The only reason I pursued that line of disucssion is that I can't help but feel like there's been some sort of misunderstanding, like one or more of the thread participants is lacking some critical information or context.Where rocket owners can't launch their own rockets? No thanks. But the topic here is the Estes AstroCam. I love mine. How is yours doing?
I can't speak for any others here, but I'm proud of what we do at DART and I've had nothing but good experiences with the guys at TRASD and ROC. We fly together and I think the hobby is better for it. We learn from one another and become better rocketeers. What I'm inferring, and you can correct me if this was not what you were intending to imply, is that a small number of experiences or even just some hearsay you've collected has cast organized rocketry groups in an unflattering light for you. Given the huge number of NAR sections, Tripoli prefectures, and independent clubs that are out there, their vastly different operating procedures and circumstances, and the sheer number of personalities you can run into on the range, I simply don't think that's fair.
The decision of an RSO on any range is going to be binding. Yes, there are some people who are fundamentally unsuited to the job. It requires some people skills to get people onboard with their direction, and there are always going to be a small but non-zero number of individuals who will become abrasive in the position, or just plain abuse the authority. I have yet to encounter one, yet my intuition tells me that it may happen eventually, and making sweeping generalizations across entire national organizations like NAR or Tripoli is not something I'd even consider.
Even if you decide not to fly with a local organization, I'd still encourage you to rethink your reasoning behind it. Or at least just the way you present it. I don't think it's productive and it's not going to win you a ton of support on the forum. I think @CalebJ is onto something.
I've done this, rethinking my attitudes towards a few individual clubs. Flying with the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) up in California City was something I was previously nervous about, but when I learned more about their operating procedures and the kinds of people who fly there, I realized I was wrong about a lot of things. Experimental motors still make me nervous but if I ever want to fly something on commercial motors from smaller manufacturers that don't go for California State Fire Marshal approval (Apogee and Loki, for example), I know they're the guys who can make that happen.
For the record, I'm fully supportive of individual flying sessions. I've done this many times, most recently in November when I received a permit to fly at a local park about 30 minutes north of my house. I much prefer flying with DART but I can see the appeal. Many clubs have an off-season during times when it would still be good to fly. DART and TRASD close up shop during the summer, so I've often found myself kicking around the idea of getting my own permit with the city government to fly independently during this time. I still miss seeing the faces at the DART range, though.