The world changed and model aircraft are not alone in the changing lifestyles. It used to be in many cases the man of the house would have his personal time on the weekend, be it golf, sailing, poker, whatever. Then, in the last decade, golf and sailing clubs couldn't GIVE their memberships away. The yacht club where i lived had dropped their membership from $25,000 to - get this - $2,000. Golf clubs are closing regularly. They turn the courses in Florida into more condos and townhouses. Many golf courses near me had companies like the Toll Brothers salivating to get their full-size Tonka toys to work, building $1,000,000 homes. These days things are a lot more family oriented - just look at how many activities kids are in these days. Their schedules are filled with sports, extracurricular activities, summer camps the whole summer through. Or, else, bumming around in the basement with video games has superceded getting out and doing something more productive. At most, kids, and I mean guys, trick out a computer these days where we used to be under the hood of a car. Golf clubs and sailing clubs have had the same challenges - there weren't young entrants. In the case of sailing, I was part of a circuit of one-designs (all same design, about equal boats - many restrictions on altering the boat to compete) and we had a gent who is virtually the Derek Jeter of sailing. He shared so willingly that he was this great, positive force everywhere he went. He wasn't obstructed by ego in the least. In fact, he took dinghy sailing breakthroughs up-market into larger boats and took international championships by sailing those bigger boats like they were dinghies (innovation). We can rebuild the ranks of RC and C/L again if we are aware what it takes. Guys like me getting back into the sport/hobby/obsession are big market. Real shepherding of ANYONE who shows interest. Letting non-flyers try it out, get them hooked. Have more open houses that are better publicized. In general, raise the awareness quotient internally to be promoting externally. Near me, Haverstraw has done an amazing job of bringing the public into the hobby. They have Haverstraw Days or something like that where 500 people show up.

I have an interest in pattern because I know it will make things more interesting and I will be a better flyer. I am not intimidated by competition because I am mainly competing against myself. There is an esprit de cours about participating. In sailing, guys would scramble to help someone get their boat in shape to sail the next weekend if something happened - there was just an innate feeling that the more, the merrier. Winter sailing, called frostbiting, had dwindled to 5-6 boats on the line (a little sadistic, sailing through the winter in Rochester, NY in the river that rarely froze over due to the current. Or, all those Kodak chemicals in the water, I am not exactly sure which). By shear promotion the starting line was built to 25-30, me included. Ever take a tumble out of a boat into 28 degree water? How did they get that many people on the line, renewing that much interest? Mostly by one-to-one invitations to try it out. In sailing, I advanced far more quickly in that setting (friendly competition) than if I just sailed around on my own.

Come on, you gotta admit, RC is cool - spread the love(!)