“Flying is a much cheaper and safer hobby than auto racing, but has almost the same type of camradery, willingness to help/teach, etc. “Here, fly my quad, try my goggles/radio/etc and see what you think” is something heard at almost every event I go to. I’ve offered mine as well even though I’m still a beginner, and still working on the basics of precision flying for racing. My biggest concern is the supposed issue with hobbyists interfering with commercial and even general aviation. If a manned aircraft is flying low enough for my craft to be a collision hazard, then my craft is the least of that pilot’s concerns – he should be more worried about hitting trees, houses, or the ground because he’s flying way too low. I have no interest in flying above 400ft AGL. When I’m racing or flying freestyle, 400ft is more than enough height to do tricks, dive trees, or whatever. In addition, the act of building, troubleshooting, and tuning multiple quadcopters have all taught me how to solder better, basic aerodynamic science, and electrical theory, which I’m also teaching my children as they are now old enough to start building their own quads. Besides, building and repairing model aircraft is a huge part of the hobby, just like building/repairing cars is a huge part of that hobby.”