wish him well. I don't own an EDF, but this might be the excuse I was looking for.

Tom M

Thud_Driver

My Feedback: (1)

If you mean Fresno, they have something just over 600 ft but nothing much for overrun. The Run for the Border meet was more like what you mention.

maxvertical

Bummer.. I hope you guys will consider a turbine meet in 2013. It's a long drive to just fly EDF's. Hope you have a successful event

MV

fxvtol

Everyone everyone knew when the Fresno jet rally was going to take place. But the jet community decided for the past two years to diss us. Now John to his credit is trying to put on a new event where you don't have to have a 5000 or $10,000 to participating in. I think this is going to be a good thing because you don't have to spend that much money to enter the event.

Plus the gas turbine jet people can stay at home with their overinflated egos and just watch.

Al

AFTERBURNER1

My Feedback: (80)

Classic hater,,,, 2 post eh,,,

fxvtol

I am not a classic hater of the jet community.

I have been for two years now a member of the Fresno radio modelers club.
How can you explain the fact that me and some other people welded together tables so the jet community could place their planes on top and they did not come and participate for two years in the event and now they're complaining about.

Al

dubd

Looks like the overinflated egos have been replaced with overinflated mouths.

I had a great time at previous Fresno Jets. The Fresno field members were always a great group of people. I hope your negative attitude isn't indicative of how things are now.

David Searles

My Feedback: (49)

Al,

From your own mouth, you have only the last two years of experience with the club and the event, so, you apparently know absolutely nothing about the history of the event. A very accurate description of what happened was given by another of your members on this thread. ExFokkerFlyer, hit it right on the head.

The new organizers, apparently including you, did not know how to make the jet community aware that the event was still scheduled to occur. The last three years of the Fresno Jet event I attended were all announced to be the last one, due to the "imminent" loss of the field. I did not attend for the simple reason that I did not know it was being held, as I am sure is the same for most of the jet community, despite your ignorant claim. We all expected, as had happened in the past, for the event to be announced and publicized on RCU. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. In fact I absolutely remember a thread being posted by one of us two years ago asking if the Fresno Jet event was going to happen, and there was NO response from the Fresno club!

So those, sir, are the facts. And just as a question to you, since "you're not a hater" what, exactly does "you don't have to have a 5000 or $10,000 to participating in" have to do with it? Sounds like your true attitude creeping in to me.

David S

seflyer

My Feedback: (12)

could not have said that better myself.

Kevin

Joe C

My Feedback: (23)

Who said EDF are not in the $5k to $10K dollar range, there are many in that range. As a CD for Best In The West, it is my responsibility to advertise the show dates etc, and keep on it through RCU, there was nothing mentioned about the show dates a couple of years ago, and like Dave Searls mentioned, there was a thread started and by Doug Anderson Afterburner1 about Fresno jets and the dates of show, and no one from the club or the Fresno area come on the thread and gave any information about the show, the thread died. I always attendend Fresno jets, it was a great show.

fxvtol

I think in the jet turbine community should stop crying about how they were not invited to Fresno Jets. When in the last two years they were a no-show, and focus their energy on some constructive steps to improve their position in the area, and face some facts.

1 this year there was no California jet event, I heard the person had financial problems.

2 buttonwillow airport is owned by the county, and the Bakersfield club cannot get a lease on the property to make field improvements, no shade or tables and when they have an event you have to pay for shade and your tables.

3 The pit area is terrible with broken asphalt that you have to trip and step over while working on your jet.

4 The county which owns Buttonwillow airfield could run into hard times (as all county governments are doing losing money) and close button will airport for all RC flying.

5 The Fresno RC field has been a reliable friend to the gas turbine community.
Where they have a 10 year lease on the field, they have a new resurfaced runway, a new this year shade cover that blocks 80% of the sunlight. A nice pit area with tables that you don't have to pay for.

The gas turbine community should get together with one voice and contact Dan Sozinho should see you know president of Fresno Radio Modelers Club and talk to him about setting up an event this year.

Al

flyrcjets

My Feedback: (30)

Wow everybody going off on each other. All I know is I had a great time last year at Fresno, I saw it listed somewhere as to the date, but its been on the same weekend forever anyway, so we had the whole place pretty much, so please nobody come this year so we can have it to ourselves again, thanks!

David Searles

My Feedback: (49)

Not if you're flying a turbine![X(] You're not invited!

David S

flyrcjets

My Feedback: (30)

Not to worry have lots of EDF's. Though I do miss ole Dave at the event.

jetpilot

My Feedback: (48)

Why would you have a jet event and not allow turbines?
Electric jets are invited to every jet event I go to. So whats the point of not allowing turbines?
Its a turbine friendly field but wont allow turbines at "Fresno Jets"? Very odd.
speaking of $5K-$10K electrics, there was a giant Concorde at the Kentucky Jets event that had to be way in excess of that number. Also an electric F14. Just about any BVM electric jet will be 8K and up.
So whats your point about 5k-10K? What does it have to do with money?
Why would the jet community want do "dis" Fresno Jets?
I dont think there is a over abundance of jet flying facilities or events and fields are being lost more frequently.
sounds more like the jet community is being "dissed".
Scott

smaze17

My Feedback: (60)

Yea, I really can't understand what the point of not allowing turbines is??

The only logical reason would be if the field has banned turbines entirely. Then it would make sense.

S

t_burley

My Feedback: (59)

**edit** nevermind.

David Searles

My Feedback: (49)

+1

David S

Joe C

My Feedback: (23)

AL thanks for the Buttonwillow update, I wish you would find out whats going on with the BARKS club, Buttonwillow Airport and CA Jets before you make a post, all the above is not true. PM me if you need to be informed.

CARS II

My Feedback: (7)

Guys, it is obvious that this person does not have all the facts and knowledge of how we operate, the more I read the less I understand him, so please don't waste your time replying to him.

We all know how great Fresno Jets was, maybe it will be again in the future, just let us know in time so we can be there to support it.

ExFokkerFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Guys,

Let me preface this with a statement about the general club feeling about the jet meet. I think this whole thing has suffered from the usual internet issue of intentions either being misread, or not communicated clearly. I've been a member of the Fresno club for about eleven years now. The club has always supported, and looked forward to having this event at the field. We have had other groups come in, "rent" the field and go on their way... NOT to be asked back again. That was not the intention of what happened with the Jet meet. We simply did not have people involved in that facet of the hobby interested in putting it on again. I don't want to restate what I have already typed before, but i wanted to be clear as some of the rhetoric seems to allude to something otherwise.

I think, and I honestly don't know for sure, but I think the whole genesis of the EDF thing was that there didn't seem to be a whole lot of support for the traditional turbine event. So, the thought was, let's do something simpler and maybe we can get more local people involved. Frankly, I tried the same thing with a heli event earlier this year and failed but will try again next year.... It was thought that with the Habus and the proliferation of cheap EDFs (the kind you WON'T find being sold at BVM ) that more club flyer types would get involved and come out and enjoy the weekend. These are the guys that would be intimidated if the field were full of kerosene burners. Personally, I think it was a noble attempt at doing something for the local club members... that I should again point out, wouldn't participate otherwise.

What I don't think was anticipated was that any of you guys would even care. I don't mean that in a snotty way, seriously. The club members don't troll these boards very often, obviously as the previous events would likely have been promoted better, so they would likely have never known. The general feeling was that the event had died, nobody was interested in coming, or that with the economy nobody could afford to come. If you guys want another event in Fresno, this isn't the place to make it known... draft an email to Dan Sozinho or give him a call and let him know that you want another event at Fresno. He's a nice guy and will give you any and all support that you want. There are local members that can help set up the field to get ready for the event... I'll donate my time as well.

We have opened up our club several times for outside groups to use, and though I can't speak for the club, I am confident that we would do it again. The problem is, we may not be able to run it, promote it, or support it the way it was in the past due to lack of local participation. We can do it again, but it's going to require more than just a little help from the outside since none of us really fly turbines.

If you want another Fresno Jets, you guys are going to have to bring it to the club's attention, and offer to run it with club assistance. I'm again not trying to be a snot, trying to be helpful. Our club is very hospitable, but not very involved in very many facets of the hobby.

Tom M

jetpilot

My Feedback: (48)

Thanks Tom for the very insightful reply. Seems pretty clear now.
BR,
Scott