First, Skip, I appreciate your response. Second, judging by Jim's post, I'm spoiled rotten. My LHS has a good selection of C/L stuff, from lines and handles, to belcranks, horns, tanks, kits (more C/L kits than R/C, 'cause more C/L guys are still building while R/C guys are buying ARFs, I guess) etc. I don't know of any C/L clubs in the area, except for a combat group, but I've not really gone looking for one, either. Generally I prefer R/C now that I've learned to fly fairly well. Additionally, my R/C club is a good group of guys who'll do whatever they can to help a newbie. And most of us are simply "daily drivers" who spend too much money on our toys.

Wayne, in my auto-racing example, I wasn't thinking about "daily drivers" verses Nextel Cup racers, although that may be a more apt analogy. I was thinking along the lines of the guys running 70's Monte Carlos at the local track. It's a hobby/sport. And I still wonder why, and this question goes for R/Cers as well as C/Lers, why are we so evangelistic about our hobby? To be fully frank, I'm a "born-again" Christian. An Evangelical, if you will. And if I was as vocal about my faith and critical of churches as many model airplane hobbyists are vocal about their hobby and critical of clubs and the AMA, nobody would ever want to hang around me

Truly, I think many of the criticisms come back to human nature, especially as it relates to groups. We can be cliquish, homogenous, and resistant to change, and some of us are comfortable with that (the INs?), and it drives some of us nuts (the OUTs?). Personally, I enjoy my club, and have made some good friends, but even if it didn't exist, I'd still read the magazines and build and fly planes because it's fun.

Phil

edit: P.S: In addition to being an Evangelical, I'm also a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist. If you think there is a market for a C/L simulator, by all means, put up some funds, do the R & D and build one! I won't invest in your company, because I don't think it'll sell more than a few copies because, as many have been saying, C/L is a fad of the past. The only thing keeping it alive is nostalgia and the "feel" of the plane on the lines. The nostalgic don't need a sim, and I don't think the "feel" will really happen by computer simulation. My point is, it's not the manufacturers job to "support" the desires of a small (relatively) group of hobbyists in order to create demand. It's their job to recognize an existing demand for a product, and fill it, if possible, for a price that people are willing to pay.