I hope everyone enjoying the great weather this time of year and getting some flying in before it gets to cold here in the Northern Hemisphere and that our south of the equator members are getting ready for a great flying season.  As we ramp up for building season this year in the Northern Hemisphere I wanted to take a moment and reflect on the state of our hobby. While many folks think our hobby is declining by huge numbers (reminds me of chicken little) each year this is just not the case. If you walk away with just one thing from this post it should be this: "Our hobby is CHANGING, not declining." With the advent of ready to fly models and ARF's (in all sizes) this has opened up the hobby to a MUCH wider audience than in the past. With estimates of over a quarter of a billion dollars in sales last year worldwide, R/C is one of the top three highest grossing hobbies (and growing every year) in the world.

So what does this mean to you and me? This mean WE have to CHANGE from being so passive and start encouraging those folks at the parks and school grounds to visit our clubs, join our organization, offer our help as mentors, and encourage them to participate in our events. The social aspect of our hobby is one of the most rewarding and fun parts of it. Why not share that? The success or failure of our hobby in the future falls squarely on yours and my shoulders, no one else's. 

Not sure where to start? How about contacting that member at your club who just joined and ask them if they have an questions or need any help. Speak to that father and son at the part trying to fly a foamy or quad copter. Make them feel welcomed and be helpful by actively try to recruit others at the parks, hobby shops, or fly-ins/fun-flys. There are lots of opportunities to encourage these "casual hobbyist" to participate more, we just have to work at it. WE are the ambassadors and caretakers of our hobby, no one else is. Its success or failure depends on us!

Until next month,
Mike