ORIGINAL: slg1
Most of this issue comes down to the local clubs. The local club here is a disaster. Very little help, or orginazed help anyway. To get and keep members, clubs need to cater to new people. Teach them about the ins and outs of flying and Frequency uses etc. They do pressure you to join, but give you absolutely nothing in return for investing your time and money in them. As long as clubs treat newer flyers like intruders, the more they will have to deal with people going "independent." If those who lead these clubs do not realize this point, they need to wake up.
SLG
Did you reallly think you purchased this as part of a club membership?
The newbie brings his completed pride and joy to the field. He's really proud of the craftsmanship that he has displayed during the building process. Invariably, the THING is virtually unflyable. The control linkages are wrong and binding. The engine is not installed correctly and even if it is, it needs to be broken in. The rudder is crooked, the control surfaces are hanging by a thread and the gaps are way too big, or way too tight, epoxy is everywhere. The landing gear has tow-out and is pointed in a tight circle. Of course the ailerons are reversed.
The club member closest to the newbie takes one look and runs. He looks the two guys that might help a newbie, who, by happenstance are there on this day. They draw straws and the loser is pushed toward the newbie. The loser can see three hours just to make the plane flyable. Another hour to get the engine to run. The newbie does not have any of the parts or tools to make the repairs, so... the new found best-friend instructor is up and down the pits rounding up the needed items.. and the newbie waits. The new found best-friend instructor then has to chase down a buddy box for the brand of radio the newbie has, then find a trainer cord that will work (there is a rule somewhere that the newbie will never have the same brand radio as his new best-friend instructor owns).
By now the batteries are down. The new best-friend instructor tries to find someone with a field charger with the same leads that the THING has, and the newbie waits... and waits. Finally, the plane is ready. The new best-friend instructor takes IT off. After determining that IT has a warp in the wing, and putting in huge amounts of trim, he continues with the trim flight. He debates with himself as to whether the plane is flyable for a newbie. Finally the instructor lands IT.
The new best-friend instructor now decides its time to fly his own plane. The newbie sits and watches, and... waits, and.. waits... and.. waits.
Now it's time to adjust the linkages and the newbie waits. Finally, another flight is attempted. The newbie is on the sticks about 50% of the 10 minute flight.
Now the sun is setting. The newbie is told to come back next week. His new best-friend instructor is making plans to be somewhere else... anywhere else.
You now have two very frustrated people. The newbie thinks no one wants to help because he only got 5 minutes of stick time all day. The new best-friend instructor is talking to himself about taking up golf.