Has anybody else experienced this?
Yes. Surprisingly a 'ban the jets' movement started by the club secretary even though the president, vice president & two of the committee members were jet flyers!
What is was really was a vendetta by the secretary who didn't get his way on another issue so to target the rest of the committee he started his case against jets. It all came out at a club meeting & he ended up looking like a total idiot.
Is it the whole "it cost more money"
I think it came down to money as well. He was very interested in a turbines when he thought he could get a Jet Joe for about a thousand bucks. When these proved to be rubbish & he could not join the 'boys' for what he could afford he became anti - jet.
One it might make them feel like I am not intruding on their 3 channel awesome model that they want to fly.
Yep, a lot of 'club' guys are big fish (with big egos) in small ponds & if you arive on the scene with a model a little more awesome than their's, and it doesn't have to be a jet, their awesomeness will be threatened. I think the above mentioned club secretary fits into the big fish catagory. As a founding member of the club he taught a lot of newbies to fly, they thought he was awesome and he loved that. As the club grew established flyers joined who could fly really well & Mr Awesome began to look like Mr Average (very average).
A related thing, I recently was asked to fly a turbine model demonstration, at very short notice (the arranged guy had model problems) at a scale event at another club. This club was considering permitting turbine jets & wanted to see one in action. It was unbelievable to hear all the pre-conceived ideas about turbine models going round in people's heads.
What surprised them?
How fuss free the operation of a turbine was, how quiet the models are in the air despite the noise on the ground, how the models could be flown quite comfortably with other models in the air & how the model (medium powered sport jet) could easily use their grass strip. - John.