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

Prince Philip became Patron of the Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers (now trading as BMFA) in 1957 His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”

I've trained vision challenged people to fly. One thing I have all students do is not look at the trainer in flight and only look at their thumb on top of the elevator/aileron stick. I have them do this for a few minutes in some cases, but it usually only takes around a minute or two to get my point across. This drill works wonders as they get to see that their thumb moving the sticks is doing. They get to feel and see at the same time how much to move the sticks. One newbie came with an airplane that he built. He was legally blind and he could see what he was doing more or less while he was building, but couldn't see any further than 10 feet away. The other club instructors said they could help by checking his creation, fix whatever needed adjusting and trim out his trainer, but because he was vision impaired, they couldn't help him fly. I told his wife, who drove him to the field, that I could hand him the transmitter and help him learn to fly. Everyone, even the guy's wife looked at me like I was insane. I got the plane in the air and explained what he should do. He too was quite bewildered, but very happy that he might be able to fly his plane. I told him to put his thumb on top of the elevator/aileron lever and to not move the stick. We flew an entire tank of fuel and he was happier than a pig in you know what. I even assisted him with a landing. Have you ever heard of the lady who had never flown a full scale plane before and then land with assistance from the control tower?

The trick is to show the student how to correctly move the elevator/aileron lever very slowly with not much defection in any direction and then allow the properly trimmed out trainer to fly essentially on it's own. Now I can do that on my own as an instructor, but I showed how it can be done with two instructors. What I mean is, there is the student hooked up to a buddy-box and instructor. There is another instructor between student and instructor. The second instructor monitors and reaches in to show the student how to precisely move the stick. I've noticed that with or without the use of S.A.F.E., instructors tend to have the trainer flying way too fast. I have the trainer flying at a click or two past stall speed, at a speed that is more comfortable to the beginner. I say, "let the plane fly for say 10 seconds, more or less, and then control it."

https://library.modelaviation.com/system/files/ma/ma200409/ma200409_152.jpg But it just a little "tweak" Edited By Clarence Ragland on 28/01/2021 20:08:29

I had conversation with the head man at Hobby Town Unlimited a while back, and he seemed interested in what I was offering all of his 125 franchise stores. Then Covid-19 hit us. So I guess we will have to see what's going to happen this coming flying season. I had the same problem with Horizon Hobby. We'll see.

Hobby shops must offer excellent customer service to stay in business. In order to make the sale, owners must tell their customers to join a club and instructors will provide flight instruction. But what the shop owner dare not reveal to their customers is the hoops newcomers must jump through to learn how to fly. Not a knock on any club, but most clubs do the best that they can do. I've been told by many beginners who came to me for help that they considered that it seemed like a bait-and-switch scheme on the part of the hobby shop owner. There is no one to blame as everyone does the best the they can do. It's just how things are.

All is not lost. Better days are coming the summer. Stay tuned. All I need is just a tiny bit of support. NFC? Edited By Clarence Ragland on 27/01/2021 16:48:58

I forgot. That happened many years ago. That lad is now an airline pilot. He and his family couldn't thank me enough.

Posted by Alan Gorham_ on 26/01/2021 17:32:40: Posted by Erfolg on 26/01/2021 17:18:20: What seems to being ignored is that young people, however defined, are not being attracted into the hobby. IMO we need to ensure that as many currently modellers continue to do so. I see the CAA regs as a serious obstacle to attracting and keeping modelers, the hobby needs to limit the impact as best we can. The hobby needs to resist, as best we can, mission creep by both legislators and the regulator.   Well we did just spend the last two pages of this thread discussing the fact that youngsters aren't coming into the hobby, but hey ho... We need to ensure that ANYBODY who wishes to enter the hobby is able to do so, but if the hobby is not attractive enough to our potential audience then that is difficult thing to change... WHY are paying a registration fee and taking a quick test a "serious obstacle"? It doesn't seem to be a "serious obstacle" to millions of people in this country getting a passport or taking a driving test. If I was a kid who was mildly interested in trying this hobby my first questions before any consideration of taking a test or registering would be more like: Where can I go to do this hobby? How do I get there? Can I go on my own (or do I have to get my parents to take me)? Who will help/teach me? How much stuff do I need to start this hobby? How much will it cost? How much time will I need to spend to get anywhere with the hobby? If they can answer all those questions and find the time/money/parental commitment to start, then I would suggest that paying £9 online and doing a multi-guess test online would be "childsplay".   A youngster came into my hobby shop curious about flying RC airplanes. He said that since his parents only had one vehicle, therefore he had no way to get to our flying field, which was a 7 mile trip. I asked if he could ride his bicycle to the flying field. He said that he had no problem doing so since he road many more miles than that, because he loved riding. Later on, he came back to the shop with a makeshift trailer attached so he could put the trainer outfit I gave him on it. I told him where the field was which is about 7 miles from where he lived and that I would be there on the weekend to teach him how to fly. That Saturday, he was there on his bicycle and trainer attached to his trailer. We did this for 3 weekends and he learned how to fly very skillfully on is own within that time. My fellow club members said that he would be there every weekend and sometimes during the week having a grand time. Realizing that the lad couldn't afford to spend the $25 per gallon for fuel...to make a long story short, the lad was never wanting for glow fuel. My point is, where there's a will, there's a way.   Edited By Clarence Ragland on 27/01/2021 11:03:12