Originally Posted by
fliers1
Flite test is on the right track and something of what I had in mind. Rather than lamenting about the good old days, here's some food for thought.
Imagine if the aeromodeling industry had their own hands-on flight promoter/instructors, who were also AMA members. These industry members would have readily available flight promoter/instructors like auto dealers have salesmen. For example, Hobby Town USA would have instructors in every one of their stores. Also, a RC simulator kiosk setup to give customers a taste of RC flying and to provide training in store. Perhaps their own flying field in many places. They could train people to be flight instructors, maybe for a fee or for free. All store owners could require all customers to join AMA. Something on the order of Horizon Hobby's Flight School program. Wouldn't that help to attract more members for all clubs? Also, that would take the load off of club instructors. Win-win for everyone.
I personally don't think so. It's not lamenting about the, "old days" or waxing poetic about, "how it was", it is about truly understanding HOW it came to be and understand WHO we are. Unfortunately, because of the world we live in, there simply aren;t the same percentage of our population that are passionate about modeling. Times change. We should not knee-jerk and panic because membership numbers decline. We should instead UNDERSTAND our current situation and ADAPT. In other words, we need to understand that as aeromodeling loses its luster with the population, our membership numbers will decline. That doesn't mean that our hobby has all of a sudden disappeared, or that it has changed one iota for those of us that are still engaged, but that we simply need to understand our demographic and adapt accordingly. The AMA HAS NOT DONE THAT. Instead, they desperately try to force people to join inorder to fit their budgets and agendas. It is an absolutely BACKWARD "business" model.
Simply put, this is a hobby. The vast majority of people do it for the pure enjoyment of it. If enough people are enjoying the hobby and need hobby goods, there will always be someone that will step up and fill that niche. Just like golf, the vast majority just enjoy doing it, but there will always be a few that excel and become professional, and a few others who will find a way to monetize their hobby, but the hobby does not exist BECAUSE of those that are making a living from it, it exists becasue the MAJORITY just enjoy doing it. Once you start REQUIRING membership, or mandating this or that, it will turn people off. It is the, "build it and they will come" thoery. Anything worth doing ALWAYS begins with a select few that were the pioneers, who invested their blood, sweat, tears, knowledge, trials and tribulations AND THEN were willing to FREELY share it with other, like-minded individuals simply because it is their PASSION (not for fame, notoriety, money, glory, etc). THAT is EXACTLY how modeling (and the AMA) were born and grew into what they once were. Once the freedom and individualism are taken away, there goes the bond that once tied us together. Lose sight of that and the success disappears. Take away the value and appeal and MANDATE membership under the guise that leadership supports the membership instead of the other way around and all will disappear in short order.
Astro