Floyd, the interesting thing about your comment is that it was locked down before I even had a chance to read it for the first time. Now, there are two people who have that right and privilege--myself as owner of the board, and Bob Kruger who has helped immeasurably with it, and without whose aid, or someone like him, it would probably not be here. Bob normally doesn't mess with things when I am around, but he apparently saw your post late in the evening and promptly locked it down. There was a reason. And I am just now getting time to respond.
I wish we could get into these discussions without all the backbiting and attempts to run individuals down. Had you done that, there would have been no problem in keeping this post active. First you made your comments about the person with which you disagree. Then you felt compelled to defend Brodak for his CL products. The former were done in a manner that is inappropriate, and the latter is not the issue, and never was. I, too, applaud John for supplying us with the things that he does. But this was a business venture as well as a hobby he loves. He wouldn't do it if he didn't feel he could make a go of it. Still, the comments about the hobby being alive and well before John came along with Brodak Manufacturing are true. The hobby was growing before, or I don't think John would have stepped in. Before John there was SIG and RSM and others supplying the same type of products he is. Oh, and they had their catalogues, too. Did John bring out a nice line of kits? Yes, he did. But the advent of the ARF versions of these very same models will, I fear, have a serious impact upon the kits of those designs. Just like SIG did with some of theirs, we may find that certain models of the Brodak kits will be "retired" once the demand dries up.
Whenever a new gas station comes into town, we don't find more people buying gas. We find others that will sell less as a result. And ultimately there will be gas stations closing. It may not be quite the same in the hobby business. But every flyer only needs a certain number of airplanes. And whether it is this one, or that one, whether he builds it or buys an ARF, when he acquires the number he feels he needs, he will quit buying. One side gains. One side loses.
The comment concerning Randy Smith had to do with competition. Perhaps you, as a sports flyer, don't understand that, but it was competition that brought this hobby back to life. PAMPA is competition. New events were developed by PAMPA for the lesser skilled flyers to give them an opportunity to compete with their peers and in the hope that they might, therefore, improve. Randy and others provided products that were used by flyers in these events along with the sports flyer as well.
Now who is more important as a supplier and developer of materials for our event is immaterial. But we need to separate John's accomplishments in manufacturing and distribution from his role as president of PAMPA. The key concern in this whole matter is competition. PAMPA is competition. The key concern here was and is John's role in serving as President of PAMPA which is the SIG for control line precision aerobatics with the AMA. I have not had a chance to talk with John yet as of this writing. He is currently out of town. I will speak with him later and will make no further comments until then.
Your last comments, however, were really out of order. You make your comments about the "snobby tone of the serious stunt flyer." And then you speak as if we shouldn't be serious about the event at all.
I have, over the years, found the serious stunt flyers very helpful. With rare exception would I ever call anyone snobbish. They will go out of their way to help you beat them, even to the point of helping you to repair a plane that was crashed so you can get it back in the air in time to win. You ask them questions, and they willingly answer. Their presence on this board makes it the great board that it is. It is only as good as those who participate. Without them and their willingness to answer your questions, this board would be nothing.
As to the serious nature, I believe that we are allowed to get serious about our competition. We had better be serious about our competition. Check with the NASCAR drivers. Check with the professional baseball or football players. See if they might not be serious about the "game" they play. The only difference here is, they get paid for it and we don't. But PAMPA is competition. It takes a serious commitment to learn to build and fly these things we call "toy airplanes" with the degree of perfection it takes to fly them at any level of competition. That goes for Beginner as well as Expert. We ARE serious about what we do. Some may enter a contest just to have fun. But if you desire to win, or even to improve, you had better get serious.
PAMPA was formed for the purpose of overseeing competition--especially at the Nats and FAI trials. A magazine was formed, produced by volunteers with contributions by volunteers. Others, when they saw the magazine that was being produced, "wanted in". Let's face it, the vast majority of sports flyers and people living outside the US who have joined PAMPA did so for one reason only: "Stunt News"! And your "dues" go primarily to the cost of producing this excellent magazine. And if the sports flyers now begin to "flex their muscles" because they feel they are in the majority and attempt to lead PAMPA in any other direction than its constituted purpose which is competition, everyone will lose. The magazine is supported by those who compete. Without them and their volunteer contributions it would cease to exist. And without the magazine, you, as sports flyers, will no longer have a reason to be a part of PAMPA.
One of John's stated goals was to bring about a growth in membership of PAMPA. That will not happen if you try to divorce yourself from those who compete…or shove them aside as inconsequential. PAMPA welcomed the sports flyer so he could learn to enjoy this hobby better. Let's make sure the sports flyer does not shoot himself in the foot by alienating the "serious" competition flyer that is what PAMPA is all about.