so i finally dragged myself to one of those local club fly-in things after lurking on this forum forever telling myself id go sometime. it was out at a fairgrounds about 45 mins from me, maybe 30 people showed up which was more than i thought. honestly the vibe was really chill, way less intimidating than i expected, people were just hanging around talking gear and occasionally going up. one older guy had this massive fixed wing thing that was genuinely terrifying to watch land. the only weird part was there was kind of an unspoken hierarchy thing where the club regulars all knew each other and it took a while before anyone really talked to me. but once they did it was cool. probably going back next month if work doesnt get in the way again

that unspoken hierarchy thing is real at almost every club event ive been to, it takes like 2-3 visits before people actually remember you. just keep showing up and bring something interesting to fly if you can, nothing breaks the ice faster than someone asking about your quad

fixed wing guys at those events are always wild, there was one at a fly-in near me last spring who was flying an old glow engine trainer and i swear it nearly took out a tent on downwind. good times though, those events are worth it even if theyre a bit awkward at first