President’s Perspective
Dave Brown, AMA president
Would the average "wannabe," attempting the same stunt, create an unreasonable risk to other people?
Would you describe yourself as a risk taker? I doubt very many of us would. When I think of being a risk taker in today’s context, I think of the X Games or extreme sports such as street luge and competitive skateboarding.
In that context of personal, physical risk, we are not risk takers. But how many of us have heard someone say we are crazy for actually flying our models? Have you ever heard someone say, “If I put that much time or money into a model, I’d be afraid to fly it”? If you have flown for very long—even only two or three weeks—I’ll bet you have heard that.
Most of the rest of society would say we are slightly nuts, spending hours building a model only to risk destroying the aircraft by flying it. I never heard that said about model railroading.
The bottom line is that we are risk takers, and we need to accept that fact and deal with our own makeup. The difference between our activity and extreme sports is that the risks in those activities are primarily—but not exclusively—borne by the participant. Our activity involves little risk to the physical well-being of the pilot, but a crash can deliver a gut-wrenching psychological blow.
It’s easy to become lulled into a feeling of invincibility when the risks are not to us but to our models and to others. For many of us, the “risk” becomes somewhat addictive and we become more daring to get a “fix.” We need that thrill, and we will go to great lengths to get it.
Another way we get our thrills is by taking these risks in front of a crowd of our peers. How often have you seen someone make a low pass and heard the other modelers yell “lower” to the pilot? The most skilled ones fly lower than the mere mortals among us, enhancing their status. We have improved the technology of our equipment, and today’s models are capable of doing things thought impossible in the past, creating new risks as well as new thrills.
I attended the Weak Signals Toledo Show, and a feature of that event is the Electric Tournament of Champions held at a nearby indoor site on Saturday evening. The buzz throughout the hall on Sunday was about the winner of this year’s event who used reverse pitch to hover the model nose-down—a new twist on a trick that has become old hat. That got people’s attention, once again raising the bar.
I’m sure it won’t be long before someone tries to duplicate that maneuver with a gas model outdoors. The need for a thrill is so powerful that it can overthrow other instincts. A crash can reduce the urge for extreme flying, but it is usually only a temporary cure.
The desire for a thrill is human nature, and we will not be able to overcome that instinct. We must deal with it. Occasionally someone develops the skill and the confidence to attempt tricks in places or circumstances that create an unreasonable risk to others, and that threatens our activity. Demonstrating our skills and bravery are a normal part of being human, and we will never evolve beyond that instinct—but we do have to handle it reasonably.
None of us is immune from this syndrome. Anyone who says he or she has never done something dumb with a model airplane to show off is lacking in memory. We have all done things we wish we hadn’t, and most often we have gotten away with it. Tempting fate is a part of aeromodeling; we need to tempt fate wisely. I can tell you from experience that this does not become easier to resist when one becomes a top-level pilot.
I was a national champion and a world championship medalist, and I have done a few things I shouldn’t have done.
Sometimes those we look up to in terms of skill level do things they shouldn’t, and it can be difficult to step up and say anything. It’s difficult, but we must be willing to do it. If we allow anyone to do things that threaten the safety of others, we risk that individual being responsible for the loss of our sport.
We must be willing to speak up and put a stop to activity that creates a threat. If you feel uneasy speaking to the modeler involved, then talk to the other modelers around you. If they also express concern, address the situation as a group. Sometimes it’s easier for a group to address a problem than for an individual.
My experience has been that usually the person involved in the disquieting activity is willing to change how he or she is flying and may not even realize others are concerned.
Likewise, those who are the best pilots—those who are looked up to—need to set a good example for those with less-developed skills. They must ensure that what they do would not be dangerous to other people if a less-skilled modeler attempted it in the same situation.
The gauge cannot be that the pilot involved is skillful enough to pull off a particular stunt without having an accident. The test needs to be: would the average “wannabe,” attempting the same stunt, create an unreasonable risk to other people?
We risk our models every time we fly them, and as long as that is the limit of the risk, we can accept it as part of aeromodeling. What we can’t accept is spreading that risk to others by showing off in a foolish way.
Till next month.
Dave Brown AMA president [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
