July 2012 issue feedback

[TheFlyingCrust]

Whether AW'? rant in the Weekenders column was appropriate for this august publication is up for debate, but I for one have a lot of sympathy for his views. Kids today aren't allowed a childhood. Society has changed and, in this respect, not for the better.

My 'Black haired Person' is not just tolerant of the hobby, she's positively encouraging. I wonder what she's after!

Ian

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Posted by chris basson on 01/06/2012 09:08:38:
Thought the 10th things every... Item was interesting, maybe we don't consider ourselves Test Pilots but even that 1st flight of an ARTF or after a major repair is kind of like a test flight isn't it?
I think this advice is pertinent to many of us.

Spot on Ian. Even 'identical' ARTFs and RTF airframes do vary in some ways so those first few flights mean you're very much a test pilot.

[malcolm woodcock 1]

Enjoyed Alex Whittakers 'Weekenders' column and agree with many of the points he made. Just wondering about his purchase of the ragtop, just what is a 'secondhand hairdresser', just wondering.

[Tony Jones]

Posted by Rentman on 01/06/2012 09:59:43:

Whether AW'? rant in the Weekenders column was appropriate for this august publication is up for debate, but I for one have a lot of sympathy for his views. Kids today aren't allowed a childhood. Society has changed and, in this respect, not for the better.

My 'Black haired Person' is not just tolerant of the hobby, she's positively encouraging. I wonder what she's after!

Ian

I wouldn't call '10 Years Later a rant, and I find most of Alex's technical articles interesting and informative. I even have one of his Widgets - and it's excellent. But when he goes into his 'Look at me (and my car and my wife and my famous auld mates' mode, it drives me potty. Everyone who has met him says what a nice guy he is - and I'm sure they are right. But IMHO the details of his professional career and/or personal life are of no interest whatsoever to the majority of readers and have no place in the magazine.

[Lee Smalley]

Great mag this month loved mike booths adventure, well done mike, and loved AW column, really made me laugh and think, don,t agree with some of his more stalinist views but they made me laugh anyway long may someone who actually has something to say keep writing for rcm+e would hate to read a sterile mag, well done the ashby boys

[Tim Hooper]

Yup, an excellent issue!

Really enjoyed Mr W's retrospective ramblings. As a sometime scribbler myself it's nice to get an insight into the mind of The Unhinged One.

Really like Peter Millers vintage Sandow design - especially his honesty in describing the mods he had to make to make it presentable.

tim

[James40]

Struggling my way through trying to read it as a digital copy is very frustrating but I'm up to page 8 and it's been good so far (that's not a measure of my reading age, just my battle with trying to make the digital version work).

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

I downloaded the The RC Flight Source app this morning and it seems to be quite useful if not a go-to for all queries. Probably more useful at the field for calculating battery, motor or prop issues.

Points to RCM&E for bringing it to my attention.

[Codename-John]

Posted by Tony Jones on 01/06/2012 20:22:44:

Posted by Rentman on 01/06/2012 09:59:43:

I wouldn't call '10 Years Later a rant, and I find most of Alex's technical articles interesting and informative. I even have one of his Widgets - and it's excellent. But when he goes into his 'Look at me (and my car and my wife and my famous auld mates' mode, it drives me potty. Everyone who has met him says what a nice guy he is - and I'm sure they are right. But IMHO the details of his professional career and/or personal life are of no interest whatsoever to the majority of readers and have no place in the magazine.

Everybody else including myself seemed to have enjoyed it so please dont generalise your views as "the majority of readers"

[avtur]

Must admit I thought the AW article had a tinge of 'ego' running through it. The first bit about wanting to take great photos was OK, but I'm not sure that the pages of RCM&E are where I want to see social commentary which appeared to be at least 50% of the article.

I didn’t appreciate his comment “Overall I would say that there is a dawning realisation that creativity, not ARTF purchasing power, might be the key to shed happiness”, and find such a comment almost at odds with the views expressed in ‘top letter’ (page 34). It is a busy old world for a lot of people these days and ARTF gives some of us an opportunity to fly that we might not otherwise have.

And why can he not spell ‘electric’, if he wants to have a pop at the lack of literary skills of children then the least he could do is play by his own rules; or perhaps the misspelling is some sort of ‘in joke’ with a certain group of people, if so then again in my opinion the pages of the mag are to the place to play out ‘in jokes’. Also there is the misspelling of the word ‘Facebook’ don’t know if it was a typo or intentional but it almost turned out rude …

There’s nothing wrong with social commentary, but I don’t think the pages of RCM&E are the place I want to see it. In saying that I would differentiate between the mag, which I pay for and the contents of this (and many other forums) which I do not directly pay for.

Edited By avtur on 03/06/2012 23:31:06

[malcolm woodcock 1]

I think AW's rant very appropriate. Where are the young kids taking up the hobby. Most of us started with chuck gliders and progressed from there. Go to the parks nowadays and you don't see kids throwing lumps of balsa about and getting curious as to what keeps it up. When you spent a couple of weeks building a rubber powered model and then want something that stays aloft a little longer but only have pocket money to to do it with, you build but nowadays there are only ARTFs in the shops. When I get a chance to fly in the local park I get people asking me where they can buy one like that, only to be told that it's a one off "I built it". They're still curious but with the nearest model shop over 30 miles away there is very little follow up. We must do something to get the next generation interested or the hobby will become the domain of people crashing expensive toys. Rant over, I'll go back to bed now.

[leccyflyer]

I think it is very precious of us old geezers to hark back to the old days and chucking lumps of balsa around, whilst ignoring that in the modern age a youngster interested in model flying can have a fully functional, guaranteed to fly Spitfire,with retracts- at a fraction of the cost of what their grandparent would have had to pay for an unreliable model with unreliable radio.

I know that i was amazed a dozen years ago when my son was able to fly such a model (without retracts though) and things have moved on since then in terms of such models being available RTF. That's progress.

Incidentally the possession of a small foamie Spitfire was an inspiration, not a case of crashing expensive toys - for a start the toys, in real terms, are inexpensive compared to the offerings available of old - and in our case my boy built his own, plan built scale model after having flown a variety of foamies.

Our club has a fair number of youngsters, flying everything from small foamies and shockies all the way up to 50cc petrol scale aerobats. There are some marvellous young fliers (and builders) in the hobby and I'm delighted to have flown with some of them. Rumours of the demise of the participation of youngsters in the hobby have been exaggerated IMO.

[dav84]

As I said before on this forum, working with young people, as I do, gives a much better idea of the next generation, rather than believing the image portrayed in the press.

If we want the next generation to get involved in the hobby, maybe people need to be open towards youngsters rather than painting them with the same brush and criticising their choice of model.

I am proud to admit that my fist model was a RTF foamie that was electric powered. Since starting on this I now have a number of models including ARTF, Kits and traditional plan built models.

Surely RTF and/or Foamies are a way of getting youngsters hooked on the hobby, before moving onto "the good old way" of modelling.

I just think that by criticising them like the rest of the press is just going to alienate them, destroying the hobby.

P.S. I found it amusing that A.W. listed what traditional items the kids should have and included in this was a Kindle. Not very traditional is it? Much like RTF I suppose.

[Roger in Dubai]

After a small problem with the receipt of the June mag (many thanks for the quick response from David for a replacement) I am delighted to say that my July issue has just arrived on my office table, yippee. More great columns to read in the best RC mag.

[Tony Jones]

Posted by Codename-John on 03/06/2012 15:32:04:

Posted by Tony Jones on 01/06/2012 20:22:44:

Posted by Rentman on 01/06/2012 09:59:43:

I wouldn't call '10 Years Later a rant, and I find most of Alex's technical articles interesting and informative. I even have one of his Widgets - and it's excellent. But when he goes into his 'Look at me (and my car and my wife and my famous auld mates' mode, it drives me potty. Everyone who has met him says what a nice guy he is - and I'm sure they are right. But IMHO the details of his professional career and/or personal life are of no interest whatsoever to the majority of readers and have no place in the magazine.

Everybody else including myself seemed to have enjoyed it so please dont generalise your views as "the majority of readers"

OK, I won't. If you promise not to call the small percentage of the readership that contributes to this forum 'everyone else'.

[Codename-John]

Deal

[Major]

Have finished mine yesterday... Very good level,as usual, the series "What goes up" is fantastic. And that plan of vintage carrier is just what I wanted.

Keep it up - You all do very good job!

[Jon Laughton]

My, my! What a lot of feedback for Wily Whittaker....just what he thrives on & needs I think?

I was saving the July edition for a business trip later in the month but on the basis of the thread here I decided to read the weekenders article for some clarification.

For me Alex's articles are always eminently readable. I enjoy his wit and sharp commentary particularly on the current state of the BMFA and also life in general. Occasionally I disagree with him, much like I would with my best friends, but as with them, I remain loyal and look froward to every article. I noted that much of what he has written this month is self-depracating and also recognises the broad church that is aeromodelling today with all its different perspectives.

Alex seems to recognise elegantly that there is nothing wrong with differences of opinion be that within our hobby/sport or within society in general and it is good to identify those differences / discuss them and even make suggestions for future changes.

Well done Alex - keep up the excellent work. Here's to then next ten years!

Jon

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

Posted by avtur on 03/06/2012 23:26:10:

Also there is the misspelling of the word ‘Facebook’ don’t know if it was a typo or intentional but it almost turned out rude …

I genuinely thought this WAS a typo, until I worked it out and realised it's just a very weak joke. C'mon AW, you can do better than that!

[DCW]

Browsing the pages of the July 12 issue of RCME I read the ‘Top letter’ and was very disappointed that such a letter would even be included in the magazine let alone be given the title of Top Letter. I do not believe that this have happened to RCM&E a few years ago.

Not long ago to buy a ready made model you would have had your ‘leg pulled’ something rotten, (in the nicest possible way) and been called a ‘cheque book modeller’. We have all at some time or another purchased a model built by someone else, I even produced a limited run part built kit myself to get people started, but ARTF aircraft were purchased ‘as well as’ and not ‘instead of’. In one club that I belonged to a Falcon Sunbeam trainer was re-sold at least four times before meeting it’s demise.

Unfortunately, in recent years many model flying magazines, not so much RCME, look more like the pages of a ‘Toys R us’ catalogue.

Fortunately July RCME redeemed itself by Alex Whittaker’s article ‘Behind the wire’. The models were nothing short of stunning. Also ‘Crossing the divide’ with a ¼ scale reconnaissance Spitfire, scary but brilliant. I have yet to study AW’s article. I have read ‘snippets’ of it and liked the end bit ‘No change’, the truth sometimes hurts!

With respect to ARTF models, it may not be a bad idea to look at Model Flying’s own polls:

Q: Are you presently or will you soon be building a traditional kit or plan model?

Q: How many ultra micro models do you own?

Q: Are you a trad' balsa man or have you embraced the foamie revolution, what % of your fleet are foam models?

Are ARTFs a good thing or a bad thing? A new poll maybe?

DW

[Codename-John]

For those of us who work more than full time and have family commitments, ( I for one am a single parent and running my own business ) ARTF`s are sometimes the only way we could fly when the opportunity arises DW, as unfortunatly not all of us have a few hours spare everyday for weeks on end to build from a plan etc, there are people who dont have the skills to build a model to as good a standard as a nominal ARTF either who still enjoy flying but would be flying bananas all the time, especially new comers to the hobby, so I think theyre a very good thing

[Huggy]

Only just caught up with this, and it does look as though Alex W has attracted praise, agreement and flak in equal measure! I actually enjoyed his 10 year look back, as something a bit different, and having a columnist with a bit of character is always good in any magazine - and many ego-free people are not very interesting I've found. Sure, I don't always agree with your tame cross-border wanderer, and his rearguard snipes at electric power are a bit tedious and King Canute-ish perhaps, but what's the point of having a writer who doesn't back off from speaking his mind, and who can write in a colourful way, if not to get peoples attention and bring on some lively debate? Carry on, sir! Also, as something different the cross-channel Spit flight was very readable, and I'd just as soon have some of that rather than another review that every other modelling mag may well duplicate. One question to Management - is the Sandow likely to have a wood pack in due course? I fancy that, but will happily avoid cutting out ribs etc if I can get away with it, even if it is a fairly simple design. Oh, and I have much appreciated ARTF models (all el*ctric I fear, Alex!) as a way of building up my R/C squadron, and very nice some of them are too, but now it's time to back off the "acquisitions" and do more building.

Keep 'em coming.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Posted by Huggy on 06/06/2012 09:39:13:

One question to Management - is the Sandow likely to have a wood pack in due course? I fancy that, but will happily avoid cutting out ribs etc if I can get away with it, even if it is a fairly simple design.

Yes

[TheFlyingCrust]

Just to clarify I was only commenting on the item in Alex's article relating "children". I enjoyed the whole article and the rest was entirely appropriate. I love his style of writing with his wit. Don't stop!

Ian

[leccyflyer]

Having just read Bertie's missive and particularly the bit referred to about children, it;s glaringly obvious that the vision of today;s youth is not tempered by actually having any real contact with them. Those who do actually encounter the younger members of society, rather than just lapping up the mythology and hype, will have noticed as ever, that youth includes a wide spread of youngsters with different interests, talents and abilities. Just as it always was, even back to Ancient Greece, with grown-ups making the same sort of expressions of horror about their feckless nature, and how it was so much better in their day.

The rose-tinted spectacles of "jumpers for goalposts, penny arrers and chuck gliders" apart - if one looks at what the youth of today are capable of, with a little encouragement, rather than being scowled at, it is quite remarkable. Personally i grew up in the period a little later than Bertie, in the 1970's and aeromodelling was a minority pastime for youngsters then as well. There were no computers, Playstations, mobile telephones or any of the other betes noires that are being blamed for the demise of the youth of today, and, even though we had an aeromodelling group in school, it was still a minority interest.

Perhaps it was more prevalent when Britain was somewhat more air-minded in the 50's but that was 60 years ago? I'd venture to suggest that, football, fishing and frolicking were hugely more popular than aeromodelling, even n those halycyon days of yore.

Edited By leccyflyer on 06/06/2012 11:29:04