I would say that it is fairly neutral over the last 6-7 years. This is far different from the 1996-2000 or so timeframe as I recall those launches frequently having lines for RSO and pads. The number of pads is pretty much the same something else is different.
I think it can be chalked up to a few factors.
Many of the core flyers dropped participation substantially in the last decade. I can say, being one of them, that several of us dropped out completely or reduced substantially due to getting married, having houses to take care of, having kids, and busy jobs. All these things are great, but take substantial time and money away from the hobby.
I think the economy is not very good. I know a lot of folks who used to make substantially more money than they do now still fly, but not as large or often as they used too. High power is a fairly pricey hobby. I think to certain extent you can tell a lot about a persons income by what they are flying. You see some folks throwing up m and n motors at every launch, and while I like watching them it does make me wonder if they are either far better off financially than I am, do they have substantially less financial responsibility than I do, or are they living off of credit card debt? Whatever- it is not my issue.
I think the other issue is demographic. The long timers in the hobby, the ones who are here to stay, are all getting older. Not as fond of trudging long distances to recover rockets through questionable terrain.
While here are younger people coming in I think the number of older folks who start to drop out due to physical/health issues in the next decade or so will substantially shrink the hobby. The number of members might be similar, but the number of actually actively flying people will drop.
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