Hiya Fellas, I remember drooling over a cox plastic c/l model at the local hobby shop when I was a kid and begged my parents to get it for me for Christmas. I used to freeze my butt off just running the engine in our garage in Brooklyn New York and loved the smell of that fuel. Of course I crashed it into a million pieces on my first flight because I just didn't have anyone around to teach me. I never flew another C/L plane until I bumped into "Brownie Senior" a speed ship champion at a field In Staten Island. I bought my first Ringmaster kit from him when I was 40 years old. I was flying R/C for about two years at the time. To me theirs just something about flying a C/L plane that makes me smile from ear to ear. I don't know if its the "direct connection" to the plane or what. My experience is that whenever someone young or old stops to watch it fly they seem enthralled for a bit but then their interest kinda wanders off. Except if its an old timer that flew one as a kid.

Times change, computers, video games and Ipods are the new C/L planes of present day. The average attention span of the young is about 10 seconds, maybe less. If nothing happens in that time frame its on to the next thing. If you notice all the newer TV shows and movies constantly change camera angles like every 3 to 4 seconds which drives me nuts. If they don't change camera angles constantly its game over. Classic novels, once a requirement even in the crummy public schools that I attended in the early 60's are used as doorstops. I'm willing to accept the fact that the interests of the younger generation change but this short non existent attention span and lack of respect for life and discipline in most of our young deeply concerns me, in fact it scares me.

I feel safer walking around a "bad neighborhood" in Brooklyn then getting in an elevator in a "nice" suburban area with a bunch of spoiled 16 year olds. I sometimes feel sorry for these young kids growing up. I just feel they don't have time to be kids. Everything in their life is fast forwarded, their own parents neglect them so they can work more to buy the next hot SUV or 50k sq ft house they really don't need.

Sorry if ranting, anyway C/L is dying just like the oil lamp and not much can be done. I'm just thankful that I got to grow up in the early 50's and 60's and had a blast as a kid just climbing around in trees and on my neighbors garage roofs.

Take care