As someone who dropped out of a club after only a few flying lessons, I can safely say that Nashcat brings a dose of much needed reality to this topic.

I stopped flying (in clubs) because unlike other RC hobbies, where you go to track, lake or whatever, take out your model, use it for hours, compete with other people, sit back and have a soda while your batteries charge, etc., flying RC planes is one big headache after another. I suppose I was spoiled by the ease of other RC hobbies...charge, drop, play.

Be it boats, park flyers, cars, whatever. Rules that may seem simple and logical to you do nothing but scare off new people...too much to remember, too soon, too much reliance on other people to tell you what to do.

RC flying, with all the rules, restrictions and maintenance (compared to all other RC products, your typical glow plane is a quality nightmare), is just not FUN. And RC flying is something you play at...it's supposed to be FUN...it's playing with expensive TOYS, not performing brain surgery.

You can't change the realities of the hobby, but you can make it easier for new people to join. Otherwise, the current trend of supplanting the old fashioned flying field with the elecrtic fly-anywhere park flyers will only continue until product support, development and innovation of the large fast glow or gas powered RC airplane is a thing of the past. Just look at what RTR car models have done for the RC car industry in terms of sales volume, people comming to the hobby, new products, etc. All because they made it easy for new people to come in.

It's just as fun to fly an Aerobird Extreme as it is to fly a glow fuel trainer (actually more..I have both). And with the Aerobird, I can do it on my own terms, when I'm good and ready, without any help, and without any fear of crashing.