Ah, what a joy it was to fly my new Mat Chapman Cap 580 today.
It is very nice to be at a 16 acre flying field all by myself. The grass is nice and short, tree line behind me and no one there to have to watch while I fly my plane.
Think it to be occasionally? Not so, it is like this most of the time, you see I live right around the corner from this nice field and fly there often, alone.Yes it is a AMA field, Yes our club offer's free instruction on Monday night, yes people show up from time to time, yes due to the efforts of one flight instructor the club has grown from 19 to 54 in 2 season's but were's the love man?
If AMA is hoping new member's are going to drop from the sky's to meet their goals, all I can say is good luck. The crowd seem's to be less and less each year but it take's more than one or two people to promote the hobby, for the area. It seem's most people are getting scared away from the hobby instead of the latter. I know, I am the safety officer and see those buddy box flier's flying all over the sky and behind us and toward us and around us and out of site of us and so on and so on. My knee's get week, not from exciting flying but from ducking from buddy box instruction. I am loosing my voice, not from joyful howl's but keeping these buddy boy's in view, in control and in front of the student and not in a distant house.
Quality instruction is hard to find, one of a kind instruction is almost impossible to find when no one stand's up and say's yes this is the way. AMA, your dropping the ball on the Ragland Technique. Dave Mathewson experienced it himself and wrote an article for the magazine and still claimed to be skeptical, wow that's vision. With the million's of dollar's AMA spend's on advertising you would think the results' would be better but don't count on big number's of new flier's just bigger advertisement bill's.
The problem with targeted advertising is you must know the target and your aim must be true, if you plan to hit the target. I have found after being in the hobby business, that everyone is the target market for r/c aircraft. Everybody I spoke with wanted to fly but didn't no how to get started or knew nothing about instruction and didn't want to spend money to crash. This is when I would utilize free fly before you buy via the Ragland Technique, worked every time. AMA also benefited from this. I am out of business now due to health reason's but be rest assured, I started in my shed and expanded 3 times in 2 year's.
I must say that after being taught by Mr. Ragland, that in 1 in a half season's I fly what ever I want, when I want. I won't go on and tell you about how many planes I own and fly like my F4 phantom, P-51, Spitfire and many more including my heli I fly around my small front yard, small because of tree's, I do feel spoiled.
Keep it up guy's I do love the solitude of a nice 16 acre flying field and by the way I grease that cap 580 in on landing every time, with the wheel pant's on.