Model Airplane News – August 2019

AUGUST 2019 45

CRAIG TRACHTEN,

OWNER,

HOBBYTOWN USA

Tell us about yourself

and how long you’ve been

involved with RC airplanes.

I have been in various hobbies

since I was nine years old; I am now 67. I

started flying just after I opened my store in

1992. By the end of 1993, I was writing product
      reviews for Model Airplane News.

What is your view of the state of the RC

airplane hobby today?

I’ve seen a major decline in fixed-/rotary-

wing flying since the multirotors/drones were

introduced.

What aspect of model airplanes do you think is

growing the fastest?

Foamies and midsize park fliers are all I’m

seeing in the air.

What do you think is our biggest challenge in

growing the hobby?

Lack of interest by today’s youngsters is the

biggest challenge of growing the hobby. If it

doesn’t plug in, light up, and go beep, it’s hard to

get their attention.

What’s more important: learning to build or

learning to fly?

Learning to build or learning to fly—one is no

more important than the other. Using one’s

hands to create something and seeing it work is

the complete hobby experience.

Tell us about new hobbyists you’ve mentored.

I’m always helping someone. The age range runs

the gambit. No one is too young or too old to

learn. My answers or explanations are geared

to the age/experience of the one seeking the

assistance.

What do you think are the biggest hurdles to

getting more people involved in RC?

I have said about a billion times that electronic

devices, tablets, and phones are the single

greatest hindrance to hobbies of all ilks.

Have you thought of any possible solutions?

I can’t think of a realistic solution to the decline

in the interest of the hobby. An idealistic

solution is for parents to limit the time [kids

spend] on electronic devices and to throw them

outside and experience the world.

In the last decade or so, we’ve see a decline in local “mom and pop” brick-and-

mortar hobby shops, and several well-known publications have shuttered their

doors. Trends in what’s popular come and go, but in the end, the hobbyists (and

customers) are what’s important.

Model Airplane News has always tried to stay in close contact with its readers

so that we can deliver relevant content that matters. And with so many changes

and challenges in the forefront, we took a survey of sorts by asking some direct

questions to several of our industry contacts and contributors. Here are the

comments they shared with us. We think it’s important to keep this conversation

going, and we’d like to hear what you think. Please email comments that we can

share with others to [email protected].

ANDREW GRIFFITH, CONTRIBUTOR,

MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

Tell us about yourself and how long you’ve been involved

with RC airplanes.

I was a P-3 Orion flight tech and systems operator in the Navy, and now I do

computer-network security. I’ve been a modeler and AMA [Academy of Model

Aeronautics] member since 1977, when I started flying gliders in elementary school.

Since then, I have flown just about everything—scale, gliders, jets, warbirds—I love it

all. I’m currently an AMA associate vice president and have served as the District 5

vice president, and hold turbine waivers for both fixed and rotary.

What is your view of the state of the RC airplane hobby today?

The state of the hobby is a bit of a mess right now, and it’s a shame. The issues with

the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] are putting off many people and really

putting a damper on the growth of the hobby. Also, the heroes we had when I was a

kid—Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, etc.—there is nobody like that for kids to look up to,

to inspire careers in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] fields. That

[along with] kids spending time on phones and video games are depleting the pool

of young people we need to replenish the ranks of the hobby. On the plus side, it’s

an extremely exciting time to be involved in the hobby. Radio technology is evolving,

stabilizer systems can make just about anything a good-flying model, turbines are

more affordable and safer to operate than ever, and manufacturers are churning

out exciting new releases almost weekly.

What aspect of model airplanes do you think is growing the fastest?

The layup answer to this is multirotor and FPV. However, one thing I have noticed

lately is an increased presence of turbine jets, due to what I mentioned earlier. We

went from two people at our field that you might see a few times a year flying a

turbine to eight or 10 regulars, with several turbines flying on any given weekend.

Turbines, especially the smaller ones, are more reliable and more affordable, and a

growing number of jets, including foam models, are getting turbine conversions.

What do you think is our biggest challenge in growing the hobby?

The biggest challenge is integrating model flight operations in the national airspace

system. Keeping the FAA happy and fostering a positive image of the hobby among

the general public are difficult when it seems that the “idiot with a drone” stories

in the media outnumber the “this local club is raising money for vets” by 10 to 1.

That, and the people that cause problems for the hobby [who] then move on to

something else leave those of us with a lifelong investment in the sport to pick up

the pieces.

Tell us about new hobbyists you’ve mentored.

I do a lot of instructing at our club. It seems to be a combination of retired people

looking to get out of the house, along with a few kids between 12 and 14. I enjoy

SHUTTERSTOworking with the kids to ignite that spark I had that led to a career in aviation.

CK
.COM

USING ONE’S HANDS TO CREATE

SOMETHING AND SEEING IT WORK IS

THE COMPLETE HOBBY EXPERIENCE.