Ahh, I really wasnt bashing, Thats my take on the whole thing these days. It is a real expensive hobby, and I think, If you can afford a model plane,helicopter, or even rockets, you should, at the very minimum, be an AMA member. Now, that being said, club membership is very expensive.
And for good reasons, like upkeep, land rental, Etc. I actually started flying Sailplanes at the local slopes. There were no glider clubs, and the slopes were open to anyone that wanted to fly their ship, and everyone is willing to help out one another.Radio safety was well in practice.Glider guys and gals, for some reason, seem to be more personable, than SOME of the people you find at clubs. From there, my first Powered flight was an accident. I was practicing taxiing with my first trainer, a PT-40, when I accidentally gave it too much gas, and lifted off. My glider experience gave me the tools required handle the situation, even though my knees wer shakin. In my opinion, a lot of non club accidents(sometimes at the club)are caused by lack of knowledge. Just because you have been flying youPT solo for 2 months, doesnt mean that your ready for a gold edition mustang(or a gold edition anything for that matter)
I`m not the worlds best RC pilot, But I do enjoy helping newbies as much as I possibly can. Not many people are willing to step up to the plate these days and show our next generation of ammeture aerodynamiststs the responsible way to persue the hobby.
This is what I do.
I have 3 students, ranging in age from 7 to 12, with whome I meet with for a few hours, every other weekend(weather permitting)And fly an all EPP B-52 that I scratchbuilt(cut) ,and an EPP electric tri pacer. It didnt cost me hardly anything to make these models, as I have collected a lot of the necessary equipment over the years, and had a lot of EPP lying around.
Just My $0.02,
Jim