Something Special

Moderator

I flew at a local school a few summers ago and out of perhaps 15 or so flying days I had only two groups of three kids have the nerve to come up and ask what I was doing. In order to like explain like what I was like doing I like told them like I had like built the model from like a kit an stuff and like put in the motor and like run it on like special gas.

Given that these kids were pre-tens I was not about to shoo them away but they left anyway...apparently not that interested.

However from the local baseball field came the exhortations from some mindless teenage drone to "Like crash it - dude - yeah, like make it smash up an stuff'. Since this moron (UK equivalent = yob) persisted to the point of starting to bug me I retaliated with something akin to illustrating how I had gone to the trouble of several hours of construction and investment and trouble to get this thing in the air only to dash it all for his amusement was not going to occur in the forseeable future. That his place on the evolutionary scale was marginally better than that of pond sludge was evidenced to him in no uncertain terms as was the unfortunate coupling of his progenitors being allowed to happen (sanctioned by society) and that process resulted in himself was truly against the laws of science, morality and probabalistic likehood resulting in a reasonable human being produced.

Seeing that he was not 'getting the message', I packed up and left proferring the north american equivalent of the harvey smith.

With the instant gratification that youth expects (and technology delivers) it is not surprising that sports, hobbies and pasttimes that require
investment of time, application and learning in order to develop skills are by and large falling by the wayside. Life is just too easy for them.

Part of this is witnessed in the 'General Dumbing Down' not only of North America but society in general.

We cannot hope to compete with this or worse, correct any of it.

Why build something when you can buy an ARF...but why buy an ARF when you can run a model flight simulator on a computer? Why run a simulator when it don't blow up a splatter blood and virtual entrails all over the screen? Why get up off your bum and go do something when you don't have to because all you need is at your finger tips with the click of a mouse.

Even if there is a new starter into the hobby - what do they invarable want as a first plane? Why a full-house propo radio in a large scale WWII
Fighter with retracts, bomb release and like stuff! Can they be persuaded to start with a trainer...not a chance! So when the thing buries itself and the investment comes back in a monokote bag of balsa built by somebody else the discouragement has already set in.

Try then getting someone to fly by wire and go round in circles why the rejoinder often comes back..that's not even remote control dude!

Our club has an annual open day at a local shopping mall. Sure we get enquiries from time to time but another thought struck me at these sessions namely.... there is some obvious fear about committing at least to try the C/L flying thing if the age of the enquirer is under 40 years. If older than that the rection is usually "Gee I tried that when I was a kid and kept crashing...or could not start the motor" or some other disaster.

On the bright side here there are a few modellers who go out to several schools from time to time to present the hobby and even a local teacher who appeared on a local TV news item who teaches the theory of flight in his classroom using balsa flying models.

Aviation no longer has the mystery and cache that it did for us (anyone over 50) by and large.

Take solace that we at least get to keep our toys and play with them all by ourselves. Crying or Very sad

Mega Poster

Just thought now would be a good time to dig up this old thread,just to say that the young'un concerned is still flying,his name is Jamie Griffin,he's doing rather well in Hungary at the mo,wish I was there to watch.................... Crying or Very sad

Prolific poster

Nice touch to the story Dave.
Wish him luck.

Mega Poster

Thanks for pulling out the post Dave, I went back and read it from the beginning.
I have taught quite a few kids to fly CL but only 2 have stayed behind. Both dissapeared after about 2 months of flying never to be seen again. One came back about 3 years ago and now flys radio, the other has just come back to it and wants to start flying CL again. Seems the usual thing got in the way, girls, cars, uni, and marriage.

I hope your young charge does well at the WCs

Mark

Mega Poster

All his own doing guys,I was a minor part in a chain of events,many other people have helped him more than me,but it's wonderful to see him do so well.Just thought it was apt to bring the story up to date..............

Mega Poster

Jamie Griffin,2nd place junior in World Champs F2D.
Well done Jamie,a fantastic achievement!

Platinum member

That is great. I imagine he had someone in the background keeping him going. If not he deserves more than just congratulations. I have found that unless the parents are behind the youngsters, they will not stay with it. My parents were as supportive as they could be.

Thought I was going to have two step-grand kids to race with, but their dad wanted them to play football.

Obsessive Poster