Van's RVers -- the New AppleHeads?

[flyingcheesehead]

So... Having invested in reading this entire thread, I come to this possibly flawed conclusion:

The RV crowd (at OSH) love their RV's so much that if you expect them to try to accommodate a potential new member of their society, they don't necessarily think they have to be nice doing it. The CFI who did my last flight review has built a very nice RV, and admits he really doesn't like many of the other RV'ers attitude about certificated planes and the owners of same. When the Jehova's Witness people come to my door about three times a year, they are extremely friendly, even though I dissuade them from coming back in the most polite way I can imagine. They still keep coming though.

My wife's cousin is probably Apple Head Numero Uno (well except for Flying Cheesehead :wink2. He paid $600 at midnight for the first iPhone in Athens, Ga. He works for the University of Georgia as a techno geek, and has now converted his whole department to Mac Book/ iPads. When he saw my Droid phone, I got a lecture on it's inferiority and how Apple products were the be all and end all.

If Jay's description is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt it, then I do see how he could draw a parallel in these two groups.

If you love something, and want others to experience what you love as well, then for God's sake bend over backward to help them do it. Don't be snobbish about it or take a superior attitude. Here at work we struggled along for years with cheap data acquisition gear until I finally got a project that bought us the best available. We have probably sold a few of those systems we praise it so much. But if somebody else doesn't like it, that's ok. No criticism on our part.

A very good assessment, Keith...

The problem is that most people seem to lump ALL "AppleHeads" into the same category as the guy who gave you the lecture. There is NO platform that is the be all end all for everyone. Someone who gives you the lecture without even listening to why you bought what you did... Well, I don't have very nice words to say about that.

The ironic thing is that the "haters" somehow become even worse. They discover something else, decide it's better, and then try to tell the whole world that the other product sucks. It seems that these types of people are MORE likely to give "the lecture" than the people who went with the product they hate. I can't tell you how many times I've been called stupid for using products that work really well for me, but it's been a LOT.

 

[L.Adamson]

The RV crowd (at OSH) love their RV's so much that if you expect them to try to accommodate a potential new member of their society, they don't necessarily think they have to be nice doing it. The CFI who did my last flight review has built a very nice RV, and admits he really doesn't like many of the other RV'ers attitude about certificated planes and the owners of same. When the Jehova's Witness people come to my door about three times a year, they are extremely friendly, even though I dissuade them from coming back in the most polite way I can imagine. They still keep coming though.

I've been around RV's (since 1994), and will disagree here. Some RV owners will naturally love their aircraft........while knowing that it's going to out perform numerous other airplanes. As an RV owner/builder myself........I'll always read "Flying" magazine, for info & pics about airplanes that will far out do my RV. I wouldn't mind a good bush plane & bizjet, when I win the lottery. In the meantime, as an older guy who has been around RV's, the pilot/ owners of many RV's, many flyins, many airports, over my life time................I can say that there is no society, except in the minds of a few. Many RV owners, also fly airliners, fly in the military, or own several certificated planes as well. Most are very open minded, and very pleasant to be around.

If threads like this, or especially the "way over the top" one that got out of hand on the Red board last year...........continue, then it only conspires to put false assumptions.........into one's mind. In the meantime, just like everyone else, it's not uncommon to see a vintage warbird owner, bizjet owner, etc. become very proud of the personalized aircraft, and say so. Lot's of aircraft owners will gravitate to specialized groups; such as Pipers, Cessnas, Beech, and so forth. It doesn't make it a religion.

L.Adamson

 

[Anthony]

^^^^^^^ Great post.

Personally, Id love to have an RV. One of the few planes that don't bore you to death up there. The guys I've met with them have all been gracious, and also offered stick time whenever I wanted it.

 

[Keith Lane]

^^^^^^^ Great post.

Personally, Id love to have an RV. One of the few planes that don't bore you to death up there. The guys I've met with them have all been gracious, and also offered stick time whenever I wanted it.

Count me in this crowd too. I'd LOVE to own, or even fly (heck, just get a ride in ) an RV. I fly a Wichita Spam Can. It's been a good plane, it's also 41 years old.
I remember when EVERYBODY who did not own a V-Tail Bonanza thought of them as "fork tailed doctor killers. People who own them love them. I met a couple who were a bit snobbish/defensive about them, but after all, everybody was always picking on them . You'd be ornery too if everybody called your kid ugly or dangerous.

 

[JGoodish]

I want to preface the following comments by saying that I've met Jay, and have a ton of respect for him and what he and Mary have accomplished with their businesses, family, and flying. In an era where success is often characterized as some sort of social failure, I'm glad to see that the Honecks' hard work is still rewarding them nicely.

However, trying to argue with Jay when his mind's made up (even if he bases his decision/opinion on incorrect information) is a lost cause, especially when it comes to technology. I still remember when he ripped the Garmin 396 for not being able to run Doom and tune in TopGear while on an approach, or something like that. His anti-Apple bias goes back at least several years, and many of his arguments are supported by incorrect information, his own misperceptions, or his stubborn unwillingness to consider changing the way he does something even if doing so would provide a greater benefit to him. Regarding Apple and Garmin, the market clearly doesn't agree with his opinions, and it isn't because everyone else has fallen victim to a marketing snow job. Then again, if the market leaders were the only ones in the game, life would be pretty boring for everyone.


JKG

 

[wsuffa]

FTFY ...

Some of us have been tethering back before the days of the cellphone. I recall putting a diplexer on a VHF-HI (non-HAM) radio that operated through a repeater & using the autopatch feature to operate a Silent 700. Shudder. And yes, it worked.

 

[denverpilot]

Some of us have been tethering back before the days of the cellphone. I recall putting a diplexer on a VHF-HI (non-HAM) radio that operated through a repeater & using the autopatch feature to operate a Silent 700. Shudder. And yes, it worked.

LOL. That's awesome.

And yeah, the correction to Palm, is accurate Greg. Did that too...

I still remember the night my home brew Packet modem locked the PTT on the IC-2AT when I wasn't home and all the phone calls later about it. Kinda made everyone cranky when there was a stuck carrier from up on top of a nice hill overlooking the entire city on 145.01.

A number of us that encapsulated IP over AX.25 got all the traditional Packet guys whining when we bumped up our frame sizes and became "air hogs" too. Hahaha.

Much more fun than today, IMHO.

And to wander back on-topic, an RV would be fun, as long as I didn't have to build it.

 

[Mafoo]

Some of us have been tethering back before the days of the cellphone. I recall putting a diplexer on a VHF-HI (non-HAM) radio that operated through a repeater & using the autopatch feature to operate a Silent 700. Shudder. And yes, it worked.

I guess I was lucky. I worked for the air force in the 90's, and when I needed wireless, I just took the van with the dish on top, and had my 40 mbps connection whenever I wanted it

nice to work for the people who own the satellites.

 

[Geico266]

I've been around RV's (since 1994), and will disagree here. Some RV owners will naturally love their aircraft........while knowing that it's going to out perform numerous other airplanes. As an RV owner/builder myself........I'll always read "Flying" magazine, for info & pics about airplanes that will far out do my RV. I wouldn't mind a good bush plane & bizjet, when I win the lottery. In the meantime, as an older guy who has been around RV's, the pilot/ owners of many RV's, many flyins, many airports, over my life time................I can say that there is no society, except in the minds of a few. Many RV owners, also fly airliners, fly in the military, or own several certificated planes as well. Most are very open minded, and very pleasant to be around.

If threads like this, or especially the "way over the top" one that got out of hand on the Red board last year...........continue, then it only conspires to put false assumptions.........into one's mind. In the meantime, just like everyone else, it's not uncommon to see a vintage warbird owner, bizjet owner, etc. become very proud of the personalized aircraft, and say so. Lot's of aircraft owners will gravitate to specialized groups; such as Pipers, Cessnas, Beech, and so forth. It doesn't make it a religion.

L.Adamson

RV society?

RV owners are pilots that recognize a great aircraft when they fly one. Period.


Jeolousy is a very funny emotion, right next to love!

 

[denverpilot]

I guess I was lucky. I worked for the air force in the 90's, and when I needed wireless, I just took the van with the dish on top, and had my 40 mbps connection whenever I wanted it

nice to work for the people who own the satellites.

The taxpayers!

 

[Mafoo]

The taxpayers!

lol, yep. That's who I worked for

 

[DaleB]

I still remember the night my home brew Packet modem locked the PTT on the IC-2AT when I wasn't home and all the phone calls later about it. Kinda made everyone cranky when there was a stuck carrier from up on top of a nice hill overlooking the entire city on 145.01.

A number of us that encapsulated IP over AX.25 got all the traditional Packet guys whining when we bumped up our frame sizes and became "air hogs" too. Hahaha.

Much more fun than today, IMHO.

More fun? I remember the joy of exploration on packet, and being on the bleeding edge running IP over AX.25. But then I also remember how long it took to build a new Linux 0.9-sometign kernel on a 4MB 386SX box too.

Man, that was a long time ago.