Concorde Speedbird Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I can't wait till I can drive, 17 in October. But it will be in a rather rusty Fiat 126! Hopefully the Domino will fit in... CS (Small cars dept!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris edwards 3 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 carn't wait till i can drive, then no more towing a heavy trailar up to the club with my bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Posted by chris edwards 3 on 19/03/2013 17:21:08: carn't wait till i can drive, then no more towing a heavy trailar up to the club with my bike. Good for you. I used to do a great deal of cycling and still ride up to the club through the lanes occasionally but without a model. There are several quite major climbs (and descents) for me so taking a model that way would be something of a challenge. Derbyshire isn't all that flat My wife's fitter than I am these days. She did about 80 miles last Saturday, not bad for 72 Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearair Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Posted by Erfolg on 18/03/2013 19:14:57: I guess the positive aspects of the age distribution, is that, from a trade position, that modellers have money to spend. The negative aspect is that there are very few modellers, or should that be fliers, who are very young? Never in my life time have models been available that fly well, at low cost, that can be controlled to do what you want, as right now. I would have hoped that there would be so many youngsters flying small models, that getting on the field on a Saturday and Sunday would have been tough. There tends to be two aspects to the broad heading of modelling, that is flying, where there is little evidence of youngsters, which we have dealt with and building. I do broadly accept that most youngsters are on their computers and consoles. Yet from my grandchildren ( all girls) between the age of 5 to say 9, they enjoy making things, That is even when ready finished items are available. Youngsters are broadly creative, when left to themselves. Could it be that a lot of so called, much derided by some, loved by me, flying toys, are flown in the home, gardens and parks? I hope so, as not many make it to our field or onto this site. I am not a subscriber to the notion that most modellers start in their 30's or later. I feel, most are returning from a youth of modelling. The new starters and those that never had a break are the smaller group. Yet the past is not always a direct indicator of the future, especially when so specific as with modelling. Last summer in Cornwall I was amazed at the amount of these small models that were being flown on beaches, Bodmin Moor etc. Could it be that on holiday is the only time Dad gets time to spend with youngsters now. I found it very encouraging. There is also a lot of lads (12to 16) flying the FPV models around here since x-mas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Travis Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Well I'm not the youngest in our club at the grand old age of 39 the youngest I believe is 22. I took this hobby up as a teenager back in the day ... Then gave it up for beer and girls ..took it back up last year and now well and truly hooked especially now with electric models no messing with ic for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I keep looking at the figures and do ponder why? I have previously pondered what could have influenced the various bands attitudes towards RC Aeromodelling. I have also been considering, why are there so many in the 61-70 age band. To some extent I had thought that there would be less than in the 51-60 band, as many in this group grew up with reliable RC. I have been considering perhaps one major factor could be retirement. Liberating time and a degree of freedom. I have noted that a number of sub 65's have retired early. As one who also retired at 56, some 9 years back, I had assumed I was one of the last, who had this opportunity, whilst obtaining added years, before the door was slammed shut, by pension crises and the requirement to work on for longer. It appears that this assumption was wrong. So is it retirement that accounts for many of the more physically mature and young at heart modellers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Posted by Donald Fry on 19/03/2013 10:37:10: A severe worry for me, at the age of sixty two years two months, is only a small proportion of sixties will still be flying in their seventies. Thank you rcm@e, I will be depressed all day now. Don You shouldn't worry Don, the second childhood starts around 60, and then comes the second teenage-hood. You'll probably end up buying yourself a Ferrari! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codename-John Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Just turned 32 last week, nearly half way to retirement unless they keep bumping the age up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Posted by Geoff Sleath on 19/03/2013 17:55:54: Posted by chris edwards 3 on 19/03/2013 17:21:08: carn't wait till i can drive, then no more towing a heavy trailar up to the club with my bike. Good for you. I used to do a great deal of cycling and still ride up to the club through the lanes occasionally but without a model. There are several quite major climbs (and descents) for me so taking a model that way would be something of a challenge. Derbyshire isn't all that flat My wife's fitter than I am these days. She did about 80 miles last Saturday, not bad for 72 Geoff Heh, maybe you should offer to buy Chrises cycle trailer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdLazerus Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Could it be possible that hobbies generally are taken up when the family has grown and people have more time? I would not be surprised that this is the case for all hobbies from lapidary to railway modelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy48 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 For me it is something I have always wanted to do, but for most of my working life there were too many other things. Even when the kids had flown the nest, my working week was so long that I was too tired to take up the hobby. It needed retirement for the time and patience. As for the over 70's, perhaps there is another factor here. That is the generation which has largely missed out on computers, there's probably many flying, but without a computer they will not be on the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanH Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 32 going on 70, or so my colleagues tell me (I'm the young grumpy old man of the office)! Only been into this hobby (building and flying) for 2 years but have already become quite obsessed... 4 planes and a micro-chopper currently, a Mam'selle currently being built, then a further 4 kits or plans lined up to build :-D After staring at computer screens for 11 hours a day, then putting my young children to bed, I've found model building for an hour or 2 a welcome break from rubbish TV, internet surfing and computer games, even if I only get to actually go flying once a month or less! Someone mentioned perhaps more "young" people are just flying indoors/gardens/parks without joining clubs and I think this could at least partially be the case. I have several colleagues and friends (20 or 30 somethings)with AR Drones, micro-helicopters, foam planes etc that wouldn't consider themselves model flyers. They just see them as another occasional-use gadget to pick up from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Martin I think you have identified another factor distorting the results. I know there are a number of +70's in our club with no access to the Internet. At the same time approx half do, and are regular users of Pc's. I am not sure if this indicates that the values for this group could be 50% low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Having been membership secretary for a fairly large club (120-130 members) for the last thirteen years, I can certainly say that our experience confirms the 'greying' of the membership. We currently have only four (under 18) junior members, which is the lowest number of youngsters on our books for several years. I don't keep a record of members ages, but I'd estimate the highest proportion of members are in the over 50 age bracket, with a reduction of ages being represented down to only a few in their twenties. A third of the membership, I'd guess, are retired and are able to fly during the week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolstonFlyer Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 36 and a similar situation to IanH, staring at a computer all day and small kids at home (I hope to get at least one of them into flying).I am really enjoying the hobby so far (about 2 years in) and I am here for the long haul as they say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david williams 9 ( whizzo) Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Well i.m 63 and retired. i think i agree that the high 60 to 70 on the poll is to do with retirement. Its the age when you think blimey i dont have to get up in the dark every morning an go to work. As for myself i dabbled on and off with aeromodelling since i was about 13. But now the shed has been transformed into my den where i can loose myself and be 13 again. It would be great if we could get the youngsters to enjoy this rewarding hobby. I think the answer to that is down to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Nobody in the 91+ bracket - does that mean model flying leads to premature death? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn R Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Most not sporting pastimes tend to be full of older people. I play golf most members of the club are over 50. Older people have 2 things going for them, time & money. Edited By Glyn R on 21/03/2013 11:05:19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Wilson Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Wow...I'm in the majority! Right now "I'm the oldest I've ever been, and the youngest I'll ever be". Enjoy the day...every flight is the first of it's kind. (Did I get the ' in the right place?) Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Posted by Harry Wilson on 21/03/2013 21:32:27: (Did I get the ' in the right place?) Harry I'm, I've, I'll, it's? Well you got them all on the right page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel sheffield Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 46 and been back into this hobby for about 5 years, spent a couple of years in my teens but like most just other things took over. lipos and brushless motors got me back into it along with epp and epo foam making things much safer and easier and quieter. Funily enough I use none of those things now as I am hooked on dlg gliders which only need a good throw and then a good pilot to stay up for ages and cant be made from foam apart from a few small ones which are not all that good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Posted by nigel sheffield on 22/03/2013 17:09:12: lipos and brushless motors got me back into it along with epp and epo foam making things much safer and easier and quieter. How is it safer? Anyway, I'll draw up a cumulative frequency graph of this at some point to find out the median and the interquartile range, just because I will find it interesting. CS (Maths is fun dept!) Edited By ConcordeSpeedbird on 22/03/2013 17:14:13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Cooper Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Well, I wasn't old and grey when I began flying R/C models 49 years ago. In fact I was only ten, but had been flying other forms of models before then. Mentally, I am probably still 10 ...lol --- but a look in the mirror shows I have aged a bit. Hmmm, I think I will get a new mirror. B.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverlandgirl. Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Okay, okay, I confess...... I'm only 6.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panther Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Posted by riverlandgirl. on 23/03/2013 01:58:47: Okay, okay, I confess...... I'm only 6.... I think you are lying through your lipstick again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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