Folks,

This is just an observation so please don't attack me for bringing it up...

I have noticed that every time a noobie mentions that he is teaching himself to fly, 8,345,842,375 people have to comment about how foolish that is and that the person NEEDS to link up with a club and instructor. Meanwhile, the noobie's question often goes unanswered! While the advice to seek out an instructor is NORMALLY good advice (and don't get me wrong, we should continue mentioning it), we need to remember that not everyone is fortunate enough to live in or near a city with an R/C club or two. Sometimes, a club just isn't reasonably convenient and a beginner MUST teach themselves.

Case in point: Back when I was stationed at Cannon AFB in Clovis, NM, the closest club was in Amarillo, TX; over 100 miles away. So I packed up my Falcon 56 and drove to Amarillo, only to be winded out. Subsequent weekends either yielded similar winds or other problems so I eventually gave up on the long drive and ended up teaching myself to fly back in Clovis. (Bear in mind that self-taught R/C wasn't that uncommon 35 years ago and wasn't looked down on like it seems to be today.)

So, please stop insisting that the ONLY way to learn is by joining a club. I have noticed that many beginners who mention that they are teaching themselves to fly, and then get jumped on for it, don't ask any more questions on RCU.

Harvey