Where do you guys think the next aeronautical engineers are going to come from?
India.
Seriously I'm open to suggestion. Getting out and flying isn't a very good suggestion though, cause to be honest its too farkin' cold here to get out and fly until about April. Even then most of the fields I can use are swamp till the melted snow runs off. Shortly after that I've got organized sports and the related athletes that want to use the fields I'm intruding on.
Money isn't the problem. Kids today have enough money they can buy all kinds of garbage they don't need. Parents are more then happy to give them money to persue their interests. There are a lot of problems with C/L and getting people interested, but money isn't one of them.
It requires some skill, dedication, time. We live in a world where people want instant gratification. Even an ARF requires skill to get the subassemblies aligned properly, and then to get the engine to operate effectively, etc. You'll notice the vast majority of easily obtained (ie top flite) ARF's aren't geared to beginners. A good example is the new ARF they're releasing, another PA model, not a trainer. C/L is not point and click, there is no instant gratification.
If a kid doesn't have someone there to encourage them and keep them interested, they aren't going to stick with this very long. Even if you have a trainer with you at the field, and you put Jr, the curious watcher behind the handle and show em first hand how much fun it is, they probably aren't going to go out and get the stuff they need and go try it on their own. You would have to get the parent interested enough to positively reinforce the child. If the parent isn't interested, then what? Are you going to call the kid on a regular basis and offer assistence? In our current society I don't see that going over well. Even if you put all the equipment in the hands of someone who seems interested on the surface, chances are they won't get involved.
There aren't many places a person can fly C/L. It requires space, tolerance of noise at volume, a smooth landing surface, etc... If you've got the luxury of a dedicated flying site, and you haven't been run off by soccer players, then you truly have it good. Just trying to find a flying site can be an exercise in futility. Just try calling a school, parks department, etc and inquire if they would mind if you used their land for the pursuit of your hobby. Be sure to mention noise, safety thongs, etc... It still won't matter, its a safe bet the answer is NO.
The engines and airplanes and most of the hardware involved, are by their very nature difficult to master. The most user friendly and forgiving engine that is readily available and affordable still has to have the proper fuel, proper voltage at the plug, etc to start and run. They're all prone to flooding. If the needles aren't set properly they don't perform as they should, etc. It's not an exact science, and its not easily learned.
By far the number one problem is competition. There are only about 30 OTHER things a kid can do that do provide instant gratification, that are more glamorous, more popularly accepted, etc. Take into account just organized sports, and you'll see kids getting hauled all over, and money being dumped into a temporary distraction. Then there's TV, video games, cub scouts/boy scouts, girls, cars, skate boards, etc... Even if they do get into a hobby shop, there's model rockets, plastic models, R/C cars, R/C planes, etc etc etc In the current market place almost all of these things are more supported and competitively priced. Just try walking into a Hobby Town USA in a distant town while you're on vacation and ask about something C/L related. I guarentee you'll get a blank stare or maybe someone will fumble through a catalog till you see what you need on the page. Then if you order it, it takes a month to get it.
I don't mean to get off on a negative rant, but seriously there is a lot stacked against C/L and at this point in the game, I'm afraid we've already lost. The average C/L enthusiast is how old? 45 or older? And where are their kids? Not flying. Not building. If the people who enjoy this stuff now weren't able to pass it on to their own offspring, how can anyone hope to pass it on to random strangers kids?
From what I've seen, I don't expect C/L to last much longer. The current group is aging fast and no new blood is coming in. Unless several things change and quickly C/L will be extinct.
Topic: American Youth State Championships "AYSC" (Read 2281 times)
