VERY nice FW-190.

Thanks. It is actually a 1/5th scale TA 152. 118" wing.

Know what you mean. I was there 4-5 years ago. I needed to find something new in the hobby to re-energize me. Started flying jets. It's awesome, and EVERYONe is interested in talking about it!

I'm not a big fan of ARFs either. I have had a couple in the past, but I've found I really like building more than flying. It's sad that most of the kits that were available 10-15 years ago have been replaced by ARFs.

Hey Vert,
Don't feel bad about your turnout for your event. The same thing happens at our field also. If you say it's a fun-fly, that's a contest and our club members will leave the state to avoid coming out. Now if you call it a fly-in, we MAY get any where from 10 to 25 flyers IF we are lucky. This year I'm not going to WOTR eather. If your not one of the Big Woo's that come, you don't get the flying in for the big bucks you schell out for entry. So, saving the money for that and going up for the Jet rally two weeks later and have alot more flying and fun.

+1

In my area it seems there are not alot of new flyers. The problem with this is the current crowd is getting old (no hate). they've bee around together for awhile and arent real open to new people. To make it worse, everything they fly has a square wing and nearly 0 wing loading. So they can take off from a mountain if needed. I think a mountain may be smoother than the fields we have these days.

There are barely any EDFs in my area, just a few fomies like squalls. A few turbines, and the rest are square high wings. The extreme is a low wing piper cub. We do have a handful of large 3D planes I should not ignore but its not my thing.

So yes I know what you mean.

Upkeep of a field? One field is destroyed yearly by a large machine auction (tractors, tillers, combines) to it only gets worse. The other floods all the time. The final one has a runway with more crack than Los Angelos. Regardless, no one needs a nice runway as mentioned before, so even if I take it upon my self I dont have any support from the clubs. I and a couple others have tried.

EDIT:

I just want to say I dont go for social interaction. I am there to fly. Like the OP I odnt have much in common with 60-70 year olds. To make it worse I am one of 3 in my area with a turbine so the younger crowd disowns me for some reason since getting it. Probably because one of them acts like he is God's gift to RC because they have a turbine (give me a break).

While I agree with much in this thread, I have to say the constant bashing of ARFs is getting old. They are here to stay... just accept it and move on. If you like to build, GREAT! I hope builders never go away... I love seeing unique models and awesome craftsmanship. However, at the end of the day, I feel like it's the 'compact disk or vinyl' argument. Maybe vinyls do sound better... but they are gone... deal with it. There are cheap, crappy ARFs out there... and there are very good ones... straight, well glued, well covered. Unique, no... but in today's instant-gratification society, the market has spoken. Kits in large numbers are not coming back... so let's just stop complaining about ARFs. I built many kits when I started out... however now, working 45+ hours a week, taking care of things at home, etc, I don't want to spend 300 hours building something... what spare time I do have, I want to fly. I like building, but given a chance to build or fly, I want to fly. A lot of builders are retired... so there is a time-availability issue at play as well. Not really apples to apples.

In regard to attitudes, this is definitely a real problem. As more and more fields are being shut down (my local field just got shut down by a city council, because of one complaining neighbor with political connections), I really worry about the future of our hobby. I'm afraid in 10-15 years there will be no gas models anymore... all small electrics and park fliers. Look what happened to Cox.... the sold a bazillion of those .049 control line planes... now they are sold on ebay as a relic. Check out their site now... a couple of electric park fliers. Noise, no place to fly due to complaints and urban sprawl, injuries from ignorance, and the war on "drones" & FPV are all fighting against us. Also, since kids can go buy a ready built model and fly with little or no help, the camaraderie is going away as well. I am 35 and know of only two people younger than me flying actively. It is scary, and sad... goodbye Great Planes PT-40, Sig four star 40... hello Playstation 4. When I started flying at age 10, I LOVED the flying field... lived there during my summer breaks. All the guys welcomed me in, befriended me, helped me out... now on the rare occasion I see someone younger at the field, they are basically ignored. Too many of the 'old guard' as they are described in this thread want to play king of the hill, and don't even want new/young fliers. As time goes on, will there be enough new fliers/members to keep these fields and clubs going? I really don't think so.

Not really getting fed up with the hobby , but getting fed up with the ridiculous high prices . ARFS and parts have gone through the roof . Just not worth that much money ( to me ) Greed

Wow!! This is really nice work on the cockpit ... REALLY nice!!


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...4&d=1378695469





This is the one BIG thing that always concerns me with these "lightening holes." While the concern is to lighten the weight of the model, I think these holes are unnecessary, or just too large. Whereby leaving very little wood for strength in critical places such as this in the wing root, and fuselage. For me, I'd rather have the strength than the ounce or two (or 4) taken off by these holes.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1918196

This statement fits me to a tee. If someone likes building, I am in total respect of that and I admire their work. I know some extremely polished builders and their planes are immaculate. For me, I fly and fly - I fly ARFs and I like them. They are a perfect fit for my budget and quick way for me to enjoy any spare time I have. Really don't care for any building. Granted I would like to attempt a build at some point when time allows, but it is not paramount for me at all. If it happens, it happens and if not, my ARFs are great for me.

I would imagine we have all seen club changes over time. I just recently saw one of the oddest things that I have seen at a club. One of the long standing members just up and left over silly nonsense! Membership declined dramatically (was around 20 members that had not paid dues at last count - around 20-25% drop) and the usual behind the back bickering going on. Reminds me of the old saying, "Life happens."

I think folks should try their best to get along and keep those snide statements about others to themselves. It is up to each of us to make the difference. I go to fly - not much into the social aspect at all. I do socialize when needed, yet I would rather spend the time flying. :cool:

I read all the post and what stands out is that this hobby is a social event. I gave up on clubs twenty years ago because of one incident. I belonged to a club that flew from a grass strip and naturally this required maintenance. With a club rooster of about twenty you would think this would be no problem but it was. Only a few individuals from the club offered to maintain the field and I was one of them. One day I was mowing the runway on a week day and was told to stop so another club member could fly. This particular person never offered to assist in the up keep of the field but felt entitled to all its' amities. I packed up my lawn mower and never returned. This event is all to common and is a major reason clubs eventually collapse.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1918364Yep, ....The hobby is quickly being consumed by Buttholes . i wish it was the other way but a butthole has only one direction. i'm going to get some t-shirts made say "drama free zone"

Well let me chime in on a possible solution to your runway. If there is a paper mill within 100 miles of your location you might give them a call to see if they will let you have one of their worn out DRYER FELTS. These are nylon type woven fabrics that are about 1/16th to1/8th thick and tough as a woodpecker's lips. They range from the machine width of usually 20 to 30 feet and anywhere from 200 to 700 feet long. They are obviously heavy at around 900 to 1200 lbs. These felts have no chemicals in them and when worn out they are usually sent to the dump. I work in a mill so I was able to get one for a former club and it was great. Weeds may grow on top but you just kick them off as the roots will not grow into the fabric. Anchor them down with ribbed deck nails at odd angles and never go over them with a lawn mower. It will last for about a century or two.

Was reading at lunch and almost had soda coming out my nostrils when I read that too....I agree, funny as heck!

Bashing the OLD GUY. This is a lot of the problem at the clubs and fields. If it were not for us OLD FARTS you would not have what you have today. People take it for granted that they are owed some thing. Well look around and see what you have ! if it were not for us OLD FARTS you would not have your planes, your field or your country. OH and some of us build and fly better than some of the HOT DOGER's
Better call the NURSE time for my MED'S You know! we were young once!

Don't need another ARF thread.

The reason I vented, Every time some thing is brought up about the hobby , the old guy is brought up. It is not he cracks in the runway, the club, or the old guy. I t is every one involved! this hobby has changed and is ever changing. Soon we will not have a flying site and parks an soccer fields will be closed to RC. Well people we have made our nest not a very good one but we done it ourselves.

So my post gets deleted because I ask for a thread without drama? Wow...

Zachary, thank you for your great contributions to this hobby. :rolleyes: Very helpful.

We use these very mats at our club, they work great! Nice medium for prop and jet A/C, while not being as hard on your model as asphalt, if something were to go awry...never happens, right:cool:

It's the old guys that mow, clean, organize, run events, welcome new pilots, buddy box those pilots, and just about everything else that it takes to keep a club running. What have you done Zach???

not at my club they don't the county mows outfile and we pay for service to mow infield , and the mantance day was all middel age pepole ,, and i have been to your club they dont at your club either .. and your club we can go to PM's they have some poltical issues thats a whole other topic ,, but they have some great pepole also like nob Rolando Frank. .. meany others .. thats neither here nor there

so lets get real here even if i am the big'st bad'st preson whatever i am only one guy there are lots of FOG's fogging up this hobby at club house across the nation .. so you can blame me but this guy is a FOG and pepole made up a word for the type of person he is thats unquie to this hobby .. its a epidemic ,

Your post was removed because you quoted another post that was removed because of inappropriate language being posted.

Ken

Gentleman,
I strongly suggest those that are getting angry about issue to put their anger in check in a huge hurry, otherwise they are going find their posts removed. If you can't discuss the subject at hand without getting angry, or insulting other people, then I suggest you refrain from posting in this thread. Because it's not going to be allowed here. Post in a civil manner or your posts are going to go away, the choice is yours to make.

Ken

I was in the same boat.. after 30 years of fixed wing RC flying, everything was a case of "been there, done that"

I started on RC helicopters 3 years ago and wow.. what a humbling experience it was.. I have an ATP (Australian and USA) licence with jet ratings, and a commercial rotary licence with years of experience flying real Police Helicopters, but I can honestly say.. learning to fly RC helicopters was the most challenging and rewarding thing I have done in Aviation ( Full size and RC included)

It is totally addictive, and 3 years later I have 13 x 450 size helis, 2 x 550 size and numerous smaller BNF helis like the MCPX, 130X, Brushless MCPX etc.. I love flying them and feel totally renewed in my passion for this hobby.

As for flying at clubs. I started at 14 in 1978 and my instructor was the one of the calmest and most helpful RC pilots I have encountered, enthusiastic and competent. I remember those days as if it were yesterday, I would hang on his every word and admired the older club members for their building and flying abilities.

After 2 years I was a club instructor at age 16 and enjoyed test flying lots of different aircraft then teaching people to fly them.

But boys grow up and after leaving school, doing an aeronautical engineering degree, joining the Police Force (to pay for my flying lessons) and eventually working two jobs simultaneously (Police and flying instructor) there was no time left for clubs on the weekends. so I would always fly my RC planes alone whenever time permitted.

I have nothing against clubs only very fond and happy memories. My current job also makes it impossible to attend a club regularly as I spend 60-70% of the year away from home (International corporate pilot - currently in Greece for 3 weeks) so I still fly RC alone mostly.. I have a good friend in Perth Australia, who is also my greatest success story as a student and we fly together when I am in Perth on a layover. (50% of my planes and 2 helis live at his house)

To the OP, it sounds like you might enjoy a break from the club.. just fly your planes and go with your heart.. you will know when it is time to go back to the club.. If you ever feel bored with planes - try helis. Its like starting all over again.

There are so many ways to participate in this hobby, building, flying, ARFs, scale, helis etc. .. I think people should be free to enjoy this hobby how they please and let others do the same.