ORIGINAL: RCPAUL
Can someone support with numbers that UC is indeed growing. I doubt it. The majority of those practicing this part of the hobby are old - very old and starting to die at a high rate. The newer advocates are usually people returning after many years - retreads - also old and not young people.
With the advent of cheap radios, park flyers, indoor RC, and ARFs, RC will continue to attract the younger set and continue to significantly grow. It can now be flown in very limited areas and areas that are noise sensitive.
UC has one degree of freedom (elevator) and is buried in the past that most middle age people were never exposed to and could care less. RC has usually three or four degrees of freedom (elevator, rudder, throttle, and aileron - some or all) which leads to more interesting flight for the advocate or the newbie.
I recently tried UC again after being away for 35 years. I found it dull - very dull!
Paul
Paul,
Going around and around in a circle, not being able to do anything but climbing and diving is dull for anyone. I suspect that you are one of the many who have tried control line and couldn't do anything other than a wingover before you crashed. You're probably not much of a builder either so lacking in both flying and building skills for control line modeling you have taken up the far less challanging RC modeling, where it doesn't take but a day to learn how to fly if your anything but a complete spaz and the ARF's abound for those twits that glue their fingers together more than pieces of balsa. If you want numbers on the increase in CL activity look at contests like Brodaks annual Flyin, the VSC, and even the NATS. Lets see who Homeland Security comes after first...RC or CL. Paul you're dull just like RC.
catdaddy