Why are people so Stupid

During my 30 minute lunch today at work I flew my airplane on the 2 acre lot we own next to the our build. After the first flight I noticed a guy at the business next door standing in the parking lot next to his truck which was 100 ft away from me.

I was getting ready to start the airplane for the 3rd flight when the guy yelled, "IF YOU HIT MY TRUCK WITH THAT THING YOUR GOING TO BE PAYING FOR A $5000.00 PAINT JOB."

I yelled back, "Are you planning to drive your truck in front of my airplane?"

The guy yelled, "HELL NO, DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID?"

I said, "You had me Fooled."

The guy walked over and got right up in my face. Real mad look on his face. He never said a word just stayed real close and looked like he was ready to kill. After a few minutes he returned to his truck.

After lunch I put my airplane in my truck and Mr. Stupid was still standing next to his truck watching.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Gary,

I'm not so sure those of us who have turned a fairly simple hobby activity into what can only honestly be referred to as a passion or obsession ought be asking the question you pose with your opening. Insert Steve Helmick's favorite crutch, a smiley face...

At least once a year--the annual Bladder Grabber AMA Combat meet--I am reminded of how far beyond a complete sense of reason we have taken CL flying, modeling in general. I say this because every year H. Rush will comment on what Combat used to be like, the age and abilities of average participants in this activity, and then punctuate his last sentence with a glance toward an active circle.

So who is really crazy?

Gary,

He must have been a Red-Neck from somewhere other than Tennessee of course!

At only 100 feet away, I too might have been worried about my shiny new truck.

Maybe he thought you were flying one to the two new ARF’s without all the lead-out rework I’ve read about. . . . Hee Hee.

Several years ago I was flying a Chipmunk at Westside Park in Muncie, Indiana when some bozo pulled up and insisted that the C/L flying circles were actually for RC cars. There are three paved circles at Westside and I was using the center, medium sized circle. I told him that I didnt mind at all if he used one of the other circles for his car but of course he insisted on using the one I was flying on. I informed him very nicely that the circles were indeed intended for C/L flying and when I refused to allow him access to the circle I was on he went through the roof and threatened to smash my airplane. I am convinced that the guy was really just looking for a fight. I'm a pretty easy going guy but things almost got physical and then he left cursing and screaming. The funny thing was we both lost because I packed up and went home right after he left. You are in a bad way when you are alone flying off of a stooge and someone wants to cause a problem. If he had showed up a few minutes earlier when I was in the air its hard to say what he might have done and chances are I would have had to crash the airplane to defend myself against the idiot.

I know what some of you guys might be thinking. The park is public property and I didnt really have any right to tell the guy he couldnt use the circle I was flying on anyway. You are probably right but I was younger then and felt that I had offered a good solution to the problem.

Gary,
We all run into a Retard like that guy once in a while.
Having a Brain is not a Birthright.

He must have been a Red-Neck from somewhere other than Tennessee of course!

Jim Pollock

Let's not be bashing Rednecks. Actually, I would have immediately figured the guy for a yankee.

Gary, maybe the guy was jealous of you having a great time on your lunch break. Or maybe he was upset about something and looking for a good target to rag on, and there you were.

Either way, you are right about him acting stupidly. Maybe he really is stupid, in which case he is best avoided. When I was a kid my older brother told me that stupid people are dangerous, and in my experience my brother is right.

On the other hand, he might just be ignorant of our hobby. Too bad it's too late to ask him to launch for you and maybe get him interested.

Gary.... it was the noise. It brings out the nasties. I just want to make him squeal like "DELEVERANCE"

Scott(I need to take a pill ) Riesex(

When you're flying over his direction, start doing a series
of tight loops while screaming "Look out, look out!"
Probably work to better effect with a combat plane.

>When you're flying over his direction, start doing a series
>of tight loops while screaming "Look out, look out!"
>Probably work to better effect with a combat plane.
>
>Preston
A few years ago, I was helping fellow Carrier flyer Pete Mazur at our local community college parking lot. Granted it is a parking lot, but we have been flying there for years. A baseball player left the game there and decided to drive under Pete's plane while he was practicing low speed flight. Not crossing under the plane, mind you, but driving under the plane in a circle. I finally got mad enough that I stood infront of the idiot's car and got him to stop and then leave. At the time I think my bulk might have concerned him as I was 6'-2" tall and around 260 pounds, he left. I wonder if I'd have the same luck now. (Been on a diet and not nearly as imposing.)
Bill

1995, I was in the circle with a new student flying mouse. The circle had a net all way round exept for an area about 25' wide. The circle was next to a McDonalds Rest.---Would you know some woman DROVE in to the circle with us. I saw her coming and told My student to hold high. She drove clear around the circle and out again--No we did'nt
get her lic. #--too shook up I guess!!!
These little round funny things are kind of neat (sorry Dan)

LAST EDITED ON Dec-10-03 AT 09:16 AM (CST)
 
When you're flying over his direction, start doing a series
of tight loops while screaming "Look out, look out!"
Probably work to better effect with a combat plane.
Preston

I like this idea. This could be FUN.

>When you're flying over his direction, start doing a series
>of tight loops while screaming "Look out, look out!"
>Probably work to better effect with a combat plane.
>Preston
>
>
>I like this idea. This could be FUN.
>
>
>I have NO patience with stupid people that have no common
>sence. (snip)

A very BAD idea! Read Paul Walker's response (PW). The biggest problem as I look at the various responses on this thread is the defensive attitude we take and the posture that everyone in the world knows about our toy airplanes.

We (Matt and I) fly at a grass airport next to a restaurant and adjacent to a highway coming into town (about a half mile from where he lives). We get a lot of people who will stop their cars as they go by and watch, people getting out of their cars to go into the restaurant who will stop and watch, sometimes even applause at the end of the flight. We, also, get a fair number of people who will come over and ask questions. One question we have been asked more than once is "Is that airplane on wires?" There are RC modelers flying at the other side of the airport (well, once in a while) and most everyone who is not familiar with the sport thinks that all planes are RC. That means untethered. That means they could hit their car or truck. Besides, if the person is not aware of you or your abilities, or the confines in which you are flying, that airplane poses a very real threat to him. This is not being "stupid", it is being "uninformed". (And that is OUR problem, not theirs.) We need to teach people what we are doing and also show them that we are not a threat or a danger either to them or their property. Doing ANYTHING intimidating would just reinforce that we are jerks and that we are a threat.

Most of the people using the airport where we fly are knowledgeable of the situation and very accomodating to us. We make allowances for those who aren't. But nobody does anything deliberately to sabatoge the plane or the flight or to in any way interfere with us. Even if a person were to walk through or drive through or taxi an airplane through the circle where we are flying, it is simply because they are uninformed of the confines in which we fly. It is up to us to inform them (and in a very nice way).

We have even gone out to fly when the mowers were out mowing the grass (three separate runways, taxi and parking strips, etc.). On occasion, in seeing us coming, they have come over and quickly mowed the take off area for us to make it easier for us to fly, and then gone off elsewhere until we are done. On other occasions, if they are already mowing elsewhere, they will continue to pick spots to mow that do not interfere with us until we are done. They accomodate us. We are not a nuisance to them or to the other users of the airport.

The whole thing I am getting at is, no matter where we fly--even if it is on our own property--we need to inform people of what we are doing and assure them that we fly very safely. (At least safely as far as their person or property is concerned. We may break our airplane, but it won't hurt them). They need to be reassured that they are in no way in danger either from the airplane or from the noise.

If we start playing "games" ("I can fire off zingers faster than you can get your blood boiling") we will only lose in the end.

Guys, play it smart. Whenever someone walks over to the area where we are flying, I will usually head them off. I greet them, introduce myself (and Matt) tell them what we are doing, tell them we are happy to have them watch, but that, for their own safety, they have to stay back behind this area (usually behind the flight box). I will then stand there with them while Matt is flying and explain each maneuver before it happens. It goes a long way towards making it an enjoyable experience for everyone. (And I have never had to use the word "stupid" or "redneck" or whatever--except for that one dog that...)

Amen; well stated.

Fred

>Amen; well stated.
>
>Fred

Amen from Rio too.

Leonard has it right, we have to be willing to help people understand rather that alienate them with bad attitudes. I fly at a club field that we lease yet we still get people that wander in and watch. We don't ask anyone to leave except the occasional dog runner (could tell a story here but I'll spare you). I've found that using an approach like Len's has really made us some friends, not new modelers or participants, but people that understand that we enjoy what we do just like those guys down at the driving range enjoy what they do, and we're not dangerous.

I think in the same situation the first hing I'd have done is assure the gent that the model would not hit his truck because its capotive and flys in a circle. That would have either appeased or assured him, or it might have become an opportunity to tell him all about it.

I generally don't like confrontation and will try to keep the peace. I know guys that aren't like that and it makes it difficult. The fact is however that the more we alienate the "public" the less likely it is that we'll have the support we need when it comes to field procurement and retaintion.

So right... and so hard to remember "in the moment". Mutual belligerence rarely solves anything, but it's so common now (has it ever been different?). At the airport, when everybody crowds forward to claim their turf near the baggage chute... in the parking lots at your local big-box store. It gets ugly out there, and often if you try to remind people how to be nice just they get nastier. Better just to try demonstrating proper behavior yourself as best you can, hope it spreads.

Anyway, up at Arlington (Washington) there seems to be less trouble with yokels in trucks, the problem there is dog owners who seem to think any large field is a canine latrine. Went up there on Saturday and got poop on the shoes, poop on the plane and poop on my son's kite. Everytime a dog person walked by with cute little Fido (and no dog poop bag) I wanted to lift up a stinky shoe and ask "is this yours by any chance?"

Of course, if little Fido gets a splinter in his foot from one of those Zinger fragments that seem to be scattered about the field... well, we know who will lose that argument.

Too much "sweetea" and grits. All thet shugarr and starch'll do it to ya bubba. Make anyone krazy.

Of course, a better approach is to wave and smile, put down your
stuff and walk over to admire his truck, ask him where he got it
painted, offer to compare paint jobs on your plane, laugh at the
idea, tell him you'll take good care to avoid his truck. Tell
him you learned your lesson the time you smacked into your wife's
baby Cadillac. Ask him if he wants to play too. Offer to bring
another plane out for him tomorrow.

Of course, I can never manage this,
but some people can - I've seen it done.

See? Preston is actually a good influence. I would probably say something snotty and later regret that I hadn't thought of a line as clever as "you had me fooled."

>Of course, a better approach is to wave and smile, put down
>your
>stuff and walk over to admire his truck, ask him where he
>got it
>painted, offer to compare paint jobs on your plane, laugh at
>the
>idea, tell him you'll take good care to avoid his truck.
>Tell
>him you learned your lesson the time you smacked into your
>wife's
>baby Cadillac. Ask him if he wants to play too. Offer to
>bring
>another plane out for him tomorrow.
>
>Of course, I can never manage this,
>but some people can - I've seen it done.
>
>Preston

Preston.

My club's field is in military instalations.

The field has a fence and a sign saying that the place is for cl exclusively.

Still, specially in the morning some people want to jog aroumd the circles.

Even though I have all the law and the Brazillian Air Force on my side I never treated anyone with less than lots of courtesy.

I've even lead people to the Lord.

Being nice can surprise you....

I would have yelled "it's ok I've got insurance".

Giffy

>I would have yelled "it's ok I've got insurance".
>
>Giffy
>
>------------------------------
>I Fly

Or, You could have said, "Its Ok, I had subway".....

Gary:
Some how I get the feeling this guy needs to get a life. Reminds once again of something my Dad use to say. “Don't argue with an idiot because the person walking by can't tell who is who”. In this case we all know the Idiot paid $5000 to have his truck painted.

Larry

I think the answer to your question just might be, "It's in the eye of the beholder."
The C/L club that I fly with has the use of a large grass sports field with room for several circles. If I am flying on my own with the help of a stooge, I have lost count of the number of times that someone will turn up, plant himself in my circle and then expect me to release his model for him. When I pack up and leave him to it (or move to another part of the field) he thinks that it's ME that is being unreasonable.
Picture a large flying field with cars parked around it. Where is someone running up a motor. Next to the cars (or even behind them) of course.

snip
>
>I was getting ready to start the airplane for the 3rd flight
>when the guy yelled, "IF YOU HIT MY TRUCK WITH THAT THING
>YOUR GOING TO BE PAYING FOR A $5000.00 PAINT JOB."
>
>I yelled back, "Are you planning to drive your truck in
>front of my airplane?"
>
>The guy yelled, "HELL NO, DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID?"
>
>I said, "You had me Fooled."
>
snip

I have been in these situations before, and the immediate emotional response is usually something like you said..General human nature.

The respone: "You had me Fooled." was probably what set him off. It was an insult and put him on the defence. A better response might have been something similar to what Preston suggested. Instead of, "Are you planning to drive your truck in front of my airplane?", you might have told him how nice the paint job was and then ask him if HE painted the truck. Once he talked about his truck and explained his concerns, then you could have explained to him that your plane was on steel wires and was far enough away from his truck to be an issue, and you would be careful anyway. This might have diffused him totally.

This is tough to do when the blood pressure rises in a situation like that.

Glad things worked out.

> then ask him if HE painted the truck.

And if he did the painting, then you've found some common ground
and you can while away hours talking about paint compatibility,
rubbing compounds, HVLP spray guns, masking tape, etc.

>> then ask him if HE painted the truck.
>
>And if he did the painting, then you've found some common
>ground
>and you can while away hours talking about paint
>compatibility,
>rubbing compounds, HVLP spray guns, masking tape, etc.
>
>Preston

Would your "etc." include coming off as Mr. Congeniality, the firm pressing of lips to butt cheeks, buying lunch, washing his beautifully painted truck, asking if he will paint your next model, volunteering to wrap his next truck in MonoKote...

LAST EDITED ON Dec-09-03 AT 03:04 PM (CST)
 
>Would your "etc." include coming off as Mr. Congeniality,

Is that what stunt people do?
Most likely I would have left long ago.
As Howard says when the soccer moms show up: "The white folks are here; we have to leave."
Preston

I had a guy drive his truck right through the circle once and stop, and when he went by I asked him if he needed a brain and to grab one when he went by my toolbox at the edge of the circle.....I just kept on flying. What else do you do?.....

>I had a guy drive his truck right through the circle once
>and stop, and when he went by I asked him if he needed a
>brain and to grab one when he went by my toolbox at the edge
>of the circle.....I just kept on flying. What else do you
>do?.....

Duck,

It is so distressing to learn that Canadians keep their brain in the tool box while out flying.

It does, however, quite nicely answer a few questions I have come up with while flying at contests in Vancouver, B.C.

>>I had a guy drive his truck right through the circle once
>>and stop, and when he went by I asked him if he needed a
>>brain and to grab one when he went by my toolbox at the edge
>>of the circle.....I just kept on flying. What else do you
>>do?.....
>
>
>Duck,
>
>It is so distressing to learn that Canadians keep their
>brain in the tool box while out flying.
>
>It does, however, quite nicely answer a few questions I have
>come up with while flying at contests in Vancouver, B.C.
>
>Dan
>
Dan, your just too funny......I'm still laughing as I type.... I kinda meant he could grab another. Anything would have been an improvement for that dope.... Although my wife has said to not leave the brains in the suitcase when I'm out of town for many reasons....

I see three other options:

1) try to be nice in spite of him,

2) open a #202 can of Whoop-Ass, or

3) pop a cap on him..

Option 1) seems to be the less expensive..

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"I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled." -P.G. Wodehouse

The guy probly thot yer model was one of them new fangled Raydeeo Control thangs. Everybody (and their kin folk) know they's unreliable and dangerus.

Seriously, it is a lot of fun to zing somebody like that. I was out fishing one day, and an old lady was complaining about me fishing in her water, in front of her house (just passin' through!). I always just tell them that if they think I am doing something illegal, to call the police...please, call the police. The police will tell them to shut up and quit harrassing me. But the guy with me wanted to be an ambassador, and asked her what it was that she thought we were hurting. Her response: "You don't know the kind of stuff that goes on around here." My reply: "I do, INBREEDING." "WHAT did you say?" "INBREEDING, LOTS AND LOTS OF INBREEDING!" Boy, did that shut her up! Steve

Ah tak it yew was fishun in suthrun bama??

LAST EDITED ON Dec-10-03 AT 10:45 AM (CST)
 
Now, on some custom truck or 4-wheel drive Bulletin Board this guy has probably made a post boasting about how he really told off some inconsiderate model guy who nearly ruined his paint job. They are all making comments on this other board about how stupid we are to play with toy planes.

Funny how we all see things from our perspective only. Try and put yourself in other's shoes sometimes.

It is difficult to deal with other's while we are flying in public places; however, remember that most of them have zero understanding of our hobby. If possible, take a little time to find some common ground and try to relate. Not possible all the time, but give it a try. Might find a newbie to the pastime we love.

>I was getting ready to start the airplane for the 3rd flight
>when the guy yelled, "IF YOU HIT MY TRUCK WITH THAT THING
>YOUR GOING TO BE PAYING FOR A $5000.00 PAINT JOB."
>
>I yelled back, "Are you planning to drive your truck in
>front of my airplane?"
>
>The guy yelled, "HELL NO, DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID?"
>
>I said, "You had me Fooled."

You ought to get some manners. If you would have pulled that crap in my town you at least would have had a trashed plane and probably a good ass-whoopin. You could have EASILY handled this situation with MUCH more tact than being smart-mouthed or disrespective.

Gary: Some of this difficulty was brought on by your comment.

>>I had a guy drive his truck right through the circle once
>>and stop, and when he went by I asked him if he needed a
>>brain and to grab one when he went by my toolbox at the edge
>>of the circle.....I just kept on flying. What else do you
>>do?.....
>
>
>Duck,
>
>It is so distressing to learn that Canadians keep their
>brain in the tool box while out flying.
>
>It does, however, quite nicely answer a few questions I have
>come up with while flying at contests in Vancouver, B.C.
>
>Dan
>
Dan, your just too funny......I'm still laughing as I type.... I kinda meant he could grab another. Anything would have been an improvement for that dope.... Although my wife has said to not leave the brains in the suitcase when I'm out of town for many reasons....
Rob Duckering....MAAC #14457

Duck,

I do not mean to be difficult, but in comparing "I asked him if he needed a brain and to grab one when he went by my toolbox" and "I kinda meant he could grab another," we see a distinction without a difference.

My comment stands.

I do, however, have a project in mind, might even make it a club project. How about welding a foot peg (re-bar would suffice) to a sharpened steel fence post? This would allow one to carry post almost anywhere, easily jamming it into soil just outside, oh, an asphalt circle.

On top of post would be a flat plate of wood. Hanging from said piece of wood there would be every single nicad-based glow clip in your club, and a securely mounted roll of paper towels. It would of course be for the express use of Mr. Perry.

Might even elaborate on this idea. How about a charger for these types of glow clips, an extension cord running to a generator? Or each piece of paper towel attached to a rubber band such that when towel is dropped it returns to top of stand. You know, instead of being munched by a three-bladed prop.

Give my best to all, especially the Chick Stunt Flier,

I sure hope this is some other Mr. Perry I don't know about!

I think he refers to Mr. Bruce Perry of the Royal Canadian Mounted Stunt Team.

Do they fly CLPA while on horseback, or do they do horseback type stunts (i.e. standing on their heads in the saddle, etc.)?

you must have been peeking. Actually its a well known fact that the mounties always get their man . Or in some cases they always get their M.A.N> every month. Keith V

Keith Varley

>you must have been peeking. Actually its a well known fact
>that the mounties always get their man . Or in some cases
>they always get their M.A.N> every month. Keith V

OK, understood. They fly RC. And that's why they can do it on horseback. And when they fly out of range or the batteries run down, or they experience some other radio difficulties ("I forgot to turn on the receiver") they can give chase on horseback.

Makes sense to me.

Oh, that's what the RC is in RCMP. I must have confused them with Guy Lombardo's band.

When not dreaming up DCCST mischief, Keith is able to build very nice airplanes... like this Saturn at the NW Regionals.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-11-03 AT 09:18 AM (CST)
 
Yes Currell, I know.....but after the guy watched me do 2 flights I thought it was very obvious to see that the airplane was flying in a circle on cables and was NOT going to hit his fancy purple color truck. A person would have be blind not to see that. After the guy smart mouthed me it was a natural reaction to come right back at him. You reap what you sow. When the guy got up in my face with that mean ugly expression like he was ready to break my neck I wanted to bust both his knee caps with a baseball bat. Its just a natural reaction to push back when you have been pushed.

Gary,

Pity that guy, the pretty purple truck is probably one of his few joys in life.

He deserves being ignored.

[photo not recovered: 3e69bb3870f12ad5.jpg]

"Where subtlety fails us we must simply make do with cream pies."

It's not always easy to be the consumate ambassador for the modeling world. We used to fly in a school parking lot that was used for drivers education. My old flying partner who had flown there for years told me that once a woman had pulled up right next to him in the middle of his flight to ask for directions. As he continued his high orbit, he calmly gave the woman the directions she needed (albeit in 25 second intervals). She thanked him and proceeded to drive off. It would be great if it were 1964 again and most folks had occasionaly come into contact with control line flying. Unfortunately, rare is it to happen upon any modeling activity in the present day. We have to assume that the rest of the world really is ignorant to what we do and take it from there.

Sterling Hart

About four blocks from my home there is a high school with three base ball fields, two soccer fields and a football field all grass. My flying partner and I went to the Principle and asked for permission to fly on the weekends. We got a handwritten permission slip from the Principle to fly on weekends provided there was not a sporting event taking place. My friend told his friend. During the week his friend finished his new plane and headed for the school while it was in session and put in a flight next to the class room with windows. The principle canceled our permission slip forever. So it begs the question WHY ARE PEOPLE SO STUPID.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-15-03 AT 01:50 PM (CST)
 
When not dreaming up DCCST mischief, Keith is able to build very nice airplanes... like this Saturn at the NW Regionals.

Attachments

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I am going to be in *so much* trouble, even I hate to do this.

Above we see one Mr. Keith Varley with his rendition of a Saturn. Beautiful model, his best effort by far.

This model no longer exists. You see, while Keith is known to only rarely leave his brain in his tool box, a flying mate of Duck's (see preceding posts) apparently did so while flying pictured model at a Vancouver, B.C. contest this last summer.

SPLAT!!

Isn't it cool how some of this stuff comes together? And don't you wonder if, upon seeing Duck's posting, I didn't actually plan all of this in advance?

Please notice that Keith's eyes are closed. This is normal, and he prides himself in being able to fly this way. Some of us just wish his eyes had been closed when a fellow Canadian, albeit with brain in tool box, had strung his Saturn from point of impact to point of rest, there being about 25 feet (7 metres) and a whole bunch of parts between the two.

Dan (I really am in trouble, Scott Reise please read all this stuff so you don't miss anything that I might call you on later down the road) Rutherford

LAST EDITED ON Dec-15-03 AT 09:02 PM (CST)
 
Sure was a beautiful airplane. I'll never forget that sound either. That sure is a great hat Keith has on his head. Wonder where he got it? Oh yeah, Seen some in the basement last nite..... Keiths Saturn lives on....in pictures....