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Without new
blood, we will run
out of friends
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"Hey,
Grandpa! Can you take me and my dad out to the local flying
field to fly my airplane?" For some of us, this would be the
sweetest music we could hear; a grandson is interested in
flying model airplanes and his dad is willing to go with
him. Unfortunately, I heard from a few people that this was
the start of a nightmare brought about by the actions of the
local club.
How would your club react to an AMA-member
grandpa from some far- away city arriving with his grandson
and the boy's father at your flying field? Let's assume that
the youngster and his dad have become AMA members in
preparation for this first outing with their new model
airplane, and have been waiting for grandpa to arrive to
take them flying.
I had this scenario presented to me by an extremely disappointed grandpa when he experienced a
complete rejection by a club near where his grandson lived.
To say he—and I'm sure the kid—was heartbroken would be an
understatement.
Most of us who have been involved in aeromodeling for a lifetime got help starting out from other
aeromodelers. As kids, we were transported to the field and
club meetings and encouraged through the rough spots that
all beginners experience.
For some of us, it was our lack of
ability to fly and crashing was just horrible. For others,
it was our lack of craftsmanship that needed help. (I can
remember needing help to sharpen my ax when I first started
building models.) Regardless of our experience levels or our
ages, the other modelers were there to help and support our
efforts.
The longer we are involved in the sport, the more
we become attached to the people involved in it. How many of
us have spent a day at the field without ever getting around
to flying our airplanes? Heck, I know a few guys who plan to
spend the day at the field and they don't even bring a model
with them!
All of the friends you have in aeromodeling got
their start somehow and their enthusiasm was cultivated by
the modelers they encountered on that first trip to a flying
site. How many of them would have become your friends if
they had been shunned the first time they showed up at a
club flying site?
I have heard many excuses for why some
people don't want to welcome those newcomers. They range
from "I don't have the time" to "I raised my kids; I don't
want to raise any more." I've heard all about the crowded
flying site and the limited club membership. In reality, I
have seen very few flying sites which were utilized to their
capacity, and very few clubs that had overflow crowds at the
meetings.
Obviously, greeting newcomers with enthusiasm isn't something I would expect every club member to embrace.
It wasn't when I was a kid and it will never be something at
which everyone excels. Some people are not so good at this,
so we need to identify those who are willing and able to be
the club's welcoming committee for potential new modelers.
If a possible newcomer to the hobby shows up at the field,
those members who have no interest in mentoring that person
will be able to refer them to someone else. We cannot afford
to turn away too many of those first-time visitors. Without
new blood, we will run out of friends.
MA
Til next month ...
Dave Brown, AMA president
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