Free Flight

[Bill Glaze]

Steve:
Your very thoughtful insights are appreciated.  I also (as you did) enjoyed Rick
Allison's articles.  When Eric took the reins, I also appreciated the somewhat
different direction taken by him.
If you read the letters to MA, you soon realize that everybody wants their
discipline to get more ink.  I can even recall control-line speed being touted
as being of more interest than other facets of the hobby.  This one was written
(any surprises here?) by a control line speed enthusiast.
I could understand more their need to strike a balance, if they had kept Eric's
excellent column running in every issue.
My wonderment isn't that all these different departments exist; I just don't see
why they cut the content of  the aerobatics column.
They have included such things as the Park Flyers, (which is apparently a
rapidly  growing activity) and my guess is that they may be trying to recruit
these folks into the membership fold.  After all, if a person only flys in a
school yard, or at home in their yard, there is no apparent need to belong to
AMA.  For many, AMA has become primarily an insurance company.  Which is a whole
other subject.
What's next...................boats?

Bill Glaze

RC Steve Sterling wrote:

> I read it a little different. I thought he was giving the free flight and
> control line folks (and us) a shot across the bow. Because they are only 10%
> of members, they wouldn't be given 50% of the magazine space. The would put
> more into sport flyers. Maybe I misread it.
>
> I have never understood MA. Virtually 100% of their contstruction articles
> have been the reserection of some old ancient-looking design, mostly .40
> size or under, done by some equally aged fossil (no disrespect intended for
> our modern thinking seniors in THIS SIG). These are followed by some equally
> non-relevant article on how to keep your Kraft or Heathkit servos going
> another year. Engine articles about some 1930's museum piece or how to keep
> that 1950's Fox in top shape. And the monthly dept. articles-- free-flight
> scale, free-flight long wing, CL scale, CL Aerobatic, CL carrier, CL
> combat -- all totaling 10% of the interest (that number seems high to me).
>
> Even as a sport pilot (prior to pattern), I always turned to the Precision
> Aerobatics monthly section first. The articles written by Rick Allison were
> usually relevant to my sport flying-- how to fly a straight line, use
> rudder, proper loop, build on previous skills. I've heard the sport flyers
> in my club discuss Erick Henderson's articles on the various "combo" ARF's
> that work for sport and Pattern, and several have bought airplanes based on
> those articles, so I know he is read also. Most of our sport flyers (90% of
> our club also) aren't interested in the competition of Pattern, but would
> like to do a better slow roll or Cuban 8.
>
> MA really does need to get more relevant to the times-- more devoted to
> MODERN sport models, a whole lot less on FF and CL. But if they did a survey
> on what articles are currently read 1st or 2nd, I think at least 70% of the
> sport pilots would say Precision Aerobatics or Scale Aerobatics.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: discussion-request at nsrca.org
> [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Tomanek, Wojtek
> Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 11:52 AM
> To: 'discussion at nsrca.org'
> Subject: Free Flight
>
> Ok, have you all read the latest Model Aviation editorial about how the free
> flight and control line folks constitute 10% of all modelers and thus should
> get increased attention in the magazine and other SIGs (including precision
> aerobatics) will have to give up monthly columns to bimonthly ones.  I
> belong to three clubs with approximately 80, 120, and 160 members.  Very few
> may have a free flight glider/plane but have never flown it at the field,
> same goes for control line.   If you look at their NATs the same names
> appear in most of the categories and even then the whole listing of names is
> shorter than the Masters list form the pattern NATs.
>
> What gives .............................. ??
>
> my $0.02 for today
> Wojtek
>
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