Have been following this topic with interest. I've yet to fly any real
indoor other than a couple of chunky Hangar Rats, but even those were
incredibly satisying to build and fly. I intend to develop my building and
flying skills further, and hope to attend USIC in the near future.
I do wonder though if Indoor is really 'broken'. My perception is that it's
the world around it that has changed, and there's very little that can be
done to swell the ranks significantly. It seems to take a lot more than it
used to to amaze the youth of today, and even if they are somewhat intrigued
watching a duration model do a few laps, getting them involved any further
will be a significant challenge. Once exposed, those that have the passion
will generally continue regardless.
Somebody mentioned cost, and I'm of the opinion that it's not a significant
factor. Youths and adults alike continue to spend obscene amounts of money
on anything from clothing to electronics, it's just a matter of priorities.
Reading some of the posts reminded me of a video I saw in Switzerland a
couple of years ago while traveling with the US F3B team. It was black and
white, and showed dozens of high school aged kids taking a train to fly
outdoor free flight up in the mountains somewhere. In the snow. It was
fascinating to watch, but I couldn't imagine that it was still happening
today, nor likely anytime in the future. Aviation was eminently more
fascinating at that time, and there was far less other stuff to do.
By all means expose the youth to indoor, and take what you get. Which will
be a miniscule percentage, but I don't believe that can be changed too much.
Many of the same perceived issues exist in other segments of modeling, and
most of those are far easier to get into and be competitive. The great thing
is that materials and assistance seem to be readily available, and that
helps tremendously.
Craig.
----- Original Message -----
From: Warthodson_at_aol.com
To: Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 7:14 AM
Subject: [Indoor_Construction] beginner's (entry level) duration plane
I reluctantly agree with those who feel we cannot recruit many youth to
indoor free flight, for various reasons. We don't have to look further that
Tim Lavender's group to see that even with excellent mentoring most youth
are not interested in pursuing this hobby. Have any of his kids continued in
the indoor free flight hobby? Our local group has assisted the SO program
for many years, but have never had anyone interested in continuing on in
Free Flight.
We have however had several adults (both retired & pre-retirement) attend
our flying events. We have two flying sessions per month, except in the heat
of summer. The two things these newcomers seem to share in common is:
1. They are intimidated by the small sizes of the wood we use. 1/16" &
smaller seems to be the tipping point.
2. An interest in scale airplanes.
We offer to assist them in building an A6, but often even this is more than
they are willing to undertake.
If you were to design an entry level duration plane, what would the
specifications be?
I think the prop & hanger/bearing is an area needing some though.
Personally, I picture something easier that an A6 but better performance
than a delta dart.
Gary Hodson
We found the real 'Hotel California' and the 'Seinfeld' diner. What will you
find? Explore WhereItsAt.com.
Received on Sun Jun 07 2009 - 10:29:45 CEST
This archive was generated by Yannick on Sat Dec 14 2019 - 19:13:45 CET