Thoughts on SELEM 2014 pricing - need input

[BlueFang]

Hope you can make it this year! Regarding RC helicopters, there will be a few RC fans in attendance at SELEM this year. I just made the jump to a mini collective pitch bird, and I've been having lots of fun with it. Quad-copters are also pretty popular, and I'm sure you'll see several of them at SELEM.

Adam

Good to hear... I have been flying RC Helis for about 4 years now, and have amassed a small collection - my favorite being a Logo 600 - beautiful machine! I also have a night rig on a T-Rex 450 that is fun to throw around at night...

[Bradfo69]

Why do I have this looming eerie feeling that by the time August rolls around, I'll have some sort of flying gizmo zipping around the loading dock as well.... damn you people.

[BlueFang]

Just a tease... sorry to have derailed this thread...



Approx. 4000 watts of silent & smooth yet absolutely ballistic power!

[buffo]

Why do I have this looming eerie feeling that by the time August rolls around, I'll have some sort of flying gizmo zipping around the loading dock as well.... damn you people.

Not to worry Brad, they're pretty affordable. I'll let you fly my birds at the Florida meet. I'm sure you'll be able to pick it up fast. And like I said, you can get into it for way less than $100.

Good to hear... I have been flying RC Helis for about 4 years now, and have amassed a small collection - my favorite being a Logo 600 - beautiful machine! I also have a night rig on a T-Rex 450 that is fun to throw around at night...

Oh wow - that Logo 600 is in a class all by itself. Even your T-rex is far larger than anything we'll have at SELEM. Most of what you will see will be micro and mini birds for indoor flying. Even my collective pitch unit is only around 12 inches long from nose to tail. As for my quads, the largest is almost exactly 12 inches square, but the other two will fit in the palm of your hand.

So yeah, Brad - if you want to get into flying the sort of stuff that BlueFang has, then you can spend some real money. But stuff that big can only be flown outside anyway.

Adam

[swamidog]

i'm in!

have lattes standing by.

Hey folks!

OK, I've got the final quote for SELEM 2014. Looks like we're looking at around $2800 to pull it off this year (that includes the venue, the labor, the cafeteria, and a decent estimate of the shirt cost). Adding an extra day to the event definitely bumped the price up!

This is a pretty steep budget (the highest ever), so I'm considering a tiered pricing structure this year, but I'd like to have some feedback first. My thought was to set the registration fee at $75 for those people who register and pay prior to July 1st. And for those who register later than July 1st, the price would increase to $100. (Extra shirts would remain at $20)

We typically have between 33 and 40 registered members in attendance, plus many guests. And in the past, we've always had enough extra funds to pay for things like pizza, drinks, and other niceties while still leaving several hundred dollars left over to donate to PL. I'd like to ensure that we can continue that way, but I'm also sweating the thought of fronting nearly 3 grand in the hope that we make our goal.

So what do you all think about the tiered pricing? I'm hoping it will motivate people to register early, which would help relieve some of the stress of whether we'll make budget or not. Your thoughts?

Adam

PS: Reminder of SELEM 2014 dates... Load-in and setup starts on Wednesday, August 13th at noon. SELEM formally kicks off Thursday, August 14th and runs through Sunday, August 17th.

[buffo]

have lattes standing by.

Believe it or not, I'm seriously considering bringing one of my spare Keurig machines with me this year so I can have an unlimited supply of hot french vanilla cappuccino's on hand. (I really love the Grove Square Cappuccino K-kups!)

Adam

[swamidog]

there's a nice little coffee shop just down the street, but it fails by not catering to the 3am laserist crowd.

Believe it or not, I'm seriously considering bringing one of my spare Keurig machines with me this year so I can have an unlimited supply of hot french vanilla cappuccino's on hand. (I really love the Grove Square Cappuccino K-kups!)

Adam

[ekeefe]

Hello,

Helicopters are another endless pit of expense, just like lasers. But boy are they fun (also like lasers)!

Here are a few of mine.



9 volt battery is for scale.

The large helicopter is an Align T-Rex 700 F3C. The boom length (nose to tail) is 54". The rotor width is 62". With both batteries installed, ready to fly, it is around 17 pounds.

So far I have held off on a quadcopter. Wish me luck.

"Bradfo69" they are really fun. You can start with a small coaxial like the Red one above, they are easy to fly and can take a lot of abuse. If you want to go with a single rotor, the little Green one above is good, but harder to fly. It's a Blade 120.

If you want to jump right in, buy a simulator. I use Phoenix R/C:

http://www.phoenix-sim.com/

It also does planes, but is the best for helicopters. You will end up saving a bunch of money in the end. The simulator with radio is $175:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...e-2-RTM40R5510

One crash of a collective-pitch helicopter and you will end up buying a simulator anyway.

ED

[Bradfo69]

Helicopters are another endless pit of expense, just like lasers.

SEE!!!!

"Bradfo69" they are really fun. You can start with a small coaxial like the Red one above, they are easy to fly and can take a lot of abuse. If you want to jump right in, buy a simulator. I use Phoenix R/C:

You will end up saving a bunch of money in the end. The simulator with radio is $175:

One crash of a collective-pitch helicopter and you will end up buying a simulator anyway.

A little seemingly innocuous statement... dropped into a thread. Gotta be the same way crack dealers work. I just know it! LOL

The ONLY saving grace is that in the back of my mind, I know I can't use a video game controller worth a shit so, what makes me think I have any business messing with RC!

[Bradfo69]

Oh good Lord... I bought one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heli-Max-Qua...c#ht_82wt_1362