Jester just barely touched on an important point in an earlier post. We older guys usually have tons of stuff stashed away that we will never use again. It's good stuff, just that we have advanced beyond it. We can't sell it because we can't get anything for it and/or shipping it is prohibitive. Se we keep it. We would love to give it away if we knew someone who would use it. What I am getting at here is: insert yourself into a club or flying group. Show up often. Be respectful to us old farts and don't act like you know more than we do. You might very well know more than we do, but we don't like to be constantly reminded of it. The guys at the field will at first just be courteous to you. When they quit being courteous to you and start insulting you right along with the other guys there, you are in. And you will be amazed at the stuff that will come your way. All you have to do is prove to them that you are in the addiction for the long haul. We hate to give good stuff away just to see some youngster show up a couple times, then disappear along with the stuff we donated. If they are going to be in it for the duration, we find all kinds of stuff to give away.