Jeremy,
I agree with you I think that the hobby has gone down hill with the ARF's that are out there, but lets be truthful back in the day things were a lot different than today. I remember back in the 80's people going to work from 8-5 coming home at regular times, having dinner, and having that free time to build in the evenings and weekend. Now most people don't have that time anymore where work now consumes a lot of their time, or if you are like me I work full time and am a full time college student in his late 40's. I honestly don't have time to think, much less build. Before I went back to school I would spend some time working on my planes in the evening when I could but I had a young son and wife that needed my attention. Now I am about to graduate and will have more time to work on planes in a few months and plan on doing a lot more flying, and I have a couple of kits that I want to build...so looking forward to that, but my last airplane was an ARF since I had very little time.
As far as the friendship at the fields that boils down to the amount of A%$H^%$S you have at your field. I am a member of two local fields and prefer to fly at the less nicer of the two because the president ensures that the clubs main point is for everyone to have fun. At my other club you have the elitist *****s or the old men who hate fast moving planes of any sorts so they cause issues every time they can.
So yes the hobby has and still is changing, but if as older flyers we take care of those coming into the hobby it will be great again. I have ensured that my son knows what the hobby is about, FUN! He is also becoming a mechanical engineer and one of his goals it to learn how to build his own planes. I have taught him how to build, how to fiberglass, paint, use covering, etc. I just hope when and if he has kids that he teaches them to love the hobby or allows "grandpa" to do it. Or better yet three generations in the garage working on airplanes, even if they are an ARF...now for me that's most important.


Patrick