[NSRCA-discussion] Growing Pattern for 2017 - Part 2 - Culture - What are we missing?

Fri Jan 13 12:54:16 AKST 2017

+1 to Providing the K-Factor to everyone for free.  I'm certain the
K-Factor advertisers will appreciate it as well.


Rob

On Fri, Jan 13, 2017 at 3:21 PM, blotch44026--- via NSRCA-discussion <
nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote:

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> *I have to agree with Larry’s point concerning patterns popularity at a
> time when growth was based on “we wanted to be one of them”. And I also
> agree the problems faced is defining and selling the product and ourselves.
> My first year of competing was the first year of all turn-around so I only
> have a historical perspective from that time forward. NSRCA membership at
> the time was well over one thousand members. It was a feel good, positive
> experience to support our Sig. Membership had a real sense of forward
> movement for the most part even though pattern had just taken a hit when
> turn-around was introduced. As someone who never experienced the old
> patterns, I was well aware of them as I followed pattern a few years before
> I entered the arena. Marveled at Hanno and so forth.For me, I found
> turn-around pattern a refreshing change as it introduced new and exciting
> technologies, schedules, and still does in my opinion. The culture through
> the years seems to have changed somewhat and that positive forward momentum
> or perception of it, has faded a bit. I re-joined after a 12 year lay off
> and the membership seemed disgruntled for various reasons and most notable,
> a feeling of being closed out, even some officers. Bad deal, bad for NSRCA.
> All we need is a few good men...The NSRCA has to be a positive experience
> for membership. Voices need to be heard and discussion needs to be open and
> honest.  A creed, if you will.  NSRCA members need to feel that it’s worth
> giving up some time for, a worthy cause. Members need to feel that being a
> part of the NSRCA is something special again. Once you fix the culture,
> there is no better marketing tool than word of mouth. NSRCA members will
> once again spread the good word and discuss our sport and the NSRCA in a
> positive light to others, and that is contagious. It worked on me.My early
> pattern years were influenced by guys like Dave Von Linsowe, Jeff Combs,
> Dave Patrick, Bill Cunningham, Ivan and Chip, just to name a few. Top
> flyers at the time. In the early days meeting and listening to them at
> workshops or the Nats or discussing pattern with any one of these guys left
> you with a sense of professionalism and integrity to the sport, and you
> wanted to be a part of it. I remember when getting prepared for the Nats
> was a huge deal for me, and wanting to do well in front of these guys and
> others like them was a driving force that I enjoyed very much. It was a
> real sense of pride when I got a nod from one of them. I am not seeing a
> magic bullet here, it's gonna take time to re-build. Make positive change
> one step at a time and keep the membership in the loop at all times. Make
> membership feel a part of it. Grow together.Now, let's get the K-Factor in
> a FREE for everyone, open online market, allowing discussion and free
> flowing ideas. It's our best tool to promote and grow pattern again in a
> positive, professional light. It's our biggest marketing tool besides the
> members themselves.If there is interest, it's what I do for a living,
> Online Marketing, be glad to help out. Rick Sweeney*
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Diamond via NSRCA-discussion
> Sent: Jan 11, 2017 10:37 PM
> To: 'General pattern discussion'
> Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] Growing Pattern for 2017 - Part 2 - Culture -
> What are we missing?
>
> Before Christmas, I posted an email challenging our culture as a concern
> that prevents or limits growth in pattern.
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> My intent here is to spark discussion by offering my opinion, which is
> only an opinion. A healthy debate on our culture as a SIG may be a good
> thing.
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> I stated that our culture hasn’t changed since I joined the NSRCA in 2003.
> Peter’s e-mail below and the Hardcopy K-Factor thread is a perfect example
> of how our culture has not kept up with the times.
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> Peter’s email below, and Ron Hansen’s, in the discussion ask a very basic
> question that I don’t believe we as a whole have come to terms with:
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> *What is in it for “me” to be a member -and- participate in contests?*
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> It is too easy to say, “it’s the people… They aren’t willing to put in the
> time, they aren’t willing to invest, they are not competative in nature…”
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> For me, that is not the answer to the problem. I’m not sold that this is
> the reason. It is a symptom, but not the root-cause. The problem we face in
> growing pattern is selling our product, “Pattern”. Yet, before we can sell
> our product, we must understand what is it today.
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> When pattern was popular, it was because many of us were struck by
> somebody who was flying pattern and “*we wanted to be one of them*”. I
> don’t see this happening today other than hit and miss.
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> Culture… Example… We want to take the hardcopy K-Factor away and only
> limit access to a server base distribution mechanism that further limits
> our audience. Why?, to save money for the NSRCA. I am perplexed and I say
> what??? Is not the NSRCA a non-profit organization? Is increased membership
> not the most stable way to generate funds? No?, its advertisers you say…
> Didn’t somebody state that we are losing advertising dollars because the
> businesses are not seeing the benefit from members? Is this concern not
> related to the NSRCA membership population as a whole?
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> From my point of view, it is all connected to our culture.
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> My recommendation is for the NSRCA Board to pull a committee together to
> address the growth issue. We seem to discuss this every year. We also seem
> to hover around the same membership population issues. Other than some
> select folks giving a different spin at their contest, there is not much of
> a push.
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> I am a bit skeptical about the premise of another club class being the
> answer to the growth problem. I am in agreement with those that believe
> that is why we have the Sportsman class.
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> Only my opinion, I could be wrong…
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> What are your thoughts?????
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> Larry Diamond
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> *From:* NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]
> *On Behalf Of *Peter Vogel via NSRCA-discussion
> *Sent:* Thursday, January 5, 2017 3:13 PM
> *To:* Ron Hansen <rcpilot at wowway.com>; General pattern discussion <
> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Hardcopy K-Factor
>
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>
> The "What are the benefits" question comes up a lot.  So much so, that
> Charlie wrote an excellent article which you can find on the NSRCA.us web
> site in the "new pilot info" section.  The important stuff is reproduced
> below:
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> We are a Special Interest Group (SIG) in the AMA. *The NSRCA advances our
> interests to the AMA*. The AMA represents all modelers within the
> organization, but without our voice being heard, our segment of the hobby
> would be forgotten, or at the very least not addressed. Many of you who
> attend the Nationals (NATS) may not know that the AMA had initially
> assigned the 2016 Precision Aerobatics NATS, to begin on July 5 th .
> Because of the 4 th of July holiday, and because of the usual travel
> involved by many to attend the NATS, this date was not acceptable. The
> NSRCA immediately protested, and the contest date was changed to July 10th.
>
>
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> Our purpose is best stated by the following:
>
> *“a. Act as a focal point for rules development and progression. Gather
> intelligence from the AMA precision aerobatics community to provide the
> basis for AMA rules change proposals.” *
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>
>
> You may recall that last year the NSRCA made rules change proposals to the
> AMA, concerning telemetry, safety, specifically, electric motor arming,
> transmitter impound, transmitter failsafe, and weight. These rule changes
> were accepted by the AMA. These changes enhanced the safety of flying
> precision aerobatics.
>
> *“ b.  Promote precision aerobatics in the general R/C community by
> providing leadership in all of the objectives of the society."*
>
> *" c.  Enhance model precision aerobatics as a recognized sport."*
>
> *" d.  Develop and provide high standards in judging for competitions and
> provide qualifications and achievement recognition for judges.” *
>
>
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> The *NSRCA sets standards for judging*. Judging precision aerobatics in
> District 1 is the same as in District 7. It is through the NSRCA judging
> committee that the yearly judging review is published.
> Judging recertification is free to members. (Of course non-members can also
> certify for a nominal fee.)
>
>
>
> *The KFactor magazine* – The KFactor is the identity of the NSRCA. It is
> published once a month. It is the life blood of your pattern community. The
> magazine can be downloaded directly from the web site, or mailed directly
> to you. The advent of digital download has greatly decreased publication
> costs. And because of this digital capability, our editor, Scott McHarg,
> has delivered the KFactor on time for several years. If it’s April 1st ,
> the KFactor is available!
>
>
>
> There are many interesting articles in the KFactor, whether how to build a
> particular pattern plane, or how to paint, or which color is best suited
> for good visibility. The KFactor also provides a means by which your DVP’s
> can communicate with their district members. Yes, they usually publish
> contest results as part of their reports. However, contest schedules
> are published before the beginning of the season. They may also offer a
> building article from time to time. If you have an interesting article that
> you would like to share with your pattern buddies, submit it to
> your respective DVP for publications.
>
>
>
> *The NSRCA web page* – The nsrca.us web page is your source for
> nformation in our pattern community. It offers contest results, KFactor
> access, sequences, judging, district news, and links to
> industry manufacturers. Your Board of Directors are in discussions on how
> to enhance our web page, and make it easier to navigate. Also, it has been
> suggested that a separate link on the web site be dedicated only
> to building articles. These articles will remain in this location
> indefinitely, for reference by our members. So, in summary, it is to your
> advantage to join (renew) your membership in the NSRCA. As you can
> see, there is a lot “in it for me”.
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 4, 2017 at 5:18 PM, Ron Hansen via NSRCA-discussion <
> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote:
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> What are the benefits of being a NSRCA member?
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> You don’t need to be a member to participate in contests?
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> I originally joined to get the Buyers Guide and the K-Factor.
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> I didn’t start competing for several years after that.
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> Couple of ideas I have is to go to quarterly newsletters and change our
> model for advertisers.  Perhaps each issue has coupons rather than just
> advertisements.  This would give companies feedback on how many people read
> and buy products advertised in the K-Factor and our website.
>
>
>
> *From:* NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]
> *On Behalf Of *James Hiller via NSRCA-discussion
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 04, 2017 7:02 PM
> *To:* 'General pattern discussion'
> *Subject:* Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Hardcopy K-Factor
>
>
>
> Wow: I spent many years sitting in a desk chair in front of a PC. I'm happy
> with reading the K-Factor on my monitor.
> Paramount to my continuing is the notice Scott sends every month telling me
> it's ready for download. I save them in a folder and leave them open until
> I'm finished reading them, sometimes as long as 10 days.
> I wouldn't like to see a dues increase to cover hard copy cost for those
> that still want it and agree that a free copy may reduce membership.
> I'm here for the long run regardless of what is decided.
> Jim Hiller
> Spokane WA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
> <nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org>] On
> Behalf Of Tom Simes via NSRCA-discussion
> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2017 2:53 PM
> To: General pattern discussion
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Hardcopy K-Factor
>
> On 01/04/17 12:37, David Harmon wrote:
> > Tom...that is an interesting twist that I had not considered....but
> > then I have always been a proponent of a 'members only' email list.
> > However....I like the idea of letting other modelers know of our long
> > term existence....but not to give away the farm.
> > Perhaps a second email list for NSRCA members could be considered for
> > K-F push distribution only....keeping the open 'chat' list as it is
> > that does not support attachments.
>
> As far as list server support, I'm more than happy to accommodate whatever
> the community and BoD decides to do.  A minor point of clarification, the
> current NSRCA list configuration does allow attachments, but is size
> limited
> to 500 KB per message per community request.  Note that the request dates
> from when dialup was still common and people didn't want to wait 10 minutes
> to download a single message.
>
> That limit is easily configurable and I would have no issue bumping it up
> to
> allow low resolution .pdf distribution of the K Factor either on the
> existing -discussion list or on a dedicated list for K Factor distribution.
>
> --
> Tom
>
> ======================================================================
>     "Z80 system stack overflow.  Shut 'er down Scotty, she's
>           sucking mud again!" - Error message on XENIX v3.0
>
> Tom Simes                                       simestd at netexpress.com
> ======================================================================
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>
>
> --
>
> Director, Fixed Wing Flight Training
>
> Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark
>
> Associate Vice President, Academy of Model Aeronautics District X
>
> Treasurer, National Society of Radio Control Aerobatics (NSRCA)
>
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