Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunt Aeromodeling Editor
"... in the end it's the people who make this all worthwhile.
IN A RECENT E-mail message I was asked about what to do about modeling boredom! The sender of this message (he shall remain anonymous) first thanked me for writing such inspiring editorials, then followed that by telling me he was uninspired and couldn't get any enthusiasm up to build or fly. Sort of a left-handed compliment, I'd say. Still, it got me to thinking again about our hobby/sport and the directions it has taken, and more importantly the directions we have taken it.
My first reaction to this modeler's note was to scream, "What do you mean?" How could he possibly be involved in modeling and not have dozens of goals of new projects to build or new types of flying to try? How could he possibly be bored? Then it hit me; just like in everything else in life these days, we've made it too easy to get involved, so it also becomes too easy to become uninvolved.
"Okay, Bob's finally lost it." I can hear you all saying that right about now as you read this. Hang in there, and let me ramble a bit. I think we'll get to a point sometime soon.
It's not a new thought that we are living in an age of instant gratification. We can get past the "beginner" stage of just about anything we decide to try in a matter of days, if not mere hours. Why is this? Are we smarter these days? Do we have some sort of special insight that former generations lacked? Well, the answer is yes, but not for the reasons you might think.
We are living in the information age. It is easier now than ever before to find targeted information about virtually anything in which we might have an interest. Yup, I'm talking about good old cyberspace and the ability for anyone who can but start a proper search on the Internet to find reams of information at will about literally any subject.
In the old days, the only ways to get information about something were to ask a local expert/authority or find and research reading materials on the subject through old magazines and the like. You had to really want to learn about something and stay diligently with the info search to find all the answers.
Now you simply type in a subject and hit search, and presto! Okay, maybe it's not all that simple, but you get my drift. Add to this the fact that there are now tens of thousands of online forums and E-mags that can assist you within moments of your decision to try something new, and it's easy to see why people are not afraid to try new pastimes and get into new sports and hobbies.
Many of those who get started in a new hobby/sport like modeling are not even remotely aware of the depth of sophistication that lies just below the surface; however, they can get the basic info, find the basic gear, and even order it online. They can cyberinquire from many sources, including our own AMA, to get enough answers to allow them to get to a field properly prepared and insured to take that first flight successfully. I know — so far this is not a bad thing at all.
Fortunately for us, our sport is so compelling and so rewarding that many of these new-age cyberhobbyists become really involved quickly and start to delve into deeper and more adventurous aspects of the sport. They may have come in through different means than us "old-timers," but are no less our future modelers.
It sometimes irks me that a really motivated new-age modeler can seemingly assimilate ideas, concepts, and techniques that took me years and years to learn and develop. I know, I know, I shouldn't feel that way.
So this fast-track approach to modeling is a good thing? Well, yes, hopefully most who try this sport will enjoy it and want to learn more, and when they do, they'll want to continue learning at a rate that most of us find amazing. That's progress, folks.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
