Clarence Ragland

It's not me equating BMFA with all other modeling organizations. I'm just conveying what I read and saw on related videos. So, I mistakenly thought you folks might want to know. My bad. Go ahead and shoot the messenger. I've been warning the AMA and MAAC for decades that the hobby was slipping away. I've been in the hobby for over 50 years and seen it going south. Both organizations also accused me of scare mongering. But it sure isn't as easy as it once was to get into the hobby. I have no trouble convincing people to get into RC aeromodelling...that is until I have to tell them of all the ever increasing legal hoops they have to jump through, then they have a change of heart. So be it. Your organization is doing fine. I've seen your magazine and no doubt your organization sure appears like it's in better shape than it is here in the US and Canada. I do envy of all the glow powered wood models I see in your magazine. Nothing but foamies and S.A.F.E. equipped trainers for beginners here in the US and Canada. Cheers

It could cause many to drop out and who would want to get into this hobby/sport with all the new hoops they would have to jump through?

Model Aeronautics Association Canada (MAAC) to ground members. – sUAS News – The Business of Drones Transport Canada cancels MAAC exemption for model flying – sUAS News – The Business of Drones

Let's hear your sales pitch. lol

If I could get local clubs to "embrace" my method, that would be the start of everything working out the way I would like. I've said it many, many times, club don't embrace my method because it brings in more members than they want. Also, because I'm teaching beginners, they don't have to join any club pay club dues. AMA feels the same way. If I train beginners, AMA loses out on dues income. Club instructors will be asked, "why don't you use this method?" It makes them look bad. Ego deflator. I don't have a thing to lose, but what I ask everyone: "Here's my solution, what's yours?" No one has a viable, proven ready to implement solution like mine. Should I try to pass it on or keep it to myself? What would you do? The industry everywhere is paying for ads and promotions and the hobby is still in decline. Hypothetically, if any industry member decided to take a chance and accept my offer and it's bogus, all they would be out is the cost of one full page color ad. If it works, they could use it to drastically increase sales. If it's bogus than all of my detractors would be able to say, "I told you so." lol

I see that on your side of the pond there are still glow powered trainers available. Correct me if I'm wrong. Kits here are at a premiem and glow engines can mainly, if not only be found on eBay or Craig's list. I'm at a severe disadvantage here in trying to get my point across to those not in the US. If a member of the industry were to travel here so I could give a demonstration and show them how to use my promotion method, Which would only take a couple of hours, more or less, they could make very good use of this method for their business. Due to circumstances beyond everyone's control because of the pandemic, it appears that such an event will not happen. I don't know how much a full page color ad cost any member of the industry, but I can promise that industry member that it would very much be worth it for them to take the 3000 mile trip here. No, before anyone says anything, I can't get any member of the industry in the US take me up on my offer, even though many are on the verge of bankruptcy. Hobbico for example. To the industry members, growth is good. To the fear-of-growth club member, my offer is not so good. Who does the industry depend upon for hands-on promotion duties? Imagine if the hobby shop owners or distributors and manufactures had their own RC promoter/instructors.

My only purpose in this hobby is to recruit new members. I only fly when I have someone to teach. I got rid of my scale and more advanced low wing aircraft and only have 5 LT-40s and 2 electric trainers. There is no pleasure for me to fly alone.

I had a hobby shop and ran an RC flight school, if you are referring to "my area" you could be talking about the US. I trained over 400 people over the years and all told me the same tale of being in clubs where the membership hasn't grown in years and in fact most were losing more members than they were gaining. Oh, I'm sure there are large and very well run clubs everywhere. They explained how their clubs did not do well with their training programs. They said how clubs in their area had a very difficult time keeping flying fields and too many beginners got tired of showing up and for various reasons were ignored for the most part. So I'm not pulling this information out of thin air. I ask people what would they do if they had a proven and viable solution? Keep it to themselves or attempt to share it with everyone involved? Judging from what I've faced trying to share a proven way to recruit new members, most would keep this information to themselves. Written by Dave Scott.pdf

There are two clubs in my area whose leaders had no problem directing people to me at one time, that is until these leaders decided that I was teaching more than they were comfortable with and I was told they stopped giving the public my name. I was told this by a hobby shop owner and beginners who I trained. 3 flying clubs have since disbanded and as many flying sites were lost. Safety in numbers. Another club had a member who was head of the town board. That club had complaints from neighbors and went to the town board. They still have their field. This field is 4 miles from my home. This is a county owned and maintained flying field that has been all but deserted and run by a club with 5 elderly members who don't fly anymore. These old hands refuse to send anyone to me for instruction. I was told this by one of the ex-club members who I trained. The owner of that hobby shop, Fields Hobby Center told me that on a daily basis he has customers wanting to at least get some flying experience to see if they would like to get into the hobby. The owner was told in no uncertain terms not to send his customers to me by one of the two clubs who share a flying field. He's afraid to go against the will of those two clubs.

On my side of the pond, we take what we can get. You're so very lucky to have aeromodelling TV programs. Some times I get the feeling that the AMA doesn't want the masses to see RC aeromodelling. AMA loss 32 million dollars since 2003 just on their magazines alone. Seems like that much money could've bought a lot of TV air time. Like they say, you can't fix stupid. lol

Everyone misses the point that no matter how phony that segment was, at least RC airplanes was there for millions of people to see. Even that might cause large numbers of people to get into the hobby. Imagine if there was a weekly RC aeromodelling TV show, viewed by millions? Club membership could drastically increase everywhere.

It's nice to know that possibly millions of people got the opportunity to see RC airplanes on TV. If the hobby was on television on a regular basis, many clubs would be inundated with new members. Instructors would really be busy. Pawn Stars Season 19 Episode 11 | R.C. Model Planes - YouTube

I guess I should have said, IMHO. I've trained people from all walks of life and it's much easier to get just about anyone into flying model airplanes, within 20 minutes of their first ever RC flying experience, but not so much so with all of the other hobbies that exist. We fly next to a golf course and on occasion a golfer will come over most of the time to complain about the noise of our planes flying around but not over the golf course. Several times I've talked the irate golfer to fly my trainer. He and others told me that they've played golf for years and considered that was the most enjoyable hobby until they got to give my hobby a try. They did many of things you listed and they said they have more fun flying RC airplanes than all of the other things they did. Of course, everyone's different, but I've found that it's much easier to get people to fly and enjoy our hobby/sport than it was all the other hobbies they got into. But to each his own.

All Because of Model Airplanes - YouTube