Reply to Mode One

Here's some statistic I've picked up, here and on other threads:
1) No matter what the subject, you will always get someone chirping in with some negative attitude - weather they've got interest in the subject or not.
2) No matter how hard you try, someone will always go bigger, faster or more beautiful - that's what keeps a hobby interesting.
3) The plane with the most repairs is always the most fun to fly.

Something else that is interesting for me is that some build just in the winter, maybe only 1 or 2 plane ( winter projects?) and fly in the summer (flying season)
Here in South Africa we build and fly right trough the year, it took me just more than a year to fill up my JR radio's 30 model memory, But I should also mention that the quality and finishing of our planes is no match to your's.

All note that this was a very wide generalization and should not be taken as an insult or used as a fact based comment in any discussion.

Statistics are numbers and the numbers by themselves don't have the ability to lie! I enjoy statistics and feel they give me a more clear view of what is going on. If you feel that because of bias, statistics are worthless, that is certainly your prerogative! I will say that I feel bias has an affect; but, I don't think it makes the whole worthless.

Originally Posted by EINA

Reply to Mode One

Here's some statistic I've picked up, here and on other threads:
1) No matter what the subject, you will always get someone chirping in with some negative attitude - weather they've got interest in the subject or not.

Statistically you are absolutely correct!

Here at Texas A&M and other universites students are crawling for information on building RC Aircraft, but they are required to do it by the scratch methold. Even remote water sampling with an 8 motor platform for biological experiments autonomously. Also another experiment that has lots of funding is for canopy photography in rain forests. As already mentioned, all the skills & technology of miniture robotics, and it's about time the batteries & motors caught up with the rest of the already exsisting technology, now it's time from them to catch up to us! The local middle school where we like to fly (80 some acres) has a principal that teaches avation. I'm putting together some RC supplies for him as he is also a RC flyer and wants to move that direction with kitting up some slow flyers and/or plans and will need some electronics like 3 ch transmitters and receivers. 7th & 8th graders.

I like to build mainly in the summers, so darned hot here then. But to keep it traditional, I build in the winter too. That 4 years in upper peninsula Michagan did it.

Stats? Legal lies! Bewhare. It' s what questions your asking or answering,, is what makes that clock tick. Sometimes with words that have different meanings to the sample pool & to the suscribers of that data.

Best. Doug

Wham!

The "old" days:

1. Dude see bro flying really cool RC plane
2. Dude asks "where did you get it / how much did it cost" line of questioning.
3. Pilot says "I built it myself"
4. Dude says "Cool. How did you build it?"
5. Pilot says "Its fun, you can build one. Go get the ABC kit from XYZ hobbies.
6. Dude goes out and gets kit, and becomes a builder and pilot.

The "new" days:
1. Dude sees RTF foamy electric "dumpster donut" in LHS.
2. Clerk says "You can be flying in 5 minutes!".
3. Dude buys the dumpster donut and heads to local field.
4. Dude crashes once, tosses the plane and buys another one.
5. Dude repeats step 4 until he can finally fly.
6. Dude see bro flying really cool RC plane
7. Dude asks "where did you get it / how much did it cost" line of questioning.
8. Pilot says "I built it myself"
9. Dude says "Cool. How did you build it?"
10. Pilot says "Its fun, you can build one. Go get the ABC kit from XYZ hobbies.
11. Dude goes out and gets kit, and becomes a builder and pilot.

Well, that's the way it worked for me. But then I'm an old flatulent that has always loved building things anyway. So what that's worth is anyone's guess.

Peering out from my pile of balsa sticks, etc, and 2 inch thick of balsa dust on the floor in my shop,
"What's an ARF?"

Haha, I've taken to calling them dogs.

ARF ARF ARF!!!

Statistics aren't just about politics, where I'll grant you they're likely biased! Some of you seem to be projecting a somewhat "Skitzy" fear of the word. We are talking about R/C and the model airplane building hobby, here. Remember, the words "R/C", "Model Airplanes" and "Hobby" are our friends in this world. However, just to happy up the discussion some, I promise not the mention the word "STATISTICS" again until the next time!

Our club has created a nostalgia Flying league many of our club members will be building paragons bird of times etc to fly in the league. All scratch built or kit built. Not likely any of them will be arf's since the winch strength needed to be competative will require some proper spar building etc that generally does not come from a nostalgia ARF not that there are many of them available anyways. So one method might be to find someone that has a great Nostalgia plane in our case it was a member that took second in nostalgia at nats and decide to build a league around that plane ie the Paragon. Little steps all around will be the key. Also supporting folks like Ray hayes and encouraging them to build kits that are not only Nostalgia legal but winch capable with proper spars engineered into the new kits. Good luck all hopefully we all are up for some fantastic kit building and flying.

Paragon is a sweet ship...I had one in the late 70's. That wing is already pretty strong especially if built one piece . 118" wing in a chevy chevette.. now that was a sight to see !

I had a couple stats classes and you can prove whatever one wishes using them.

Bring back BOM rules for ALL competition!


fixed!

Yeah, the statistics I'm interested in are all about proving my point of view! Also, believe half of what you see and nothing you hear and trust no one over the age of 30.

The question: "How do we bring model building back?" is part and partial to the overall decline in interest in these types of activities by the youth of today. The AMA has declining membership, so does the EAA as do most organizations of this nature.

Many of the people who helped me get started are either dead; or, to feeble to enjoy the hobby anymore. These are the people who brought the hobby from push button control to digital proportional. They also saw air travel go from a rarity to everyday. Every kid in my neighborhood built models, for the pure joy of doing so. Somehow or another, building models got changed to a chore, beneath us, let's let the children of third world countries do this for us, for peanuts an hour in wages!

Times change, without doubt! To lecture me about how much they change, after 60 years of living these changes, would be a stupid endeavor. Still, someone will! So, change IS inevitable, this doesn't mean I have to like all of it!

However, at 60 years of age, I can also see there will be an end to the time I have to enjoy this hobby. I have, and will continue to help people who are interested enough to take the initiative to get started, along my way, be they young; or, old.

Creating the spark for this hobby in the youth of today, is beyond my ability; or interests and I'm not going to spend much time in this pursuit, as frankly my time is limited and to valuable to me!