|
 
"As technology makes
things more idiot-proof, God seems to
be creating more
capable idiots."
|
|
In
my time as AMA's president, I've had to write some columns
which I knew would create some controversy, but this one
will probably do that more effectively than most! Before you
read this, make sure to hide this magazine from your wife or
you may be inundated with grief in the form of "I told you
so."
Aeromodeling is principally a male sport, although we do have
a few women involved. In most cases, this would not create
any great deal of problems since there are many activities
in which the majority involved is of one gender. In our
case, however, this concentration of men creates a
significant safety problem.
Before you get out the white coats and come after me,
consider this: there seems to be an unwritten rule for men
that reading the instructions is the course of last resort.
It ranks right up there with asking directions when we
become "navigationally challenged."
You probably have had to assemble some of the Christmas gifts
your family received, and I'll bet most of us didn't use the
instructions when doing so. After all, reading instructions
is, well, only for those who don't understand how things
work.
Most instructions are written by men to help women who don't
have a man to help put things together, right? (Now you know
why I wanted you to hide this from your wife.)
In the old days that might have held a lot more credence than
it does in today's world, where holding down button A, while
tapping button B three times, enables button C which ... you
get the point. In the time in which we live, it is only by
reading the instructions that we can have a clue about the
features of many of the devices we use.
The year 2005 will go down in history as the year of the
electric revolution in aeromodeling. Electric aeromodeling
grew so much in this past year that it is now the dominant
method of propulsion of models sold in the United States.
With this growth has come a new era in the need for reading
instructions as the charging systems become more
technologically advanced.
Technology is a funny thing. It allows many complicated
processes to become more automated which would seem to
reduce the need for the instruction manual. However, that
advanced technology can also lure us into a sense of
security with the assumption that it is foolproof.
I have a favorite saying: "As technology makes things more
idiot-proof, God seems to be creating more capable idiots."
The charging systems for electric models are only one of
many new toys we may have acquired that have the potential
to hurt us if we do not completely understand their features
and operation. Newer radios have far more components than
that VCR we all stare at flashing 12:00, yet few of us
understand all of the features they afford us.
It is winter and most of us are not going to the flying field
as often this time of year. That makes this a good time to
search for those instruction manuals which came with all of
the devices we use and read them.
Many of us received some new goodies from Santa, and I'm sure
that he left the instruction manuals with those gifts. We
need to read and understand them. I hope those manuals
didn't get thrown out with the wrapping paper!
In some correspondence with members of the AMA Frequency
Committee, one of the members pointed out that the most
effective way to reduce accidents which occur as a result of
incorrectly setting fail-safe features would be to mandate
that members "RTFI." I'm sure he meant "Read the Full
Instructions."
Hey, at least I didn't ask you to turn around! MA
Til next month ...
Dave Brown, AMA president
|
|
