WHERE HAVE ALL OF THE BUILDERS GONE?
By Rob Kurek, Communications Director | rkurek@modelaircraft.org
THIS IS A question I hear a lot from Model Aviation readers—in fact, I’ve been hearing it for the last 25 years. I pondered it when I was thinking about a subject to fill this space, given that this is the “Build Issue” of Model Aviation and October is AMA’s dedicated Build Month.
I am reminded of when a fellow coworker, who is now retired, told me about the opportunity he had to show aviation and aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan around the 2005 AMA Expo West in Ontario, California. Before the show opened, Burt was looking at the displays and conveyed his surprise and dismay that so few exhibitors offered balsa wood for sale.
Clearly, not as many members build as what was the case “back in the day,” but for a core group of passionate members, “old school is still cool.” Go to any Scale event to see what I mean. The displays of craftsmanship, attention to detail, and historical relevance are just as inspiring as they were 30 years ago.
Even if you are not a builder and prefer ARF and RTF model aircraft, I encourage you to visit a warbird, Scale, or jet event in your area. You will likely see amazing examples of what can be done with the right materials, tools, and a lot of patience.
I remain convinced that members, including youth, can still be inspired to build. I’m sure many of you have stories of helping someone craft something from nothing but a concept and a plan, and now, with 3D printing, the possibilities have few boundaries.
I see evidence of this beyond model aviation. In 2015, I attended a Maker Faire event near Detroit. What I saw were people under the age of 20 with a budding passion for building. The Maker movement has survived more than 20 years of disruption and change, from the recession to the advent of AI, and the Make community still hosts events and publishes a quarterly print magazine. From what I can see, it appears strong.
Whether it’s young model aviation enthusiasts who want to do more than fly, or those who enjoy Maker space, this is the same audience that produces the aerospace engineers of tomorrow. Let’s find inspiration in what they are doing and help them along on their journey!
Well, the thing is, you still have kids who go out and do it (using their hands to build), but you’ve got to remember they are the ones that are going to take us to the stars.
—Burt Rutan, in a 2005 interview with Model Aviation editor
Bob Hunt at AMA Expo West
