Oooooh....I don't have to worry about going off-topic, now! Nice! [&:]

Impressive thoughts about how crappy RTFs may actually be DETURRING potential modelers rather than get them hooked. Now that the market is started to get flooded with unflyable crap, it's a serious concern. I've tried many Toys R Us birds, but only the AirHogs AeroAce biplane was worth the $20, and that was AFTER I added a dime to the nose so it wasn't so dang tail-heavy. RTF Crappers may do more harm than good in discouraging people as they crash and crash again. I can't think of a good solution to that. In this free country, there is little quality control in toys.

So....AMA is getting old (by average) and is dying away. Personally, I think it's just a phase...growing pains can be tough. The old members are retiring from the hobby, and the new members with their small, quiet models haven't learned why they should join.

It's Sunday, and I've just had a beer, so pardon me while I chuck out a couple new random thoughts:

RC Flying is getting squeezed into a niche market. It's an outdoor hobby that requires more brain than brawn. It lacks the sexy-image of football and motocross, yet is less convenient than modern games and simulations. We are the "in-between" people of gamers and sport players. How the heck do we market ourselves?

Schools. (Aw, dammit...STLPilot is smiling again......crud...)
You know why people still play football at the park? Because they know how to play it and remember playing it as a kid. Same reason for those that are computer-saavy. We got started because the school introduced it.

My highschool had a Modeler's Club. Model Aviation magazine available in the club room. We did both cars and planes. AMA insurance was a $1 for those under 18. Lots of good stuff to learn, and lots of hilarious stories to share about our experiments and failures. My college had an RC club that joined in competitions against other colleges. Huge amounts of education, and plenty of oppurtunity to get hooked.

Both programs are dead. I checked it out. The Oakmont Modelers and the Mustang Flyers are history. WHAT HAPPENED???

AMA is dinking around with bizarre membership pricings and separate magazines when the real problem is that they are trying to catch feral pilots in the parks rather than put a well-aimed sales pitch to the local schools! Do you think any government council will want to get egg in the face for shutting down a flying site that the school uses for educational purposes? Heck no! We need the SCHOOLS on our side!

Aero Modeling is pretty cheap nowadays. AMA has some very nice prices for schools who want to start a program. The new Park Flyers are very cheap. Building materials are cheap. Engineers make money, so Paretns will go ga-ga over it.

STLPilot is annoying (and I think he's proud of that), but I bet he'sA made more new modelers than any of you who sit back and complain about how Park Flyers aren't real modelers. It's cheaper to concentrate your "advertising" at schools, and you'll get that fresh blood you need into AMA.

But first, we have to find out why the Schools dropped AMA. Aero Modeling is perfect for inter-school competions, so I wonder why niche sport like Lacrosse lives on but Aeromodeling died. I wonder if it is due to the irrational fear of the dangers of RC Flying. If so, we need to fix that perception. RC Flying is safer than baseball, if you ask me.