now, apply that analytical thinking to this idea.
just how many folks do you know that buy a new radio every year?
how may that have more than 2 current tech radios?
now think about how many radios Futaba, JR, Hi-tech/Multiplex, and Airtronics have to sell every year to stay in the US market.

does it make sense that a market of a coupla hundred thousand could keep them in the US business?

my own situation: i have 2 12z radios, the newest of which is 4 years old. no plans to replace them any time soon. i think i am closer to the norm than not. a LOT of new folks have to be buying equipment to justify the level of retail outlets we see. or at least more than the 140,000 the AMA can claim.

from a quick member search here on RCU i can see 262,093 r/c folks that list US locations.
take out the 80,348 that say they do cars, and the 19,743 that say they do boats, and we have 162,001 that do aircraft.
wonder if RCU has more than 10,000 that are AMA members? even if every AMA member is a member here, that still gives us 20,000+ that are not, and this is just one of 4-5 really well trafficked sites.

wana a real awakening, look at the sales figures for things like the blade series helis. or all those air hogs helis, or the estes fixed wing stuff.

i really do not think that a million or more folks playing with some type of model is too high an estimate.