old timers look here must be 50+ years only

Shop classes were pretty much on the down slide during my high school days. There were only 3 classes, wood, metal and print. While print has gone leaps and bounds over what was taught back then, and it was very aged when I took it, wood and metal never change and should be taught still today. Classes on welding, metal layout, forming and such should be part of High school. In fact, the best way to come out of high school and ready to hit the job market is through shop classes. The job market needs HVAC, Plumbers, Metal workers, welders, but the only way to gain that knowledge is to take courses that cost money.
It just seems the wrong way to do things if we want a healthy country and economy. Imagine if this was December 1941, if America was as worker poor back then as it is today, we would be speaking Japanese.
It just seems the wrong way to do things if we want a healthy country and economy. Imagine if this was December 1941, if America was as worker poor back then as it is today, we would be speaking Japanese.
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baerster (07-10-2022)

I always enjoy a Cockleburrow video. As for shop classes my own experience was kind of disappointing. As long as you stayed busy and didn't cut your thumb off you were going to get a good grade. There was some instruction and most of the equipment worked but unless you were a self starter you weren't likely to have much in the way of a completed project at the end of the year. The flip side to this is the facility where I worked for the first part of my career. The primary mission was residential adolescent drug rehab. Running parallel to the drug rehab was a program in partnership with the local school district. The teachers were employees of the school district and we provided the facilities. This got the kids back in school and the district could count them on their attendance numbers so it was a win for everyone. A particularly nice part of the education program was the vocational classes. We graduated a few kids, and quite a lot of them got their GEDs but relatively few were college bound. At one point we had Auto Mechanics, Auto Body, Woodworking, Horticulture, Office Skills, and Welding. We weren't producing experts but a lot of kids got enough skills to get their foot in the door. Sadly, the vocational programs were the first to go in a series of budget cuts, relocations and political maneuverings. Such is life in the state mental health system.

Your last sentence sums up the problem in the country. If those were still ongoing, I am pretty sure, school shootings would not be what they are today. Mind boggling how things that improve life are the first to be eliminated, almost as if there is some plan to dumb down people to the point they can't function on their own.
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baerster (07-10-2022)

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Related to the comments about shop classes, I am grateful that in the 1950s, when there were people trained in the war as mechanics and engineers, and there were teenagers interested in cars and racing, that a lot of communities sanctioned turning old airstrips into drag strips and many war veterans turned teenager interest in speed into an opportunity to educate a new generation in engineering, safety, and sport. From that we got a generation of skilled and responsible people.
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I am 57 years old and am returning to the model plane hobby after being away for many years. I see that some people have posted their stories on how they got into the hobby. At the risk of giving too much boring information, here is mine. I'll start with the present, which is that I like getting video footage from flying my Conscendo Evolution over places with a nice view.
I joined an RC club this May, and I am enjoying the challenge of learning to fly with precision on planes that have no artificial stabilization.
Back to the beginning: My dad was in the Air Force (stationed at Nellis, home base of the Thunderbirds and a lot of cutting-edge aviation) and while he was not a pilot then, he got his general aviation license and would take me up in Beechcrafts as a kid and let me try the controls. That's where my lifelong fascination with aviation and aviation history really came from. As far as the hobby is concerned, I started in the 1970s with Cox control line planes that I purchased with money from mowing lawns and pulling weeds. My first was a Piper Comanche, my second was a P-51. I learned a lot about too many subjects to list from having and flying those planes. Then I got a Mattel free-flight foam electric plane that had some kind of cam wheel that would move the rudder for different flight patterns. I wonder if anyone remembers those. Then in 2000 while in my 30s I realized that I was not to old to start playing with planes again. I got a pusher prop RTF 2-channel plane from a local hobby shop, then I got a Zagi kit from that same shop and I learned that hard way that it was not a very good beginner plane. I managed to fly it several times, and each flight ended in a crash. I gave that plane to a nephew that is now an airline pilot, but I think he lost that Zagi. After many years of thinking of getting back into the hobby, about 18 months ago with an RTF, stabilized P-51 from Bangood. I still love flying that plane and I would recommend it to anyone. But my first recent "hobby grade" plane is an E-Flite Conscendo that I love flying on windy days. For something that has no gyro stabilization, I fly a Great Planes Kunai. So I think motor gliders are now my thing.
Back to the beginning: My dad was in the Air Force (stationed at Nellis, home base of the Thunderbirds and a lot of cutting-edge aviation) and while he was not a pilot then, he got his general aviation license and would take me up in Beechcrafts as a kid and let me try the controls. That's where my lifelong fascination with aviation and aviation history really came from. As far as the hobby is concerned, I started in the 1970s with Cox control line planes that I purchased with money from mowing lawns and pulling weeds. My first was a Piper Comanche, my second was a P-51. I learned a lot about too many subjects to list from having and flying those planes. Then I got a Mattel free-flight foam electric plane that had some kind of cam wheel that would move the rudder for different flight patterns. I wonder if anyone remembers those. Then in 2000 while in my 30s I realized that I was not to old to start playing with planes again. I got a pusher prop RTF 2-channel plane from a local hobby shop, then I got a Zagi kit from that same shop and I learned that hard way that it was not a very good beginner plane. I managed to fly it several times, and each flight ended in a crash. I gave that plane to a nephew that is now an airline pilot, but I think he lost that Zagi. After many years of thinking of getting back into the hobby, about 18 months ago with an RTF, stabilized P-51 from Bangood. I still love flying that plane and I would recommend it to anyone. But my first recent "hobby grade" plane is an E-Flite Conscendo that I love flying on windy days. For something that has no gyro stabilization, I fly a Great Planes Kunai. So I think motor gliders are now my thing.
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I wonder if anyone else remembers these two Mattel toys that I had and loved.
Superstar free flight electric plane
Vertibird cable-driven helicopter
Superstar free flight electric plane
Vertibird cable-driven helicopter

Thread Starter

We grump and groan of things but we must also take into mind that the needs of our society have made some dramatic changes EX; metal work is replaced by polymers. robots do the job longer somewhat better and do not need breaks or vacations. even the wood we build our homes of is being replace by concrete that is positioned by 3d machines. objects are made from designs that are thought of only a hour ago. Gasoline that is refined from oil is in decline due to battery power, (don't mention greed) Think about it even the fuel for our models is getting harder to find because of battery powered planes that are molded from plastic instead of being cut and built from wood and are disposable.
More importantly our moral fiber has decayed to a point that respect is considered a handycap. the family unit? almost a thing of the past. babies are having babies.
the worlds needs and wants are in flux. today watch what is happening in the manufacturing sector batteries an elect. motors don't need valve jobs. when they break we remove and replace---------not much skill needed there. your car is operated, guided, diagnosed, and in some ways fixed Or junked by a computer chip. which we are in dire need of because we sent the knowledge and job overseas. People we ain't in Kansas no more, scottie dun beamed us up.
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GallopingGhostler (07-11-2022)

I wonder if anyone else remembers these two Mattel toys that I had and loved.
Superstar free flight electric plane
Vertibird cable-driven helicopter
Superstar free flight electric plane
Vertibird cable-driven helicopter
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GallopingGhostler (07-11-2022)

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I wonder if anyone else remembers these two Mattel toys that I had and loved.
Superstar free flight electric plane
Vertibird cable-driven helicopter
Superstar free flight electric plane
Vertibird cable-driven helicopter

Yup, acdii , got the Wal-E movie, where your cartoon movie scene is from. Good computer animation with a good story. Seems they don't make them now as they used to. Problem is, when people get that obese suffer from health problems related to it. Used to visit seniors in nursing homes, came to the conclusion that many of them wouldn't be there if they simply took better care of their health, sad but true.
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acdii (07-12-2022),
David John Davis (07-11-2022)

I've eliminated the stuff from my diet, already lost 10 lbs. in only a month and a half. The food scientists know the stuff is so addictive, that you can't simply have one slice of bread or one sugar pastry. Next thing you know, (at least I), wolfed down not 1, but 3 or 4.


We seniors have to educate ourselves, because no one else is going to do it for us.


It's why I lose weight on a low carb diet, eliminating bread, but, the down side is, lack of decent meals at lunch time. Hard to make a sammich when you are not eating bread. I would make my own with the right ingredients, if I had the time. I swear I am busier now at 58 than I was at 28.

It's why I lose weight on a low carb diet, eliminating bread, but, the down side is, lack of decent meals at lunch time. Hard to make a sammich when you are not eating bread. I would make my own with the right ingredients, if I had the time. I swear I am busier now at 58 than I was at 28.
At times I've even bought say, canned cooked garbanzo beans from say, Dollar Tree store. About the only down side for some odd reason is they load down many canned goods with a lot of salt. Seems you can't win for losing.

I force myself to get past the pain. all my fingers, especially the middle and ring on my right hand are very painful to make a fist. The vertebrae just above my hip or pelvis is arthritic, so movement certain ways triggers it, and that could lead to my leg(s) giving out, and the worst thing I have is thoracic vertebrae that have deteriorated about the area behind the heart and causes pinched nerves. For a while I thought I was having liver or gall bladder issues, but it was pinched nerves, and now my left arm gets some real hard zingers all the way down to my ring and pinky, especially if I am reaching for something. I work through it, try to ignore it, but sometimes the pain gets overwhelming and NOTHING stops the pain. I take Meloxicam 7.5mg which helps a lot for the lower back, hips, knees and my fingers, but does nothing for the pinched nerve. That and prescription Esomeprozole AKA Nexium 40mg are the only meds I take, I also take Potassium, Zinc, Magnesium, B complex, D, and Glucosamine.
Whats funny is for years I fought with heart palpitations that test after test after test were done, no results, 2 hospital visits, multiple stress tests, Angio, etc. and the heart is strong and clean. Problem was low potassium, and I discovered that myself. Since I started taking Potassium, the palpitations have pretty much gone away, and if I miss a day or two, they come back. Lately now that I have been doing a lot more physical work outside I noticed I needed to up the dose a bit, and now take 3 tablets a day instead of 2.
Whats funny is for years I fought with heart palpitations that test after test after test were done, no results, 2 hospital visits, multiple stress tests, Angio, etc. and the heart is strong and clean. Problem was low potassium, and I discovered that myself. Since I started taking Potassium, the palpitations have pretty much gone away, and if I miss a day or two, they come back. Lately now that I have been doing a lot more physical work outside I noticed I needed to up the dose a bit, and now take 3 tablets a day instead of 2.

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I take Vitamin D3 and Osteo Bi-Flex everyday. I can't take NSAIDs anymore due to kidney damage. I use OTC Voltaren gel occasional for pain when I need something and I can't ignore it. I also the prescription strength if it gets too bad and the OTC doesn't help. It doesn't seem to affect my kidneys like the pills do.

I am 10 years ACDII's senior, and take no prescription meds. Yes, I have taken when necessary. Some have to, as shown, because injuries exist that require intervention. I don't advise going against sound medical wisdom.
Something odd I have noticed is that the modern meds seem to have more side effects than the old, some with very deep concern. After back surgery was on muscle relaxants. To combat constipation, was also given a stool softener. After couple days, nada. Stopped the relaxants, 24 hours later, the flood gates were open.
What medically was supposed to work in theory
could not help relaxed intestinal muscles.
Since I could live without the pain meds, did so, recovered quickly.
Body needs exercise. I go to the gym a couple days a week, work within the restraints of my body, to improve myself, I compete against no other. This has helped me along with proper diet avoiding gout, to control my arthritis. We were designed to be in motion.
Something odd I have noticed is that the modern meds seem to have more side effects than the old, some with very deep concern. After back surgery was on muscle relaxants. To combat constipation, was also given a stool softener. After couple days, nada. Stopped the relaxants, 24 hours later, the flood gates were open.



Body needs exercise. I go to the gym a couple days a week, work within the restraints of my body, to improve myself, I compete against no other. This has helped me along with proper diet avoiding gout, to control my arthritis. We were designed to be in motion.


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I think diet is a big help with your wellbeing. I started taking in a lot more ruffage and it really helps the ole plumbing. I try to stay active but it isn't easy in this heat. Just going out in the car to run a quick errand is enough to trigger my asthma and other lung issues.

It is over-hyped and certainly isn't that panacea that it is presented as being but CBD does seem to help with the pain and stiffness in my hands without much in the way of noticeable side effects.
I think acdii might be my long lost twin.
I think acdii might be my long lost twin.