people are there to watch the main attraction, you r/c guys are just fill in entertainment .

My point exactly. I don't think my 70 some videos have much effect at all, nor yours, or Joe Flier's. We need a bigger presence, more professional, and appealing.

BTW, you may have heard of the Cleveland Air Show. It is one of the oldest in the country (AKA the Cleveland Air Races). Every year, a group of RC pilots are organized to fly several aircraft in the morning of each day. In addition, a nice display of models and a large tent are in on the front line with the rest of the aviation displayed. A very high degree of visibility.

Interesting.

No one would deny that the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds sell the tickets, but you obviously have not been there to see the hundreds of people who visit the tent each year to see these planes up close and talk to the flyers, with their kids, by the way.

And by the way, your attitude is pretty cynical for someone visiting this thread, and who is trying to brainstorm with the rest of us, a way to grow our hobby.

No single answer, or magical idea, is going to whisk the AMA to 300,000 members. It will be a collective effort, but I think the AMA itself could be more proactive in publicly promoting the hobby, the persons and creations we look up to, the level of achievement possible, the general fun to be had, the wholesome activity it is for young and old, the stellar safety record we have, and the AMA itself, an organization to help all those who want to participate at whatever level they desire.

My point was, why don't clubs give the public information on where their club is, how to join and videos of their activites on YouTube, with flight instruction in particular. Simply showing airplanes flying, crashing and such, hasn't produced much. Not venting, btw. I've been helping and trying to help the situatioin for decades, but keep running into folks in and out of the AMA who apparently couldn't care less about growth.

The subject was someone producing a RC TV show. That would be great, but the ones that were on didn't last long. Does anyone have any idea why?

fliers1

IMO for some reason , there is a disconnect between the public and the r/c community.

fliers, doesn't your club do and open house or mall shows or offer schools a aviation class ect. ?

Get things like this going. Get the public involved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8KVX...layer_embedded

http://brauersaviators.org/

I just joined this club late last year, but they appear to be proactive in growth efforts.

I always have an LT-40 ready to go in my van and don't take no for an answer when I offer anyone to get some sticktime on one of my trainers. I'm offering to train my fellow club members how to become flight instructors. I'm literally on-call to offer free flight instruction on my trainer and if someone brings their trainers, I will go out of my way to get their aircraft in the air, but if that isn't possible, I will have them fly mine.

I have created RC aero modeling for 3 local schools, where one is building 2 LT-40 kits. I told the tech teacher that he can call me anytime to give flight training, before and after their kits are built. Schools are Barker Central in Barker, NY, Lockport High, also in Lockport, NY and Newfane Central in Newfane, NY. Can't wait for better weather to get everything going.

fliers1

Something else just occured to me. Years ago most clubs used glow fuel or gas motors. Noise and lots of space to fly were required. So most of the clubs were in areas that were out of the way. Now with park flyers we don't need lots of space and very little noise is generated. Clubs need to look at having events or just fun flys closer to the communities. I have been flying for years 5 minutes from my house. I live in the city. Many people will come up to me and ask all kinds of questions. If we had larger fly-ins at the local parks and fields and advertise. I would think many more would show up if it is convenient for them to locate. My club field is in the middle of the State game lands very hard for people to find. I think this is a common situation.

There would need to be rules as far as size of plane and boundary limits but I think it's very doable. Come on AMA think outside the box. Come up with some challenges for the members. Like pictures of your group fly-ins at parks with neighbors involved. Or after soccer games get the players involved in RC Flying at the field they just played on. Or after baseball games. The possibilities are endless. How about after basketball games in the gyms do demos. Then send the pictures to AMA to post in the mag. I often want to do this but hold back. If people would get recognition for this I think we would get a lot more flyers doing it and more of the public involved. Just my thoughts.

I am speaking from first hand experience. When I first started flying (4 years ago) there were several people that behaved towards me in less than favorable ways and often times I was told point blank that they were a racist by someone else at the club. Look at the advertisements in any Hobby related mag..... do you see any faces of color?.... No...... It's awesome that YOU have not experienced racism in the modeling community, I wish that I could say the same.

I see "faces of color" in many magazines, and at major events by the way. Not just blacks, but all races. Many well know modelers are minorities, but keep in mind why we call some races, "minorities" in some areas. Now take it farther and look at what percentage of these "minorities" are even involved in this hobby. An even smaller minority. So is it any wonder that the vast majority of faces are from the vast majority of races? Nothing sinister here. I really get tired of race being brought up in a discussion like this. It has no bearing or relevance to the issue IMO.

I have also been mistreated at times by other club members over the years, talked about behind my back, ridiculed, whatever, and I'm a white boy. It happens as long as we are imperfect beings bent on self interest and pride. I don't let it get under my skin, will not let it dampen my enjoyment of this great hobby, and don't take any of it too seriously. Many more of my fellow modelers appreciate my skills and enjoy my planes. Plus, I try to help others that really need and are willing to accept help, whenever I can. This goes a long way to squelching what would otherwise get blown out of proportion many times.

I suggest that you go about the business of being a positive force in your club for friendship and mutual respect, reaching out to other members in the interest of piece and harmony. Not everyone will "get it", or even care, but those that do appreciate it, I suspect, will put you in a "majority" for once, of sincere modelers with a passion for the hobby.

Who, in the final analysis, really cares what the color of your skin is, or what accent you speak with, if you really demonstrate a passion for something they also share a love for. This hobby has brought many more people together than has put them apart.

To the tiny % of rebel rousing, bigots, and trouble makers, that every endeavor has, I feel sorry for you and the miserable unhappy life it must be for you in your world.

To the vast majority of modelers in the AMA, let's not give these negative ninnys any press to shed a bad light on what we love, RC.

i agree 100% All i ask for in return is the same respect i give. i don't know why more " minorities " aren't into MA. but the ones i do know share the same thing i do , flying and hanging with the buds. they are good guys. i wouldn't let morons like them bother you. it's who you are inside it where it counts.
you can come flying with me anytime. don't let anyone take away your fun.

AirMail
you kinda just demonstrated why folks dont wanna pay to join a club/org
to fly way out far from home
when they can just fly at the local place for free

even YOU found it more convenient than going out to the club field

It is the nature of the beast for flying fields to be away from populated areas. The two don't mix very well. That is not to say that things like mall shows and indoor events at local schools can't still be a way for clubs to bring the hobby to the community.

Ram great post. Warbird I totally agree. DJ I can feel for you man. When you have to deal with one person at a club it's tough but four makes it really tough. That being said here is my take on things. I'm a white guy from Pittsburgh. Our field is one of the best in the country. It's named after K. Leroy Irvis the first black Speaker of The House in Pennsylvania. He said he wasn't the first black Speaker of the House. He said he was the Speaker of the House that just happened to be Black. My life was better for knowing him. I always enjoyed our weekly talks at the field. I do miss them very much. Mr. Irvis passed a couple of years ago.

Now at our field we have had many pilots of all different colors. We have also had problems with some pilots of all colors. Only one said it was because he was a person of color. No it wasn't because he was a person of color. It was because he was a idiot. He flew badly. He flew in a very dangours fashion. You could not convince him of that. We were all racists and that was all there was to it. Even a person of color who just happens to be one of the best pilots at our field couldn't convince him. You can't fix stupid.

OK so you say I don't know anything about being the minority ...wrong. I play basketball on Mondays. I'm one of the few white guys there. Not only am I the only white guy but I'm the oldest guy there by a big margin. So it would be easy for me to say "hey you didn't pass me the ball because I'm white or old or whatever. So why doesn't it happen? Because I have passion. I give 110%. And they all know it. They wouldn't dare not pass me the ball because their buddies would be going crazy. As a matter of fact most of them when it comes time to win the game are yelling pass it to TERRY.

Now if you have that kind of passion and things are still not working out at the field then I would suggest you keep looking for a better club or start your own club. Then you can be responsible for getting more people into the AMA. Did you like how I brought the AMA into my post. From my 32 years of flying at many different fields if you really enjoy this sport/hobby you won't let a few bad apples spoil it for you. Good luck and All The Best. Terry

Not everyone has as many parks close to their house as I do.

I guess I should have said I still fly at my club with my bigger stuff and still pay my dues. At home at the parks I'm by myself. At the field you get to see your buddies. That being said I still think club members are going to have to promote the hobby anyway they can. Having park flyins is one way of doing it. Just my 0.02

Ram I have to disagree that the two don't mix. With the right kinds of planes it works out well. You can't be flying anything that can hurt someone. I would say anything under one pound that's not a bullet and flown responsibly fits really well. I have been doing it for years. I even had 75 kids beside me at one time asking a million questions. How many of them do you think will get into the AMA in the future. The problem I see is the guy who wants to fly a pylon racer at warp two at the ball park. Common sense has to prevail.

I stand corrected. I think, with the growing movement to electric power, you are right. I wasn't thinking so much of that type. I am very involved in giant scale, heavy war birds, and gas power, so I naturally think in terms of that type. Definitely not the kind of planes to fly near neighborhoods. I know of clubs that maintain a smaller site exclusively for electric. Embracing this group of flyers is surely good as an an AMA club. And another way to promote what is popular in the hobby, to new interest.

Kid one other thing I should mention. I would never fly without the AMA insurance....anywhere. Plus this thread is about the AMA not club fields. Even though they go hand in hand.

Joining a club is not always about convenience. But I know what you are talking about and I'm not in disagreement with you.

Some years ago, I took a friend to a contest put on by a black model airplane club. My friend spent the day flying control line combat. On the way home he told me. "When I found out we were going to fly at a black club, I had reservations. But I'll tell you, that is a bunch of real gentlemen."

And this is the kind of thing that I have come across over the years. At my own club the VP has told me of members that are very racist, yet accept me because I am a flier. However, when I was newer they were stand-offish and even downright rude. These days I spend a majority of my time helping newbees because I would hate for anyone to be treated as I was. So far as seeing African-Americans in any RC advertisement, this simply hasnt been seen by myself, now if you can show me where I am wrong I'd greatly appreciete it.

DJ I commend you for helping the new flyers and the way you treat them. As far as the African-Americans in advertisement goes, the manufactures are going to promote their products to the people that buy their products the most. Be it white, red, green, purple or blue.

I worked for a RC manufacture at all the big RC shows in the USA for many years and I can assure you that people of color are a very very small percentage of the RC buying public. Now putting black people in adds of magazines that they are not going see is not going to get them to all of a sudden start buying their products. Now get more black people in the hobby or going to the RC shows or spending their time and money on this hobby and maybe the manufactures will see this and respond. But wining about in on this forum is not going to do it. Period.

Now since you started about racist things I have a bone to pick with you. I really would like to see more white people in the NBA. Since I gave you a lot of suggestions to help you with you gripe how about returning the favor and give me some suggestions for mine.

Peace Brother
Terry

Spoken like a true closeted RACIST....... But here is the simple answer for your question..... During slavery the Whites paired the biggest,fastest, strongest black females with the males were strong,big,and fast to insure genetically their offspring were stronger, bigger, and faster. This has made african americans better atheletes and thusly, u find more of them in sports. So all you white people need to do is start putting your healthier, faster, stronger males and females together to make a master race of strong , big, fast whites..... but wait.... Didn't the nazi's try that already?...... HOw'd that work out for ya'll?

DJ I think I'm starting to see your problem at the clubs.

Have a nice day
Terry