Interesting thread. There is a concern among smaller clubs that if they grow, the existing members will not get enough stick time. I belong to a club of 160 in So. Calif. that had these concerns some years ago, but raised the membership limit anyway. We neither promote nor discourage new memberships. We have 5 flight stations and very rarely are more than 3 planes in the air at any one time. There are other clubs in the area that have had the same concerns and the same results when they let their memberships grow. It appears to me that the more people there are at the field, the more "hanger flying" that takes place. Modelers really are a social animals.

The problem of being "terrorized" by new members is real. It is not going to stop until either our clubs, or the AMA require flight certification of newbies. All to many are cut loose, or cut themselves loose, from their instructors before they have the proper experience to truly control their plane. This is an area where I think the AMA has an obligation to set standards, although I am sure many believe that it should be left to the clubs. The fact is, most modelers are nice guys and are not going to confront the problem. No one wants to be the bad guy that says "your not ready for solo flight yet".

Ultimately, if the fields do become too crowded, at whatever number of members, more flying sites are going to be necessary. If we have the numbers, we will be able to get the sites, if not, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. It's almost impossible to press for a new field, in an urban area, for 30 members, while if you have 400 it is another story.

JRR