RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: STLPilot

It's comments like these that make my job worth every moment. Thanks Combat, you just made my day! You couldn't be any further from being accurate.

Sorry, Dion... Looks as if everyone is on to your Trolling habits. Nice try though. Better luck next time. You might be more successful trolling in the Beginners forum. You can get most anything past a newbie.

Bill, AMA 4720

RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

As far as most people knowing about model airplanes. Every time it comes up in conversation, I have to spend time explaining why it's not something you go buy for your five year old kid and turn him loose. Never got a blank look. Everybody knows about small flying airplanes, but few understand. I'd say that's as much AMA's fault as ours.
I wonder if most guys just SAY they're asking for their kids cause their ego won't let them admit to ignorance of a sport? (it's a guy thing)

Edited by bubbagates to remove a quote from a deleted post

RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

Before this gets going, please refrain from attacking each other

RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

Thanks for restarting the AMA jabber thread! Bubba dropped the one I started like an ugly date!:) Glad to see we are all going to behave[>:]:D and be able to carry on our mindless rambles regarding AMA without having to follow any one certain topic. I like this unformal style thread, and it just allows people to say whats on there minds regarding AMA, and its interesting to see where the conversations lead. Every thread has a few people like me who have trouble staying on a single topic, so this works well for me.

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Oooooh....I don't have to worry about going off-topic, now! Nice! [&:]

Impressive thoughts about how crappy RTFs may actually be DETURRING potential modelers rather than get them hooked. Now that the market is started to get flooded with unflyable crap, it's a serious concern. I've tried many Toys R Us birds, but only the AirHogs AeroAce biplane was worth the $20, and that was AFTER I added a dime to the nose so it wasn't so dang tail-heavy. RTF Crappers may do more harm than good in discouraging people as they crash and crash again. I can't think of a good solution to that. In this free country, there is little quality control in toys.

So....AMA is getting old (by average) and is dying away. Personally, I think it's just a phase...growing pains can be tough. The old members are retiring from the hobby, and the new members with their small, quiet models haven't learned why they should join.

It's Sunday, and I've just had a beer, so pardon me while I chuck out a couple new random thoughts:

RC Flying is getting squeezed into a niche market. It's an outdoor hobby that requires more brain than brawn. It lacks the sexy-image of football and motocross, yet is less convenient than modern games and simulations. We are the "in-between" people of gamers and sport players. How the heck do we market ourselves?

Schools. (Aw, dammit...STLPilot is smiling again......crud...)
You know why people still play football at the park? Because they know how to play it and remember playing it as a kid. Same reason for those that are computer-saavy. We got started because the school introduced it.

My highschool had a Modeler's Club. Model Aviation magazine available in the club room. We did both cars and planes. AMA insurance was a $1 for those under 18. Lots of good stuff to learn, and lots of hilarious stories to share about our experiments and failures. My college had an RC club that joined in competitions against other colleges. Huge amounts of education, and plenty of oppurtunity to get hooked.

Both programs are dead. I checked it out. The Oakmont Modelers and the Mustang Flyers are history. WHAT HAPPENED???

AMA is dinking around with bizarre membership pricings and separate magazines when the real problem is that they are trying to catch feral pilots in the parks rather than put a well-aimed sales pitch to the local schools! Do you think any government council will want to get egg in the face for shutting down a flying site that the school uses for educational purposes? Heck no! We need the SCHOOLS on our side!

Aero Modeling is pretty cheap nowadays. AMA has some very nice prices for schools who want to start a program. The new Park Flyers are very cheap. Building materials are cheap. Engineers make money, so Paretns will go ga-ga over it.

STLPilot is annoying (and I think he's proud of that), but I bet he'sA made more new modelers than any of you who sit back and complain about how Park Flyers aren't real modelers. It's cheaper to concentrate your "advertising" at schools, and you'll get that fresh blood you need into AMA.

But first, we have to find out why the Schools dropped AMA. Aero Modeling is perfect for inter-school competions, so I wonder why niche sport like Lacrosse lives on but Aeromodeling died. I wonder if it is due to the irrational fear of the dangers of RC Flying. If so, we need to fix that perception. RC Flying is safer than baseball, if you ask me.

RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

Wanna bet, as was stated, it is for oppen discussions on the AMA ONLY. Anything else will get the thread locked

RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

I have always said that the AMA would do well to send out a few free Model Aviation Mags to school libraries. Members could also help by taking and leaving a few MA mags at the dentist or doctors office when they have an appointment.

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Had to get that dig in didn't you. I'm gonna have to hold your feet to the fire on that one. That's only true if you take previous comments out of context or change up the definition of "Park Flier". It's easy to determine who is and who isn't a modeler. It's a word with a definition. You either meet the requirements or you don't. Since most people with ARF's call themselves "sport fliers", maybe we could drop this mean spirited argument? We can just call the foamie flyers "sport fliers" and everybody's happy. Call the guys who build model airplanes and fly them in the park "modellers". After all, that does meet the requirements.

Now I LIKE this! I'm not sure if Bubba's gonna get me for this or not, but Aero Modeling isn't the only thing the schools have dropped. All those great vocational programs are gone too. Gone in favor of computer labs and similar stuff. Somewhere along the line, everyone became convinced that students could pick up real world skills out in the real world and they should be force fed computer skills. I wonder how many Aero Engineers the world missed out on because of this short-sightedness. I know of one! I never knew about model airplanes or the interest they would spark in me. At 32 with a career and family, it's too late for me. My kid is going to be exposed to everything I can think of.

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Lacrosse & Baseball dont require $2mil insurace
There are fields in the city where you can play baseball, they even put up the backstop cages. But the city has to see Aeromodeling as a sport not to be banned, before they will promote it in their school district. I dont know why cities have to ban everything to cover themselves for liability... oh, wait, that's it- to get rid of liability in the hobby that needs $2mill coverage.

So they get Lacrosse & baseball, computer labs & similar stuff...
I'm gonna have to agree with STLs line, them urban folks are just Standoffish to AMA from overstimulation

RE: Jabber Jaws II (let's try it again)
 

model avaition dpsen't require 2 mil in insurance either.

some slick sales guys have done a great job of convincing a LOT of modelers that it does though.

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@ptulmer: Yah, I don't mean to restart the "what makes a modeler" debate. This is just echoing Dave Brown's comments from the June and July MA issues. Some seem to be choosey about who to accept. I've been constantly trying to get other people into the sport. Some I'm successful with, some I'm not. I got 4 into the hobby so far. 2 of them won't join AMA...yet...[:o] Give me some time on those two. I do confess that it's a very small percentage of modelers who would turn away a flier just because they have a foamie. Most of us are always eager to welcome them...then get them hooked on some 4-channel, over-powered goodies! :D

The 2mil insurance is to cover liability in this sue-happy country. A football in the eye could cost as much if the lawyers are good (and evil). RC Modeling suffers because the people in the seats of power can't relate to it or understand it sufficiently. Almost everyone remembers playing ball and surviving it, so it is familiar and safe-sounding. WHo would want to ban their own favorite past-time. We got an uphill battle on our hands!

The other headache is that most extracurricular activities at schools survive on donations, now. AMA is not overflowing with cash, and there are few corporations who would benefit from an RC program. Lockheed an Boeing are the best I can think of. Lockheed has been good in the past to the Cal Poly Mustang Flyers, but I rarely hear of handouts from Boeing.

The Slo Flyers in San Luis Obispo work with the local Community College that their field is located next to. They put on regular Air Shows and provide a student discount. I believe they might still be running a training program with a club-provided trainer for visiting students to sample some buddy-box flying. I noticed their club had a lower average age as a result. Some food for thought. However, they are pretty much doing all the work. There is still no official school program save for the occasional air show on the school grounds. [:o]

I know little about appeasing the City Council, and even less about starting a program in a school. It's something I'm going to have to read into before I can suggest any workable solution to this problem.