I've read a lot of this thread, but if this point has been made, and I missed it, apologies...
Is it the case that more people are selling up, or is it the case that in a modern World, with Flea-Bay, Oople, and a myriad other on-line ways of selling stuff, are we just more aware when people do sell up?
In days gone by, RC participation moved with the economy - it's up and people join in, it's down and people have to give up. Back then, things were sold at Clubs and Nationals and through the local newspaper, shop and things like Exchange and Mart.
We have had a growing economy since 1996, a time when the internet didn't really exist, no one had heard of pay-as-you-go mobiles, text messages, GPS, Digital TV, broadband, NiMH, 2.4Ghz... I could go on. Prior to that there was boom and bust every five years, so it wasn't unusual to see people sell up.
This is the first time in over 10 years that people's pockets have been hit hard, and so we see a lot of people selling up - and this time we can see them do it. I'm not sure that there are any more people leaving the hobby in a downturn than there have been the last time this happened, but the key difference is that it can be seen.
The other thing we don't know is whether people are selling up from the main class on this forum (Electrics, and Off-Road in particular) and going to Gas - Rallycross, Large Scale, etc.
Nice to see some people taking the family to the Club and the Nationals. I used to do the monthly Chesham meetings, and there were lots of families on the sunny days, and the same at Nationals. When the sun shines, Off-Road has great appeal, but my class (12th) at least guarantees I don't get wet and have to clean a muddy car!
