I wouldn't call myself an experienced modeller but I've flown a small model aircraft home built out of foam on the cheap, I found it fun to grok the physics to make it flyable and I've flown it within the law (I think, and this was 8 years ago so before the media realised model aircraft existed and parliaments felt compelled to legislate!). I don't understand why model fliers are vilified like this, sure there are idiots who need to be dealt with but most guys just want to spend some time tinkering. AFAIK no serious accident has happened yet. If the same standard of precaution was applied on the road, cars would be forbidden on roads to protect cyclists, and to follow the logic that the skies belong exclusively to aircraft, birds should also be made extinct!