aeajr
04-15-2006, 09:26 AM
I spend a lot of time reading the internet forums for information and tips
about RC flying, fixing my planes, which gadgets to buy and the like. On
many occasions I have reached out to that community for specific help,
and they have responded, sometimes with amazing enthusiasm. Likewise
I try to help others when I can. I tying to help the new guys along into this
wonderful hobby that I have come to enjoy so much.
I guess it is a form of being part of a club. When I read the posts in
this forum and others, the names become familiar. You get to know who
really knows and who just likes to make noise. Being part of this on-line
community has helped to add a social aspect to the hobby that makes it
that much more fun.
However forums, no matter how active and helpful they are, lack real contact
with real people. That is where clubs come in. Clubs add that extra
dimension to this hobby, the dimension of real people.
I have read many posts about people who don't want to join a club for one
reason or another. I don't plan to argue those points, but to share what I
have found in club membership. You draw your own conclusions.
I have found this club aversion especially common among new electric pilots
because, for the most part, it is easier to go it alone with the electrics
than with the fuel planes and sailplanes. You need less space, you need
less equipment, the planes are typically small and quiet so you can go off by
yourself and fly and in many cases no one will bother you. However, hang
with me for a moment because, while you might be having a great time, this
post is about having more fun than you are having now.
I almost didn't join the club to which I now belong. I was an electric
flyer and they were a sailplane club that was struggling with the idea of
admitting new members who were just flying electrics. Even before I joined
there was pressure being applied that I should learn to fly sailplanes, I had to
build a kit, it had to be a sailplane, blah blah blah. However they were not going
to force me and I can stand up to a little pressure. The field was close and
large, I knew one guy in the club and there were a few pilots flying electrics
in addition to sailplanes, so I joined.
Boy am I glad that I did.
After 3 years I am having so much fun, I wonder if I am breaking a law
somewhere. To a large extent that fun is due to the wonderful people I
have met in the club. People who are just fun to be around and share this
great hobby. I have found that flying with a group of people who share my
interests is a lot more fun than flying alone.
Oh, there are politics, and I am sure not everyone likes me, but that is the
world as a whole. There are people who still feel I am missing the good
part of the hobby because I don't build all my planes from kits, but they have
come to accept me as an RTF/ARF guy with growing experience salvaging
other people's cast off planes.
Many of my planes I purchased from club members already built. Some were
actually given to me because the member just didn't have room, or didn't
feel like having that plane anymore and thought I would like it. Some are
called humpty dumpty projects. I put 'em back together again. In the
process I learned to build and to fix.
It was a shock to me when people started coming to ME for advice on
building and fixing. The joke is that I have crashed and wrecked more
planes than anyone so I have more experience in fixing. I don't THINK
it is true, but .... never mind. I digress.
I recently asked for a little help during a meeting. Man, these guys could
not do enough for me. People were e-mailing me with information, sources,
and knowledge I didn't even know I needed. It has been great! And there
is nothing like a friendly hand to show you that you set this "something" off
just a little bit. Fixing that often made a huge difference.
After a while I did try sailplanes and found that, as much as I enjoy the
electrics, I LOVE sailplanes. Now the point is not that you should fly
sailplanes. Heavens no, sailplanes is not for everyone. It is that I had
my own ideas about things, they opened me up to new ideas, some I
accepted and some I did not. If you are a person that will be intimidated
by people arguing over a point or giving you advice you didn't ask for, then
stay on the edge. You will find lots of company on the edge and some of
those people are wonderful people with whom you would like to fly.
If you can accept that this is how the world works and enjoy the flow of
ideas, get into it and become an active member. Perhaps you can even become
a leader. Heck they may make you President because you bring new ideas to
the club A former President of our sailplane club started on a Firebird
XL.
Net net, it is the people as much as the planes that have made this a
wonderful experience for me. I have made many new friends, and perhaps an
enemy or two. Yes, the club has restricted me in a few areas but they have
expended my experience so much in others that, well, I can live with it.
There are safety reasons, insurance reasons, instruction reasons and all
sorts of other excellent reasons to join a club, but the main one is fun. The
club has made a very enjoyable experience more fun than I could ever have
imagined. If you had a bad club experience, try a different club!
If you are new to the hobby, I strongly suggest you seek out the clubs in
your area. If you don't know how to find them, stop by your local hobby
store and ask. Believe me, they know where all the clubs are and the character
of each one. You can also click on the AMA link below for
the national club listing. Remember that the address given is a person's
house, not the flying field. For example our club address is 15-20 miles from my
house, but our field is about a mile from me.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/clubmain.asp?sid=3D490C78380
448B0A15E31DE4FA6F552
For other countries, use this link:
http://www.fai.org/fai_members/addresses.asp
Stop in and chat with the members. There is probably a club in your area
that is made up of people who share your interests and who would richen your
flying experience.
If there are no clubs in your area, then start one.
AMA Club Charter kit -
http://www.modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/2006clubkit.pdf
AMA Clubs , listed by state. Remember the address shown is a
member's house, not the location of the field.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubmain.asp
US Model Airplane Clubs - Shown on a Map
Also Model Airplane News
Remember the location is a member, not the field.
http://find.mapmuse.com/re1/interest.php?brandID=RC_AIRPLANE_CLUBS
Contact the AMA or the organizing body in your country and find out what it
takes to start a club. I promise you that there are other people in your area who
would just LOVE to join, if they only knew there was a club. Most of these
people are folks you would love to meet.
Want to have more fun? Join a club!
Clear skies and safe flying!
about RC flying, fixing my planes, which gadgets to buy and the like. On
many occasions I have reached out to that community for specific help,
and they have responded, sometimes with amazing enthusiasm. Likewise
I try to help others when I can. I tying to help the new guys along into this
wonderful hobby that I have come to enjoy so much.
I guess it is a form of being part of a club. When I read the posts in
this forum and others, the names become familiar. You get to know who
really knows and who just likes to make noise. Being part of this on-line
community has helped to add a social aspect to the hobby that makes it
that much more fun.
However forums, no matter how active and helpful they are, lack real contact
with real people. That is where clubs come in. Clubs add that extra
dimension to this hobby, the dimension of real people.
I have read many posts about people who don't want to join a club for one
reason or another. I don't plan to argue those points, but to share what I
have found in club membership. You draw your own conclusions.
I have found this club aversion especially common among new electric pilots
because, for the most part, it is easier to go it alone with the electrics
than with the fuel planes and sailplanes. You need less space, you need
less equipment, the planes are typically small and quiet so you can go off by
yourself and fly and in many cases no one will bother you. However, hang
with me for a moment because, while you might be having a great time, this
post is about having more fun than you are having now.
I almost didn't join the club to which I now belong. I was an electric
flyer and they were a sailplane club that was struggling with the idea of
admitting new members who were just flying electrics. Even before I joined
there was pressure being applied that I should learn to fly sailplanes, I had to
build a kit, it had to be a sailplane, blah blah blah. However they were not going
to force me and I can stand up to a little pressure. The field was close and
large, I knew one guy in the club and there were a few pilots flying electrics
in addition to sailplanes, so I joined.
Boy am I glad that I did.
After 3 years I am having so much fun, I wonder if I am breaking a law
somewhere. To a large extent that fun is due to the wonderful people I
have met in the club. People who are just fun to be around and share this
great hobby. I have found that flying with a group of people who share my
interests is a lot more fun than flying alone.
Oh, there are politics, and I am sure not everyone likes me, but that is the
world as a whole. There are people who still feel I am missing the good
part of the hobby because I don't build all my planes from kits, but they have
come to accept me as an RTF/ARF guy with growing experience salvaging
other people's cast off planes.
Many of my planes I purchased from club members already built. Some were
actually given to me because the member just didn't have room, or didn't
feel like having that plane anymore and thought I would like it. Some are
called humpty dumpty projects. I put 'em back together again. In the
process I learned to build and to fix.
It was a shock to me when people started coming to ME for advice on
building and fixing. The joke is that I have crashed and wrecked more
planes than anyone so I have more experience in fixing. I don't THINK
it is true, but .... never mind. I digress.
I recently asked for a little help during a meeting. Man, these guys could
not do enough for me. People were e-mailing me with information, sources,
and knowledge I didn't even know I needed. It has been great! And there
is nothing like a friendly hand to show you that you set this "something" off
just a little bit. Fixing that often made a huge difference.
After a while I did try sailplanes and found that, as much as I enjoy the
electrics, I LOVE sailplanes. Now the point is not that you should fly
sailplanes. Heavens no, sailplanes is not for everyone. It is that I had
my own ideas about things, they opened me up to new ideas, some I
accepted and some I did not. If you are a person that will be intimidated
by people arguing over a point or giving you advice you didn't ask for, then
stay on the edge. You will find lots of company on the edge and some of
those people are wonderful people with whom you would like to fly.
If you can accept that this is how the world works and enjoy the flow of
ideas, get into it and become an active member. Perhaps you can even become
a leader. Heck they may make you President because you bring new ideas to
the club A former President of our sailplane club started on a Firebird
XL.
Net net, it is the people as much as the planes that have made this a
wonderful experience for me. I have made many new friends, and perhaps an
enemy or two. Yes, the club has restricted me in a few areas but they have
expended my experience so much in others that, well, I can live with it.
There are safety reasons, insurance reasons, instruction reasons and all
sorts of other excellent reasons to join a club, but the main one is fun. The
club has made a very enjoyable experience more fun than I could ever have
imagined. If you had a bad club experience, try a different club!
If you are new to the hobby, I strongly suggest you seek out the clubs in
your area. If you don't know how to find them, stop by your local hobby
store and ask. Believe me, they know where all the clubs are and the character
of each one. You can also click on the AMA link below for
the national club listing. Remember that the address given is a person's
house, not the flying field. For example our club address is 15-20 miles from my
house, but our field is about a mile from me.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/clubmain.asp?sid=3D490C78380
448B0A15E31DE4FA6F552
For other countries, use this link:
http://www.fai.org/fai_members/addresses.asp
Stop in and chat with the members. There is probably a club in your area
that is made up of people who share your interests and who would richen your
flying experience.
If there are no clubs in your area, then start one.
AMA Club Charter kit -
http://www.modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/2006clubkit.pdf
AMA Clubs , listed by state. Remember the address shown is a
member's house, not the location of the field.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubmain.asp
US Model Airplane Clubs - Shown on a Map
Also Model Airplane News
Remember the location is a member, not the field.
http://find.mapmuse.com/re1/interest.php?brandID=RC_AIRPLANE_CLUBS
Contact the AMA or the organizing body in your country and find out what it
takes to start a club. I promise you that there are other people in your area who
would just LOVE to join, if they only knew there was a club. Most of these
people are folks you would love to meet.
Want to have more fun? Join a club!
Clear skies and safe flying!