RE: Are we really this bad?
I've been building and flying models snce about 1948. I have a few Elecs, Helis, glow, RC, CL, FF, model rockets, etc. I still prefer building to assembling ARFs, but will fly whatever I can get my hands on. Have even spent idle minutes at work rolling a cylinder at work to come up with an indoor flying UFO. Kept a couple indoor electric and FF rubber planes in my locker for after hours.
I currently recieve FM, MA, and MAN. I also buy a cuple English publications at Boarders and Barnes and Nobles.
I currently have a two year subscription to MAN, but may not renew in 2012. I think I only renewed this tiome because of Clarence Lee. I have been dissapointed to find out they seem to have had a housecleaning and gotten rid of most of their older plans. I am just glad I was able to order a few last year that I have wanted for a long time, such as the CL XB-47D. But, the plan prices hae become higher than I used to spend for whole kits.
But, a person, organization, or even a hobby/sport has to grow with the times, or disappear.
I remember when the FFers were predicting the CLers were going to wreck the hobby/sport, then both started complaining about die cut weakening the skills needed to cut out your parts from printwood, then both getting together to complain about RC, then the builders complaining about the new-fangled ARFs and RTFs, and now that and the arguements about electric vrs iIC. The only constant is people complining about the new-fangled gadgets.
What the hey, I'm still having fun with it all.