I think it boils down to exposure, support, and site availability. Exposure isn’t so much of an issue, this being the digital age and all. Josh and Mike are both establishing a good presence on YouTube, and most every indoor flyer I know is more than happy to talk about his/her hobby.
Support from beginner to potential world champion is another area that could be a turn off for some. Unless you live in a current indoor “hotbed” so to speak, finding an individual with the skills to help you progress can be daunting. Granted, if you really wanted to, sites like Hip Pocket and this list could get you a great deal of advice, but there is just something about having an in person mentor inspect your models and offer suggestions, tips, tricks, and in many cases, materials.
Finally, the biggest one is access to a decent flying site. Many schools will not let the general public use their facilities, and those that do often charge a fee that is beyond what most flyers are willing incur, just to test fly their models for a few hours. It certainly isn’t like outdoor FF where you can go to the nearest empty field and let ‘em rip. Best advice I can give is for anyone interested in indoor free flight to approach the science teachers at their local high schools and middle schools. Show them some models and explain what the hobby is all about. Many schools have money set aside for extracurricular activities. Get the teacher to be the official adviser, with the understanding that the knowledgeable modeler will do the actual coaching. The upside is that because aeromodeling is now a sanctioned school event, the facilities will be available for use, often at no charge. Inviting the aeromodeling public then becomes a cool human interest piece for the local media. And what is better for the papers than a bunch of smiling kids and their flying machines.
With respect to SO flying events, I think the big issue there is that those events are part of a larger competition. The points earned from placing in SO are the same as placing in one of the study events. To the students to, the pay off for the time and effort invested just isn’t there. It becomes just another event needed to get to the state, or national competition. Granted, many teams still take it seriously, but it Is still just a means to an end, as opposed to the end itself. Perhaps if Wright Stuff were a totally separate competition from SO, and used a different model, it would be viewed differently and maybe there would be retention of flyers. Personally, I would love to see a high school competition for LPP where students from multiple schools built and flew LPP’s against on another. They would experience true indoor competition, gain building an flying skills applicable to all AMA/FAI indoor events, and their model could be flown in national indoor contests.
Just my thoughts.
CG
Sent from my iPhone
> On Apr 12, 2018, at 4:19 PM, Mike and Marelet Kirda mkirda_at_sbcglobal.net [Indoor_Construction] <Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com> wrote:
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> The goal of F1D is nice, but a better goal is retention in the hobby, regardless of flavor.
>
> Wright Stuff exposes a lot of folks to the hobby, but it hasn't translated into more indoor fliers.
> I wish we could understand why that is..
> I suspect though that I know why: A lack of a local support group, aka club, and places to fly.
> I live in a large city and have to drive to Wisconsin or downstate to have a good place to fly.
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> Regards.
> Mike Kirda
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> On Thursday, April 12, 2018 1:35 PM, "David Goorskey david.goorskey_at_gmail.com [Indoor_Construction]" <Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com> wrote:
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> Very nice video! Thanks Josh. I'm sharing this with our Science Olympiad Wright Stuff team. Trying to generate interest in F1D.
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> David Goorskey
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> On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 12:11 PM, joshuawfinn_at_gmail.com [Indoor_Construction] <Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com> wrote:
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> Nighthawk Gliders did a humorous interview with Hope and I at West Baden. Have a look. Bring your best 5/99.
> https://youtu.be/KVbtIdmYKUg
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> -Josh
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Received on Thu Apr 12 2018 - 21:32:40 CEST