Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Afterburner Aviation

Afterburner Aviation

There are basically three ways to get people involved in a corporate enterprise. You can push the “Fear” button, the “Compensation” button, or the “Awe” button. Where is Percy going with this? I can almost hear the gears grinding as my “Army of Readers” brace for the onslaught of another tangent.

The reason I bring it up is because I belong to two model airplane organizations and like any organization, membership is an important consideration. The individual human brain is too small, and the physical resources too limited to do everything alone. Mankind has crawled to the top of the food chain mainly because of a facility for networking and thereby accomplished many worthwhile social endeavors.

The “Fear” button is one we should all be able to relate to. In an organization it is pushed if a member does something that does not conform to the formal or informal bylaws by which it operates. The idea is to inflict pain on the wayward member, causing them to modify their behavior. Since a Model Airplane Flying Club is voluntary, the fear button is not a very effective means of motivation.

The “Compensation” button is also familiar. In this case the resources of the group are used to reward members for complying with the mandates. In work there are wages, in school, grades and at church, the promise of “Eternal Life.” Often we call the Compensation button the “Carrot” and the Fear button the “Stick.”

Lastly there is the “Awe” button. This is subtle but perhaps the most powerful of social motivators. Mankind is motivated to achieve something often referred to as “Good.” Men and women have a passion for creating beautiful and worthwhile things. Thus without being compelled or bribed they are drawn into social enterprises that play on the “Awe” button.

Since my RC flying clubs can’t threaten or bribe members into participating, they have to learn to play the “Awe” card in all of its marvelous and amazing forms. For example some of these forms are:

1. Building beautiful and functional models.

2. Acquiring the piloting skills to fly these models.

3. Enjoying the hobby without inflicting or suffering physical injury.

4. Socializing with others who share a passion for RC Flying.

5. Having fun and experiencing the joy the hobby offers.

6. Passing these skills onto posterity.

Thus, it goes without saying, that the club should not become focused on forms 1 and 2 to the exclusion of numbers 3-6.

Last night we had a meeting of one of the RC aviation clubs I belong to, Afterburner Aviation. It is newly founded and has some really neat and talented members. I am the one with the least amount of knowledge and skill and have been given the duty of Scribe. I’ll be talking about this experience in the days ahead as I try and reconcile my hobby, with the onset of old age, the chores in life and my commitment to becoming a better writer.