Originally Posted by Chris Hibner (Post 1269097)

I hate to post this since it's going to make me sound like an a killjoy or a typical parent that yells "it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye", but here it goes:

I got hit in the side of the face Saturday with a paper airplane. I'm not sure what it was made of, but it actually hurt quite a bit. All I could think of was: a) I'm glad it didn't hit me in the eye because as bad as it hurt there's a good chance it could have seriously damaged my eye, and b) I should put my safety glasses on (which I did).

Originally Posted by Mike Starke (Post 1269129)

So this was my first time being down in the VIP seating for Einstein. I, myself, got hit right above the eye, and on the arm. And that's just me. I'm sure the LEGO executive, our Armed Forces Representatives, and every other VERY IMPORTANT PERSON loved being hit/almost hit as well. Some of these people are getting their companies to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars (plus) to FIRST. To echo what Libby said, it's just down right disrespective on so many levels.

Originally Posted by Oblarg (Post 1269160)

They could do a lot to alleviate the problem if they'd just do the following:

1) Give Dean Kamen a reasonable time limit for his speech, and make him stick to it.
2) Consolidate the giving of awards into a single ceremony, as is done for every regional competition I've ever been to and which I've never heard anyone complain about before. The awards-between-every-match system was horrid.

Originally Posted by EricH (Post 1268895)

No, it would NOT be cool. R/C aircraft--of any type--can be very dangerous. I actually have an R/C aircraft that would be perfect for flying in a dome (if it's repaired), and I wouldn't even THINK about flying over the stands, or Einstein, or any field that was being packed up--for that matter, over any field at all due to the overhead cables for the lights being a great target for stray planes, or the personnel on the fields risking being injured should something go wrong.

If I'm talking about my sub-1-lb ultramicro foamy not being safe to fly under FIRST competition conditions, then anything strong enough to carry a camera is going to be even worse--larger, heavier, more powerful, more likely to hit something or someone. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but if I was to endorse such an idea, I would A) call in a professional, or at least somebody with a ton more experience than I do, and B) clear as many people off of the floor as I could, and C) put flags on every cable so they were more visible to the pilot. Oh, and D) listen to the pro when he told me it wasn't safe to fly.

Also, I should remind you that R/C pilots fly on 2.4 GHz. The field can potentially (and sometimes does) operate on that bandwidth, though it's usually on 5 GHz, but an awful lot of other stuff operates there too. I wouldn't risk it.

Originally Posted by prerob96 (Post 1268819)

it happened in 2011, i remember 2137 team torc starting the throwing

Originally Posted by Bongle (Post 1269012)

Compromise idea:
I think a good solution would be to make it an official thing. Say "the team that gets a plane the furthest during a designated throwing time (between matches when no-one is speaking) wins a prize". You have to write your team # on each plane. You could also have a prize for greatest mass of paper airplanes cleaned up (to help with the litter issue), but that would be harder to check.

This way, everyone knows that it's not ok to throw them nonstop, but doesn't completely squelch the fun that people have throwing them (I was there in 2011, it was great to watch). It's a mini-engineering challenge. It would also let people in the stands prepare for a deluge of planes so people are aware.

Originally Posted by Libby K (Post 1269114)

Now, I get ripping up your programs and making airplanes, because you clearly NEED to throw those airplanes since they're so VITALLY important to the mission of FIRST...
...but did you guys really have to use the page that was my father's tribute?

My father - Dean's older brother? He was a huge part of the FIRST community. He died this September, and the program page with his face and his story should have been at least somewhat respected and not used for that purpose. None of the things FIRST works so hard to create should have been, but that one is very personal to me. I was absolutely horrified.

Have some class.

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1269201)

1.You be the one to tell Mr. Kamen to limit the time of his speech. He started this event. He deserves as much time as he wants to get his point across. It our job to be a good audience.

Originally Posted by DCA Fan (Post 1269347)

The paper airplanes need to stop. I was on the floor of the arena, and custodians were having to sweep constantly to keep the area clean before ceremonies begin. There was a huge pile of paper (I'm talking easily 100) that did not include the ones they couldn't get to all around the floor.

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges (Post 1269190)

Also, I saw another thing being thrown form the upper arena. I don't know what it was but it was lit with led's and seemed to have some mass to it. What were they and why would you think it was cool to throw it into the crowd?