aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

on another thread Dave wrote and it would appear he that got modelling all mixed up, I'll give you a hand buddy.

from [link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3454400/tm.htm[/link]


now from where I come from: modelling is very homogeneous and is practiced the same

we are in it for fun
we don't compete much if any
we like to gather a fly-ins and visit old friends
if we don't get in a flight in, that's ok, we were probably shooting the breeze with buddies.
we like to bbq at the field
we like to party (after the flying)
we like to camp at fly-ins
we all rush out to the field after work
we stay as long as we can
we all spend too much on the hobby
we are all dreaming of our next project
we join maac for the insurance
we all say r/c is cheaper that golf
we smack a plane to two each year.
we hate rain and wind on the weekends

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Yeah, I like your's better Ken.

.........what the Hey does immigration have to do with toy planes? You'd almost think Dave was from Ottawa. ;)

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

a few more
Where I come from:
- an experienced flyer would never compete in a novice level
- we know we are flying toy airplanes, we love it and don't care.
- we've all experienced the walk of shame
- a good flight brings a smile to our faces

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Interesting generalisations.

I'm pretty sure the heli clubs, and aerotow clubs, and the pylon clubs, and giant scale clubs and powerboat clubs, and car racing clubs, and rocketry clubs and control line clubs and indoor clubs and many other would have some issues with some of your generalisations though....:D

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Actually, if you sub toy boat or car or sailplane etc for airplane, There isn't much to take exception about. [sm=confused.gif]

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Actually, if you generalise even further, you could say we all enjoy having fun. :):eek:

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

....agreed, safe assumption. [&:]

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Oddly, where you come from there are a couple of clubs and many modellers who DO compete regularly and frequently.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Gee Ken you pretty much got it all figured out! As an "FAI type" lets see how I fit in to your modellers in Canada spec....


we are in it for fun - Yep or I wouldnt do it
we don't compete much if any - lets see, I put in about 500 flights this year, about 36 of those were in a competition or about 7.2%....so yep I dont actually compete that much
we like to gather a fly-ins and visit old friends - Lets see I met up with about 20-30 people that I only see about once a year or two years.....attended I think 3 fun flys and chatted with old buddies
if we don't get in a flight in, that's ok, we were probably shooting the breeze with buddies. - I usually try and get in my requisite 4 flights, sometimes though its only 3 and sometimes its 5!
we like to bbq at the field - did some of that as well!
we like to party (after the flying) - around a campfire!
we like to camp at fly-ins - I prefer hotels, my RV is my car and my tent is a bit small
we all rush out to the field after work - Usually out there 10 minutes after the job ends
we stay as long as we can - 30-35 hours at the field a week, that long enough for you?
we all spend too much on the hobby - I have never spent too much on my hobby....100% of my income would not be considered too much
we are all dreaming of our next project - Yep, 3 of them on the way right now...cant wait
we join maac for the insurance - Oh ya got me there...I join it for the magazine
we all say r/c is cheaper that golf - I dont golf, stupid sport hitting a little ball around.....
we smack a plane to two each year - if you include indoor flying...then damn you got me beat...I lost about 10 planes in the past year
we hate rain and wind on the weekends - I fly in rain and wind...nothing stops me from enjoying my hobby.

Yep, you got it all figured out. I guess maybe us "FAI types" have it figured out to huh? [sm=bananahead.gif]

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

I'm sure there are and are glad to have you as their spoke person, and how many is many as in many modelers.

Ain't got nothing figured out, just having a good time with you boys.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Oddly enough, that's the first thing you've written in some time that makes sense to me... I guess the new medication is working out for you? :D

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

>I guess the new medication is working out for you

Medication? Ah, so that's the reason - I just thought that Ken was having a brief flash of sanity ... :D

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Immigration does have an effect. If a modeller comes to Canada from, say Europe he will have been exposed to disciplines that might differ from from those he might have met had he only grown up in Canada. Free flight is a particular case, others might be control line stunt and combat. Not that these aren't found in Canada, but they are only popular in a few places. You won't find much free flight in Nova Scotia because there's almost nowhere where you could fly a free flight model without losing it. Immigration is one reason why you tend to find most all types of discipline around Hogtown. And why there is considerable interest in competition.

Ken completely misses the point. If modelling were homogenous in one area it doesn't mean it is homogenous across the country.

I really like slope soaring but haven't found a decent site here, though I know there are good sites in NovaScotia and in the Qu'Applelle Valley.

No Marc, I'm not from Ottawa, I did live there for a while, but I've also lived in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Toronto, PEI and Nova Scotia. I also lived (and flew models) in England, Ireland and Belgium.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Dave totally misses the point, I'm afraid of replying so that I do not invoke one of Dave's long lectures.

Modeling across Canada is homogeneous, it's about having fun with our toy airplanes, an escape from reality, boring holes in the sky, doing work burner passes.

There are a handful like Dave that still practice or express themselves in modeling the old fashioned way which is fine, what ever turns you on I suppose, each to his own.

dave you have to watch this clip - this is where aeromodelling is at [link=http://www.altecare.com/robustwatchme.wmv]wonderful aeromodeling clip[/link]

party on dave!

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

........ what the hey is a "work burner"

Ken, you taking typing lessons from Jabba?

Dave: I'm sorry, but there is no way in my lifetime that you are going to seriously convince me that politicalcorrectology immigration "think-tank" stuff is making a large impact on the hobby of model-airplaning. Big stretch.

There is nobody in this hobby that I have ever met, besides you of course, that has remotely (pardon the pun) attributed their modelling interest to their cultural background? Give me a break. Thanks for the chuckle.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

>boring holes in the sky

Now, doesn't that sound boring?? :D

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

What is wrong with Canadian modellers? Can't we all just get along for goodness sakes. Everytime I click on a random thread here in the M.A.A.C forum you people are at eachother's throats...although it is usually the same cast of characters. Good grief, get a grip and get over yourselves. Enough of the hen pecking already.

Just make up with eachother and move on. I hear having a common enemy can make two sides come together. So, then, hate me?...please...?

Peace!

John

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Hey, John. I can only speak for myself, but I hate nobody here. The entertainment of a wee bit of Modelism Discussionary Chess isn't a bad thing. Folks have differingent opinion on everything life has to offer and that's ok. I may even further hazard to guess that some of this has be therapeutic and some respect earned here and there that didn't previously exhist.

...... and some just like to argue. Kind of like "boring holes" in the grey matter of cyberland. ;)

............besides, I don't think anyone in here wants to crawl into a Montreal Hotel bed with me to sing "Give peace a chance"? [sm=kiss.gif]


:D

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Hi John, don't give up hope, the vast majority of maac members are in this hobby for fun and having a good time, however in maac like all organizations there are the small special interest groups that cause the political activity, same as in maac.

Until the 94 Brandon Nats fubar, nobody in the club I fly at went to a maac zone meeting or looked at the maac financial statement, after the 94 Nats issue , more members of maac started looking for accountability in the maac operation, considering that only $2.00 of our $40.00 membership fee went for insurance at that time.

along the way there have been a few more issues such as the ACC fees, fai travel fund, the $62k loss at Scale 2002, the proposed move of the maac HQ to Tillsonburg (my back still aches when I hear that word).
Thus you have more maac members keeping a closer eye on the maac operation since the majority need the maac insurance to fly and this is a good thing for all maac members to be aware.

A good example is the Becel commercial - a member of the board sending what could be considered a negative message off to Becel without examing the possibility of partnering and working with Becel on model aviation.

However we are forever hopeful, the maac board realizes the majority of maac members fly for fun, just bore holes in the sky and are out for a good time to relax and hopefully can accomodate everyone with a strategic plan that will maximize our strenghts.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

You sure as hell got that one right!!![:'(]

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

[quote]There is nobody in this hobby that I have ever met, besides you of course, that has remotely (pardon the pun) attributed their modelling interest to their cultural background? Give me a break. Thanks for the chuckle.

Sorry Marc, I have to disillusion you on that point. I flew free flight in Europe and maintain that interest today. At least a third of the serious competition flyers, that I know personally, are involved in disciplidnes that they started flying before they emigrated here.

Today, sport R/C is the dominant part of our hobby, and I do not question your knowledge of, or expertise in that area. Nor, I might add, do I question that the majority of MAAC's time, resources and efforts must be channelled towards the R/C sport flyer. Amongst the competitive flyers, the picture is quite different. A lot of them are Europeans who continue to fly what they flew in Europe. By your own admission, you are disinterested in the competitive side of our hobby.

You may find Dave Larkin's writing style is not to your liking, but I have rarely found him to be wrong when he makes factual statements. Dave is one of the most knowledgeable modellers in Canada. I am not alone in respecting him.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Dave's a great guy and can really spin a yarn, some even think most of it is factual but facts like eye witness accounts can all be spun.

I'm not sure if Dave would agree with this, with the biggest politcal turmoil in maac history was lead by Dave. We all respect Dave, however his actions of taking the maac acc issue outside the board perhaps indicated that he is not a team player thus his writings may be viewed as cynical by the majority that you have indicated as being the majority.

We all forgave Dave a long time ago and hope he continues to channel his engeries to the big picture of maac.

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Ken,

Nowhere did I refer to a "majority". My words were "I am not alone". I really would appreciate it if you would be accurate when you quote me.

When it comes to spinning yarns. I do not consider Dave to be in the same league as youself. The mind boggles at many of your assertions!

As the the ACC issue. Dave did not precipitate that problem. He solved it. Had he not done so, MAAC could easily have lost its position as the governing body of model aviation in Canada. Speaking as someone who has also served as the ACC representative for MAAC, and thus do have some real knowledge of our involvement, I believe that Dave did what he had to do, and did it well.

Some time ago, on one of the threads, you were challenged to make a positive contribution - I believe along the lines of developing material for newcomers to the hobby.

How is that initiative progressing?

Richard Barlow

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Gee, I wonder who these people are.... I wonder if it would be the same ones who continue to post this tripe in every forum they haven't been kicked out of yet.... maybe you can save your response for RCCanada eh Kenny? ... oops sorry ... forgot ... you can't, why is that again?:)

RE: aeromodelling across canada - now from where i come from
 

Ok, apparently I have met two. Naturally, there will be more than the one or two persons I have met that will fit into that catagory. (you'll note I wasn't generalizing that statement) My point was that I cannot take seriously the notion that ethnicity/immigration plays a major role in aeromodelling in Canada. Not unless you play the "cultural mosaic makeup of the country card" and really toss generality into the boat.

I'm sure there are plenty of "micro-reasons" for why members fly what they do, but the only fair generalizations would be love for aviation, having fun and escaping reality.......I.M.O. Freeflight is a good example. Apparently, where you come may play a minor role in chosing freeflight? ........but a major impact? Is there a huge increase in freeflight modellers? I've seen one fly in the 12-13 yrs I've been seriously active. I was interested in it because it could fly...... (Not to mention somebody had to distract the bulls in the field it landed in so it could be recovered)........ to each his own. Have fun.

In the freeflight example, Is it not more of a nostalgia thing because that's what early modelers did to satisfy their passion. I'm not dissing anyone's interests, I understand the difficulties and skill behind building something well enough to make it do what you want without correction after it leaves your hand, but it's not my thing ........... and that's ok too. Isn't it?

Richard; "MAAC could easily have lost its position as the governing body of model aviation in Canada."

That's a bit sensationalized methinks? It would appear that MAAC was the "governing body of model aviation" in our own minds only........... at least until recently. MAAC had completely lost touch with the true governing body (Transport Canada) until recently and, correct if I'm wrong, we are still hacking out our role with TC to possibly, "really" have MAAC recognized as such? ie: the definition of a model airplane, etc.