DW booth at the RCX

Originally Posted by BryanEW710

At least not if you're willing to pay for AMA licensing and club dues (I'm not).

I'd rather buy planes.

Originally Posted by Idoitall

I'd rather buy planes.

Me too. I was kind of complaining that unless you're willing to join a club that finding people to fly with is kinda difficult.

Originally Posted by BryanEW710

Me too. I was kind of complaining that unless you're willing to join a club that finding people to fly with is kinda difficult.

Why are you unwilling to join a club? It's a great way to learn more and certainely bringing DW products into a club is a lot of fun (especially if it is primarily a glow club!)

Originally Posted by mark_q

Why are you unwilling to join a club? It's a great way to learn more and certainely bringing DW products into a club is a lot of fun (especially if it is primarily a glow club!)

Don't want to spend more money for something I already do for free. It's nothing personal against anyone--I just don't like the idea of paying for flying, and this hobby is already expensive enough.

To be honest, what frustrates me more is the AMA certification.

Originally Posted by BryanEW710

Don't want to spend more money for something I already do for free. It's nothing personal against anyone--I just don't like the idea of paying for flying, and this hobby is already expensive enough.

To be honest, what frustrates me more is the AMA certification.

Ditto. I don't agree with or think I get much value from the direction the AMA is taking anyway (it was one of the original reasons I quit my last club). I'm open to a club that you pay fees for upkeep, but invariably, "clubs" just mean "pooling of liability". Park fliers and light weight foam/electrics have made this sport much easier to do without having run ways and places where you can try not to kill someone with a 10cc 5lb rocket...

While it's fun to fly in parks, and casual places, clubs are great! Half the fun of flying is hanging out with the fellas. A club is a good place to find new buddies.

Flying buds are the best because you can just laugh and talk about planes, motors, landings, crashes, etc without talking about jobs, kids, parents, school, etc.

Joining the AMA, especially for Park Flyers (They have a group specially for us) is a great thing. I flew without AMA for years. But now, because of the AMA I have 3 fields that I can go to an fly at any time. This is critical in Urban areas.

I am so tired of arquing with Soccer Coaches to get off there field (when nobody is on it), coming out to me like some sort of super jock (tripping over all of the torn up turf) that the little soccer angels tore up with thier cleats.

I am tired of the brainless twitt that came up to me and asked me (while I was flying my heli) "Do you mind if I let my dog chase your neat helicopter" (It was a 450 and would have take that pooches head off).

I like having insurance on the AMA field. As current laws (and judge Judy) have turned us into such a litigious society that we draw our attorney's like the people in the neighborhood I grew up in drew thier guns.

The list goes on and on...

Originally Posted by FlopGun

While it's fun to fly in parks, and casual places, clubs are great! Half the fun of flying is hanging out with the fellas. A club is a good place to find new buddies.

Flying buds are the best because you can just laugh and talk about planes, motors, landings, crashes, etc without talking about jobs, kids, parents, school, etc.

+1
And...
The AMA, for $4.17 per month, provides you with a couple million dollars in insurance.
And...
A club field very often has "facilities" and power and manageable spectators and like Flop points out buddies who you can "borrow" stuff from or even better SELL stuff to.

But hey to each his own, I was just wonder'n

Originally Posted by FlopGun

While it's fun to fly in parks, and casual places, clubs are great! Half the fun of flying is hanging out with the fellas. A club is a good place to find new buddies.

Flying buds are the best because you can just laugh and talk about planes, motors, landings, crashes, etc without talking about jobs, kids, parents, school, etc.

Clubs are great...I just don't like the thought that I'm paying for my company. Just a personal thing.

Originally Posted by Chris Arena

Joining the AMA, especially for Park Flyers (They have a group specially for us) is a great thing. I flew without AMA for years. But now, because of the AMA I have 3 fields that I can go to an fly at any time. This is critical in Urban areas.

I am so tired of arquing with Soccer Coaches to get off there field (when nobody is on it), coming out to me like some sort of super jock (tripping over all of the torn up turf) that the little soccer angels tore up with thier cleats.

I am tired of the brainless twitt that came up to me and asked me (while I was flying my heli) "Do you mind if I let my dog chase your neat helicopter" (It was a 450 and would have take that pooches head off).

I like having insurance on the AMA field. As current laws (and judge Judy) have turned us into such a litigious society that we draw our attorney's like the people in the neighborhood I grew up in drew thier guns.

The list goes on and on...

I do most of my flying from a set of baseball fields next to where I work (on my lunch breaks, when hardly anyone is in the park) and a baseball field in my neighborhood. At worst, I get some kid asking me if I can let him fly (to which I say "no" as nicely as I can). It's not a big deal considering I can fly for free and considering how little I get to fly time-wise, it's more than sufficient.

Mikeonthebike, enjoyed your video, I think you did very well. Thanks for sharing.

Blu

A lot depends on encroachment as urban areas get more dense. When I lived in the Walnut Creek area of Northern California. School yards and parks were plentiful. Then, almost overnight, the soccer boom, as well as the general population hit and flying fields and peaceful flying almost ceased to exist.

Now, up here in Gig Harbor, WA, it is almost impossible to find a place to fly. There are pleny of fields (with no-model airplane) signs all over and the local Sherrif will kick you off. (As I have found out).

It just got to be a pain to go to a field only to find it full of soccer players, or just looking over your shoulder in case of some fool walking his dog right accross your flight path and staring you down waiting to be a "victom" stumbles by.

It's great to fly on an open park now and then and I still do, but it is getting to be a rare occurance in my neck of the woods. Also, It is great to be around like minded people. However, if your area is still open and free. Then with the type of models we fly, then have at it. It's all good then.

Originally Posted by Chris Arena

It's great to fly on an open park now and then and I still do, but it is getting to be a rare occurance in my neck of the woods. Also, It is great to be around like minded people. However, if your area is still open and free. Then with the type of models we fly, then have at it. It's all good then.

Yep.

Admittedly, there's an all-electric club about 5min from my house whose home field was a gasser field in a past life, and as such is much, much larger than it needs to be. I hung out with the folks in the club for one of their end-of-season events last year, and really enjoyed the company. That said, I just don't like the thought of paying for the certification just so I can hang out with people I enjoy hanging out with to do what we enjoy.

Originally Posted by Bluhammer

Mikeonthebike, enjoyed your video, I think you did very well. Thanks for sharing.

Blu

Thanks Blu, I built a nice mount out of extra depron foam to carry my go pro cam right on the center of gravity. I will post up some pictures of the mount. I had a few flights with the mount and cam on already and it'll still hover and do the bigger faster maneuvers but you can sure feel the weight.

Anways I had the mount and cam on and I let a buddy do some thumbing of the right stick in flight, he got inverted, I saved it and dove and I saved it at crucial point but he came back in for the stick and the rest is history ( i know dumb move will be buying another tx and trainer cable) , go pro cam and mount survived, motor shaft, prop adapter and some foam on the right wing didn't fare so well as well as a glue line down the main fuse. BUT it was all on film. I will post the dive bomb when I get it uploaded.

Planes all patched up, a lil touch up latex paint and it's all back together and flew it twice yesterday evening.

a pic from the flights the other day

Originally Posted by MikeontheBike

Thanks Blu, I built a nice mount out of extra depron foam to carry my go pro cam right on the center of gravity. I will post up some pictures of the mount. I had a few flights with the mount and cam on already and it'll still hover and do the bigger faster maneuvers but you can sure feel the weight.

Anways I had the mount and cam on and I let a buddy do some thumbing of the right stick in flight, he got inverted, I saved it and dove and I saved it at crucial point but he came back in for the stick and the rest is history ( i know dumb move will be buying another tx and trainer cable) , go pro cam and mount survived, motor shaft, prop adapter and some foam on the right wing didn't fare so well as well as a glue line down the main fuse. BUT it was all on film. I will post the dive bomb when I get it uploaded.

Planes all patched up, a lil touch up latex paint and it's all back together and flew it twice yesterday evening.

a pic from the flights the other day

ouch,sorry to hear about your foamie.that is a sweet pick tho!

looking forward to the vid