ORIGINAL: littlecrankshaf
ORIGINAL: PilotFighter
I understand that many folks don't have the time or skill to build their models. OR they might think its a waste of time to build. Thats not the issue , as I see it. I don't mind people flying ARF's. But when I go to the field and there are 7 or 8 giant Extras and nothing else, it is very disappointing to me. For some reason, I don't know why, those giant ARF aerobats just don't interest me anymore. I've seen to many of them in the last few years. They are everywhere. THe place seems infested with them. I want to see more kinds of planes. They sell giant ARF Mustangs and Bearcats. I know they do. I have seen the ads for them. They sell all sorts of giant ARFs nowaday. But they never seem to show up at the field. I see 40 size trainers. I see a handful of sport planes. And I see a herd of giant aerobats. I don't get it. Why is everyone choosing to buy those giant aerobats. I fly smaller 40 and 60 size aerobats myself. They will do just about anything those giant ones do. I don't have the power to weight ratio or the ultra low wing loading , so I don't mess with the high alpha stuff. But most of the guys out there can't even perform the old school manuevers, they don't need a broader envelope to contain their talent. So, I really don't understand the attraction. Are they status symbols ? Is it like driving a BMW or something? If that is the case, then the spirit of the hobby is indeed dead.
One thing that I loved about this hobby from the very beginning was that there was no status. A surgeon might be standing in the pits joking with a plumber. A plant manager kidding with an electrician. There were no classes or income stratums. Everyone were buddies. The very idea that folks are buying a certain type of airplane due to its status really bothers me. ANd I hope that sort of thing doesn't lead to the end of blind acceptance of a brother modeller.
Another thing that bothers me about this is the lack of imagination. This hobby isn't all about the technical. We are all Walter Mitty imagining ourselfs flying............flying what ? Competing in a technical aerobatic competition ? Where is the romance in that ? Am I the only one that wants pretend I'm strafing boxcars in Germany or dogfighting the Red Baron? Can't we imagine anything? To come so close to expressing this inner child fantasy come true, and then miss it because the awareness of your staus in the community might be diminished if you weren't flying a BMW, is thought that marks the end of the hobby as we know it.
I fear the diversity in the hobby is being replaced with a desire to be part of the herd. Or a total lack of imagination.
PilotFighter,
First off, let me say I am not wizzed off
I know the printed words here cannot fully convey the actual emphasizes that is intended but let me say...To each his own! You may not fully appreciate the reason for the large aerobats but after being lucky enough to have the opportunity to fly a few...all I can say is Awesome! Truly AWESOME! There is absolutely nothing else that compares to the aero-ability they have. When flying aerobatics is the desire, the large aerobat is definitely the answer. The typical large aerobat flyer doesn’t envision his self in the model as others may but instead simply attempts to fly a scale appearing performance model to the limits of its capabilities. It isn’t about peer pressure or impressing others for most of the pilots…
It is simply the
sport of flying high performance models.
I hear you. I went through a phase that lasted nearly 20 years when I thought performance was king. As I get older, I think maybe romance is king. They at least share the title or did . That seems over now and I don't understand why. We all enjoy high performance models. I think that is somewhat universal. But there are days when sitting in the lawn chair and cruising the Erpoop is all I want to do. I have different planes for different moods.
Maybe hanging around real airports has jaded me. My friend had a Steen Skybold. I loved flying around in it with the canopy off. The wind and the noise was great. And here in Houston, an open cockpit is nearly required in summer. My friend , the one that owned the Skybolt, lusted for and then bought a Piper Cub. Now he wants a Knight Twister. He always wants something else. And the entire gang at the airport are that way too. Got to have a Pacer. Look at that 195. I think these guys have influenced me.
The attitude at the real airport is very different. And thats where I come from. But alot of guys come from there .