[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

Struck a nerve did I Dennis?

[Lazy Ace]

Originally Posted by bcsaltchucker

Dead Wrong LA.

LA, there are many MANY clubs full of elitism and prejudice like that. Or just have a different agenda and flying practice that is not compatible with other genres of flying. Have many friends who ran into this hostility and prejudice from clubs full of aholes. But so what? They are private clubs and the members can have a club any way they want it to be, it only needs to serve the members' wants and needs. And sometimes they are that way for good reason, like land access restrictions imposed by land owners too.

Newbies have to understand not all clubs are a good fit for them. This is absolutely the case here in Victoria at the old VRCMS club, where membership is limited to 50 pilots (and they kicked out 150 of them overnight to get it down to that), they have hostile website and until recently banned a lot of the flying I like to do (I hear it has changed?). Heck even two of their ex-presidents dont fly there, and fly out at our unregulated field sometimes now. If those types of clubs are the only ones nearby, then there is absolutely no reason to belong to a club at all. Would be stupid to try and join a club that is a bad fit. It's like saying you have to join a private golf and country club to play golf.

with time, the folks who want a club to operate the way they want it to operate, will eventually coalesce and maybe make their own club. Like we did here (new maac club, though now facing agri zoning challenge to our officially sanctioned field). Heck there is a semblance of a new fpv miniquad racing club gathering here, might be all I want to do in future - no planes, no nitro allowed LOL.

I'll grant you I've never been to BC and its possible it’s a different animal. I hear flying sites are hard to come by and jealously guarded. It may be the nature of the beast having to have limits and a very structured flying regimen. I know of a couple of electric only clubs mostly because of the noise. One glider only club that fly’s from a sod farm the farmer specifies no fuel planes. Electric gliders are ok. When I visited I had a van load of models mostly gas and nitro and you could see them from the outside. Two guys came right over and told me that there was no internal combustion engines allowed. I asked if I could fly my glider and they instantly lightened up. In fact I flew from a winch for the first time that day and it was interesting to say the least.

To the rest who seem to have an issue with MAAC

Club or not if I had to be selective about the type of flying or models flown to keep the site I have two options. Move or comply with the expectations. If that means excluding you I am sorry but that’s the way it has to be unless I want to move and start a new club/group.

A lot of the stuff you are blaming on MAAC has little to do with the organization. It’s local and part of the culture of the flyers that make up that group. As has been stated why would you want to join a group where you’re not wanted.

You need to find one or start your own. Lots of guys here have started impromptu clubs from their farm/back yard. A minimum of 3 members I believe, register your group with MAAC and you enjoy all the benefits of any other club. It would be up to you to set the tone of your club.

Dennis

[Lazy Ace]

Originally Posted by OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK

Struck a nerve did I Dennis?

Not at all like I said I've never been made unwelcome quite the opposite in fact.

When someone complains so much and so loud I have to wonder if the real problem lies a little closer to home.

Some by their inherent personality might not be a good fit in any club setting.

Dennis

[bcsaltchucker]

Originally Posted by Lazy Ace

A lot of the stuff you are blaming on MAAC has little to do with the organization. It’s local and part of the culture of the flyers that make up that group. As you and others have stated why would you want to join a group where you’re not wanted.


Dennis

I am not blaming MAAC at all, btw. I am in a maac club, exec on the club too. MAAC has only been helpful for all rc flying imho

just the newbies need to understand 1/ they might not find a club that fits with them 2/ that is not necessarily a big deal unless the existing club is on government land, which comes with some community service obligations (eg the Coquitlam club, which has to be open to all Rc flyers). 3/ joining a club is not a necessity at all for some. 3/ upside for the future is that folks in places like here where land access is scarce, the mini multi fpv will open up a ton more tight spaces as potential club sites, which would never have worked for planes and large aircraft.

[Lazy Ace]

Originally Posted by bcsaltchucker

I am not blaming MAAC at all, btw. I am in a maac club, exec on the club too. MAAC has only been helpful for all rc flying imho

just the newbies need to understand 1/ they might not find a club that fits with them 2/ that is not necessarily a big deal unless the existing club is on government land, which comes with some community service obligations (eg the Coquitlam club, which has to be open to all Rc flyers). 3/ joining a club is not a necessity at all for some. 3/ upside for the future is that folks in places like here where land access is scarce, the mini multi fpv will open up a ton more tight spaces as potential club sites, which would never have worked for planes and large aircraft.

\

Sorry the first paragraph was directed at your quote the rest was directed at those who have a problem with MAAC. I've edited it a bit hope it makes it clearer.

This is the first I have heard about a club on government land open to all RC flyers here in Canada. Public access makes it hard to put effort into improving the site.

That's the norm in the US since most of their clubs happen to be on land controlled by the Army Corpse of Engineers. Anyone can use the grounds but flyers have to be AMA members. They also do not have to belong to the club. Public access during off hours makes for lots of vandalism so a lot of the clubs are pretty basic. Some even have to pay the manager of the land use to cut the grass for them.

Dennis

[bcsaltchucker]

yeah it's a curious situation in Coquitlam. I think was a big land donation to the city, with the owner stipulating this portion of it (tiny RC site, still has the control line circles) be saved for all RC flyers. But while there is a club operating there, anyone can go to city hall, buy a pass which includes non-Maac coverage for like $20 and fly there at specified times.

We have a very helpful mayor in one of our local muni who has asked if we would like some land to fly at. trouble is, no one has found a site suitable for planes within that particular muni.

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

"The closed club I belong to limits the number of members"

Here is another issue that I feel is for the most part is totally unnecessary. Membership caps!

I firmly believe they are put in place by a select few whose agenda is selfish. They don't want to share prime flying time with anyone.
I know of at least 3 clubs that have membership caps and if you drive past them any day of the week except Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the field is empty. Even then often there are only a handful of flyers out. One club I am quite familiar with has a cap of 50 members, of that number only about a dozen are active flyers. The rest are too old, too busy, waste a lot of time finishing building their planes on the flight line or just come to watch.

There is a solution to all this, just look to the local gulf clubs. Only 18 holes but 300 or more members right? So you book a tee time! First came first serve. Miss it, you loose it! No refunds.

Lets take a page out of their book! Why not book flight times on weekends and expect promptness or you loose out. A small fee could be charged to cover someone's time to oversee it. Club membership dues could be lowered offset by a higher number of members. Non flyers that are just taking up space on the club registry would get a price break and new members would get a chance to step up to the plate.

What do you think guys? Workable? I think it would be win/win for everyone.

[bcsaltchucker]

I think the old Victoria club was forced to impose a membership cap (kicked out 3/4 of paid up members overnight) due to heavy pressure from the neighbours and the municipality they are in. Treading on eggshells, I sympathize. But it means the club remains a very closed private old boys club as a result, not a community service helping RC flyers at all.

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

...so they chose property over people, valued dirt more than friendships.

Nice bunch of guys!!!

Twenty or so years from now when they are sitting in the nursing home next to all those fellows they treated badly, the planes and field will be a distant memory. I hope for their sakes that their minds have gone south!

[Lazy Ace]

Originally Posted by OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK

"The closed club I belong to limits the number of members"

Here is another issue that I feel is for the most part is totally unnecessary. Membership caps!

I firmly believe they are put in place by a select few whose agenda is selfish. They don't want to share prime flying time with anyone.
I know of at least 3 clubs that have membership caps and if you drive past them any day of the week except Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the field is empty. Even then often there are only a handful of flyers out. One club I am quite familiar with has a cap of 50 members, of that number only about a dozen are active flyers. The rest are too old, too busy, waste a lot of time finishing building their planes on the flight line or just come to watch.

There is a solution to all this, just look to the local gulf clubs. Only 18 holes but 300 or more members right? So you book a tee time! First came first serve. Miss it, you loose it! No refunds.

Lets take a page out of their book! Why not book flight times on weekends and expect promptness or you loose out. A small fee could be charged to cover someone's time to oversee it. Club membership dues could be lowered offset by a higher number of members. Non flyers that are just taking up space on the club registry would get a price break and new members would get a chance to step up to the plate.

What do you think guys? Workable? I think it would be win/win for everyone.

You obviously failed to read the post in its entirety. The membership cap was at the insistence of the landowner to keep the traffic down on the road through his crops. The old membership from the field they lost was about 35 to 40 they capped it at 50 and opened the extra first come first served. I joined at that time. No hidden agenda.

Dennis