Also included in this column:
• Santa told me a secret
• A toy commercial wakes up
the RC market
• “I always wanted one but
they are too expensive.”
• Who is responsible for
spreading the RC gospel?
MANY YEARS AGO, I attended my first RC trade show. I had
always wanted to attend an RC show, and I was very excited to finally
get the chance to go as the public relations/marketing person for Hobby
Lobby International.
I was in the booth from the time the doors
opened until the doors 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
the 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 back 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!”
Now, 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 that 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 at
a megastore of some type 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. But 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 the 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 have a
5- and a 7-year-old, and I spend quite a bit of time around other
parents. When the conversation turns to careers, I typically get
the same reaction from a 30-something dad: I have always
wanted an RC airplane/helicopter, but they just cost too much.
I usually explain that there are some great entry-level
airplanes and helicopters out there that come with everything,
March 2009 89
Michael Lising drew the templates for this paper Sikorsky S-55
using his computer and wrapped it around an E-flite Blade CP
frame. Mark Fadely photo.
Jenny Kimball brought and flew several airplanes at E-Fest. She was an adept aerobatics
pilot and showed a serious interest in racing. Ben Lanterman photo.
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 of 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 that have been 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 have 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.
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 the hobby so others can enjoy it in
the future.
Get out there and do something! MA
03sig3.QXD 1/26/09 1:39 PM Page 89
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/03
Page Numbers: 88,89
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/03
Page Numbers: 88,89
Also included in this column:
• Santa told me a secret
• A toy commercial wakes up
the RC market
• “I always wanted one but
they are too expensive.”
• Who is responsible for
spreading the RC gospel?
MANY YEARS AGO, I attended my first RC trade show. I had
always wanted to attend an RC show, and I was very excited to finally
get the chance to go as the public relations/marketing person for Hobby
Lobby International.
I was in the booth from the time the doors
opened until the doors 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
the 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 back 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!”
Now, 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 that 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 at
a megastore of some type 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. But 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 the 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 have a
5- and a 7-year-old, and I spend quite a bit of time around other
parents. When the conversation turns to careers, I typically get
the same reaction from a 30-something dad: I have always
wanted an RC airplane/helicopter, but they just cost too much.
I usually explain that there are some great entry-level
airplanes and helicopters out there that come with everything,
March 2009 89
Michael Lising drew the templates for this paper Sikorsky S-55
using his computer and wrapped it around an E-flite Blade CP
frame. Mark Fadely photo.
Jenny Kimball brought and flew several airplanes at E-Fest. She was an adept aerobatics
pilot and showed a serious interest in racing. Ben Lanterman photo.
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 of 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 that have been 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 have 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.
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 the hobby so others can enjoy it in
the future.
Get out there and do something! MA
03sig3.QXD 1/26/09 1:39 PM Page 89
