harleym
Aug 07, 2008, 11:43 PM
In 40 years of competing, I’ve brought home my share of plaques, trophies, cups & mugs, but really, who cares? The wife might say “That’s nice, dear. Uh, were you planning to get the lawn mowed yet this week?”
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve much enjoyed the contest environment. It’s fun, exciting & challenging. A win gives brief glory as you head home to reality. Been there, done that many times, but what strikes me as being worthwhile is not the win. It’s the stimulation, learning, seeing old friends, making new ones, the camaraderie, helping somebody out, the pure delight of soaring, steadily getting better at it, & always having fun.
I’ve never understand why otherwise mature, sensible adults would go to such trouble & expense to win something as insignificant as a routine glider contest. Considering the way humans are wired up, I suppose possible reasons may include; money, respect of fellow competitors, self-esteem, ego gratification, recognition, clobber your arch ‘rival, etc.
Money? Really? For us ordinary mortals, there’s no validity to that one in going to glider contests. Want to be money ahead? Stay home instead.
Respect of fellow competitors? Sure, that’s nice. If you can be modest & likeable & win it works. If you make a jerk of yourself in the process, it doesn’t.
Self-esteem? If this depends on your contest ranking, I suggest you need to get a life. The same goes for ego gratification, recognition, etc.
Clobber that so & so? Yah! That has merit, especially if you do it with a scratch-buildable ship you made for $350 while he was using an $1,800 ARF.
Of course, I understand why the ARF appeals to many. But if my reasons for “rolling your own” strike you as valid, check out the Photo Gallery & review the “What’s A Genie?” file. Although scratch-buildable, it should become clear that these are uncompromising, refined, extremely capable airframes. The glassed-over fuselages are commonly assumed to be molded & using the Rotary Driver System, the wings are free of external hardware.
They are probably representative of what would be available if the ARF had not appeared & if innovative modelers had continued on with airframe & hardware refinement.
With all the help available from plans, parts, step-by-step instructions, pictures, drawings & e-mail support, doing an excellent job on a Genie line ship is realistic for many.
A new building season is not far off. Now is a good time to check out the Materials List & get things on hand to do a leisurely build for next year’s flying season.
If I can find it, I'll attach a picture of finished tip section on Smooth Genie Pro #5. How this finishing is done is detailed in the Fine Finishing file in the new website.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve much enjoyed the contest environment. It’s fun, exciting & challenging. A win gives brief glory as you head home to reality. Been there, done that many times, but what strikes me as being worthwhile is not the win. It’s the stimulation, learning, seeing old friends, making new ones, the camaraderie, helping somebody out, the pure delight of soaring, steadily getting better at it, & always having fun.
I’ve never understand why otherwise mature, sensible adults would go to such trouble & expense to win something as insignificant as a routine glider contest. Considering the way humans are wired up, I suppose possible reasons may include; money, respect of fellow competitors, self-esteem, ego gratification, recognition, clobber your arch ‘rival, etc.
Money? Really? For us ordinary mortals, there’s no validity to that one in going to glider contests. Want to be money ahead? Stay home instead.
Respect of fellow competitors? Sure, that’s nice. If you can be modest & likeable & win it works. If you make a jerk of yourself in the process, it doesn’t.
Self-esteem? If this depends on your contest ranking, I suggest you need to get a life. The same goes for ego gratification, recognition, etc.
Clobber that so & so? Yah! That has merit, especially if you do it with a scratch-buildable ship you made for $350 while he was using an $1,800 ARF.
Of course, I understand why the ARF appeals to many. But if my reasons for “rolling your own” strike you as valid, check out the Photo Gallery & review the “What’s A Genie?” file. Although scratch-buildable, it should become clear that these are uncompromising, refined, extremely capable airframes. The glassed-over fuselages are commonly assumed to be molded & using the Rotary Driver System, the wings are free of external hardware.
They are probably representative of what would be available if the ARF had not appeared & if innovative modelers had continued on with airframe & hardware refinement.
With all the help available from plans, parts, step-by-step instructions, pictures, drawings & e-mail support, doing an excellent job on a Genie line ship is realistic for many.
A new building season is not far off. Now is a good time to check out the Materials List & get things on hand to do a leisurely build for next year’s flying season.
If I can find it, I'll attach a picture of finished tip section on Smooth Genie Pro #5. How this finishing is done is detailed in the Fine Finishing file in the new website.