Re: The Problems with Indoor FF
All the talk about expanding participation at the USIC is pointless without first growing the base, (ie the recreational flyers). Only a small proportion of any group or activity will invest the effort, time and money to reach the competitive ranks. We simply do not attract enough new members to try and experiment with building and flying indoor models at even a recreational level to support expanding the competitive ranks.
I speak from five plus years of actively flying Indoor FF and promoting the hobby in Colorado which boasts three fairly active indoor groups, each with a viable flying site not to mention being the home to such world class flyers as Rob Romash, Don DeLoach, Bill Lepppard and the Reynolds' not to mention Denver being the new headquarters of Peck Polymers. (see www.indoorcolo.org)
With such a wealth of talent and resources Colorado stands out in the indoor world - yet with all of this, efforts to recruit and grow the hobby have been disapointing.
The group that I regularly fly with, "The Wings Flyers" (Part of the MMM Club) meets and flies two to three times a month in the "Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum". This is a unique flying venue where we fly during the regular operating hours of the Museum in a WWII era hanger and expose hundreds of the general public and school age kids during a given month and thousands over the course of the year to the Indooor FF hobby. I dont think I am overstating things when I say that our group does more to showcase the Indoor FF hobby to the general public than all other indoor groups in world combined. Yet over all this time we have only recruited 3 new regularly active flyers and none under the age of 40.
Invariably people are facinated watching our planes in flight but usually come back with the comment that they remember flying rubber band airplanes as a kid. I dont know if most adults just associate rubber band airplanes as kids stuff and look at RC as being more of an adult pursuit or just figure that they dont have the talent or patience to build the really delicate stuff.
I am disheartened at this lack of success but can not come up with any suggestions on how to improve things. We showcase the product but there just doesnt seem to be any interest from the modeling and aviation minded people that make up a larger part of the people that pass through the Museum. If we cant recruit from this demographic then I am afraid our future doesnt look very bright. If we have this poor of a record of sucess in Colorado with all of our resources I can understand the despair for the hobby felt in other locations not similarly blessed.
Steve Smith
--- In Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com, "Barry Sholder" <barry@...> wrote:
>
> OK I'm going to throw my two cents in. First off one thing I notice is that all the posts are from active competitors. I'm going to give you some thoughts from a participant (wannabe competitor). I don't know exactly how I fell in to building indoor models but back when I lived in Arizona and I was just out of high school a couple of fellow named Terry Thorkldson and Herman Andresson showed me how to build and fly indoor models. This is when I was in my 20's. Before I left the west I actually built a TopCat with microfilm nichrome wire and rolled tailbooms, and all that stuff. This was a big deal and even bigger when I made the 10 min. mark in the hangers _at_ Litchfield AFB. I was hooked. Now almost 30 years later and having found a FF club in the South my love for building a flying indoor models has been rekindled except for a couple of thing. First is the fact that our club doesn't have access to many flying sites....so trying to build duration models seem useless to me because if I put in hours and hours of work on a model and have to wait , like right now....til winter to try it, doesn't make much sense to me. On the other hand, I feel honored to be sharing the same gym with people like Bill Gowen, Nick Ray, John Barker. I only wish I could fly more, to rub elbows and learn what they all know then turn around and use it in my own model building.. We recently had our Big annual indoor contest, and I was fortunate enough to win a mass launch with a Nocal.(I love these things) anyway one of the prizes was a custom A6 kit... there is only one by the way, and that person shall remain nameless because I don't have his permission to mention it. But because it was put together by him with his record setting design, that was what I wanted.Now, I'm saving it because if I immediately built it.... what would I do with it.. put it ion a box for the next 6 months. The fact that there isn't access to flying sites except 5 times a year kills my enthusiasm. I know that when I build this kit I will have a chance of being competitive, but what's the point. I am unable to travel to all corners of the US to fly like many do, so that kind of kills that option. As far as USIC goes. I attended a couple of years ago and was amazed at the whole experience. I did compete if you want to call it that. I did not find old farts there. I found many people that were friendly and helpful and willing to share what they knew with me. I felt though that I didn't have a chance or anywhere near a chance to do well comparatively with the regular attendees and that's one thing that has kept me from going back. I think Olbill brings up a good thought about a handicap system that would allow what I might call myself... a recreational competitor, to have somewhat of a chance to compete. I have enjoyed building ministicks that have flown well and some A6's that do OK. If only there was a place to fly regularly to practice,I might be making F1D's instead I build lots of Nocals and showing up at the USIC. I know this is a lot of rambling but it's coming from a ...for now, recreational indoor lover. I don't guess I really had a point. Just how I see it.
> Thanks for reading!
> Barry Sholder
> 678-363-9292
> www.signandart.com
> www.signandartblog.com
>
Received on Thu Jun 04 2009 - 16:20:33 CEST
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