Born to Fly - 2009/03
Spreading the RC gospel: My first RC trade show realization
Many years ago, I attended my first RC trade show. I had always wanted to go, and I was very excited to finally get the chance to attend as the public relations/marketing person for Hobby Lobby International.
I was in the booth from the time the doors opened until they closed each day, and I enjoyed talking to fellow RCers and getting feedback about products. The thing that really stopped me in my tracks and gave me immediate concern was the age of the people who attended; the average age seemed to be late 60s and older, and the number of young people was low.
When I got back to Nashville, Jim Martin (president of Hobby Lobby at the time) asked me to come to his office and tell him what I had experienced. The first thing out of my mouth was, “We have to get kids back into this hobby, pronto!”
I know that many of these older RC enthusiasts got the airplane bug because of World War II and those romantic warbirds. They saw something that captured their imaginations, and RC was a way to live out the dream of flying a P-51 or any of the other beautiful airplanes from that era.
Somewhere along the line, being outside with an RC airplane fell in importance to video games or texting on cell phones with America’s youth. The question is, what can we do to get today’s youth excited about aviation and radio control again?
Santa Told Me a Secret
My wife and I took the kids to see Santa so they could tell him what they wanted for Christmas. While the photo was being printed, jolly old Saint Nick pulled me aside and asked me what I did for a living. I explained to the man in red that I ran the world’s largest RC web forum. It was at this point that Santa put his finger to his nose and whispered these magic words in my ear:
“Son, do you know what every boy and girl has asked for as a present this year? They have all requested RC toys! Some want airplanes, some want helicopters, and some want things that stick to the roof. In all my years I have never had so many children ask for so many RC toys!”
I walked away excited and started thinking about the inside information Santa had just given me. Something had happened to get kids excited enough about RC to let Santa in on the secret. This was big news.
A Toy Commercial Wakes up the RC Market
Most of us have been in a megastore and seen the RC toy section. I am always tempted to buy one of the airplanes to see if it flies. The times I have given in to temptation, I have usually been rewarded with an inexpensive something that was only good for one flight to the trash can.
All of that changed a few years ago when Spin Master came out with a little foamie biplane that could be used indoors or outdoors. The most exciting thing was that it actually flew and could withstand the abuse my kids put it through. Soon I noticed that everyone at my flying club had at least one of these “toy” airplanes, and we all started modifying them. To my amazement, Spin Master RC products began showing up on television commercials.
I have thought for years that RC needed a real television show—if people will watch bowling or golf on television, they would love some good RC flying. When I saw the Spin Master Air Hogs commercial, I thought, “If we can’t have an RC show, an RC commercial might be just as good.” Spin Master has continued to bring out cool RC toys that kids want and cool commercials that do a great job of bringing awareness of RC to a new level and creating a desire in kids to experience it.
I Always Wanted One, But They Are Too Expensive
I usually explain that there are some great entry-level airplanes and helicopters out there that come with everything, and they cost less than $200. The EPP-based airplanes can be crashed severely and fixed in five minutes.
All of these future RC hobbyists are working off old numbers and barriers to the hobby that they aren't aware have been broken. They don't know what is available or what it costs.
Think of all the people out there who have always wanted to fly RC, but have yet to try. It's an untapped resource that just needs a nudge. We need to spread the word that RC is now affordable, that the aircraft fly great, and that it is a huge amount of fun!
Who is responsible for spreading the RC gospel?
We know the RC demographic is maturing, but with the amazing technological leaps made in the last few years, we are standing in a totally new RC environment. The hobby has a lot to offer the newbie as well as the old pro.
We have toy RC products that actually work; entry-level aircraft that are affordable, fixable, and fly great; and technology that has made our vehicles more exciting and given them more endurance. Whose job is it to spread the RC gospel? It's your job, it's my job, and it's everyone's job who has a love of this hobby.
Every one of us is responsible for moving the hobby into the future, from the biggest RC industry executive to the first-time pilot who can't believe the airplane he built actually flew. It's not only our job to promote the facet of the hobby we love, but also to promote the hobby in general. We need to spread the word to future RC pilots out there who aren't addicted yet.
I want this hobby to be around when my kids get older. I want to leave them a hobby that is flourishing and thriving, and the only way for me to do that is to do all I can to keep pushing it forward. It does not matter if you fly scale, 3-D, or whatever. We are all in this together.
Do something to help grow the hobby:
- Spread the word to your non-RC buddies.
- When you see someone watching at the field, walk over and see if he or she has any questions.
- Become more active on the web forums, and let others feel your excitement.
- Take time to teach someone how to fly, just as someone taught you.
- If you are an RC head honcho, be bold and let the world know about the rewards, thrills, and fun of RC using new marketing channels.
There are people out there who don't know they love RC yet, and it is our job to bring them home by doing all we can to get the word out about its rewards. Let's solidify the foundation of a hobby that we love and grow it so others can enjoy it in the future.
Get out there and do something!
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
