Originally Posted by
Stickslammer
fliers1, I agree with the answer that Mr. Brown gave to his question "Growth, Who`s responsibility is it?", is that it is a responsibility shared by all of us. As a member of a club, I would be doing the hobby a great disservice by making a newcomer feel the least bit unwelcome by demonstrating the often mentioned "cliquish" behavior. As a consumer of R/C goods, I feel like I would be doing the hobby a disservice by not buying from my local hobby shop in order to save a buck or two. Sadly for more and more of us this is no longer a choice. Also, I`ve witnessed first hand on this forum less than friendly behavior towards newbies that join this forum that may have just gone away scratching their heads. Please don`t ask me to quote when and where but we all have seen it at one time or another.
By the way, I commend you on your unfailing effort of goodwill ambassadorship with your mentoring and standing offer of teaching anyone to fly. If I am ever in the area I`d love to look you up and maybe swap some stories and do some flying.
Sticklammer,
Thanks for the kudos,
I've been fighting this battle for over 40 years. I've belonged to 5 different clubs and all have given me a hard time for my promotion efforts. When I would go to the field, the other instructors would be flying or sitting shooting the breeze, that is until I pulled in the drive way. When they saw me coming, they would jump up and finally give the waiting beginners some attention. Why? I can only guess.
I was assured that the public wasn't interested in our hobby, so just to do a little research and really with no intention of doing so, I placed an ad in Model Aviation and RCM for a flight school. Back in 1996 Dave Brown assured me that was no "absolutely the best teaching method" . I went to Muncie twice to help teach during their open house they called the Grand Event to demonstrate my teaching method. I gave a non flier a lesson in 20 mph winds and had him land
on his first lesson, with a little assistance from me. A past official was a witness. He told me that AMA wasn't interested in what he saw. lol
Immediately, I received many replies. Big mistake. So I made arrangements for my new customers to come to my flying field to take lessons from me. Since the club I belonged to declared that I couldn't run a commercial flight school on a county owned field, I told my first student that I was teaching for free. After a couple of hours of flying, my student couldn't contain himself was jumping up and down like a kid. He was so happy that he said he couldn't take advantage of my generosity, so he said that he would make a donation so that it wasn't technically a charge.
After that, I continued to receive emails and calls from people desperate to learn how to fly. To make a long story short, I probably trained well over 300 people within 20 years. The club tried to kick me off the field, but like I said, it was a county owned field and that was something they couldn't do. Funny thing, I offered let the club's other instructors teach some of my students, but they turned my offer down again and again. BTW, I contacted AMA and they said they were following this and other threads.
When at meetings at most of the clubs I belonged to, I laid down Sign 3 and Fly Free applications, after they complained of dues increases. The other members looked at me like I was handing them dog doo. lol
That's all I got to say about that. lol (Forrest Gump)