CarolinaCrasher

Xoon, you don't have to give up the hobby b/c of college. I am a senior mechanical engineering undergrad that is taking early masters classes and I still have time to fly a bit. Not a whole lot mind you b/c of school and work, but foamies (especially a good 3D one) will allow you plenty of time to fly. Also, every time I go home to visit my parents my dad and I are basically camped out at the flying field so that I can get my plane fix before heading back to school. Education comes first and foremost no doubt about it, but without having fun with things like flying the stress of getting an engineering degree will kill you. Just my opinion. Have fun and go forth and do great things.

Josh

xoon

My Feedback: (3)

i'm also thinking on join the Airforce or the Navy to support my aviation carreer. i don't know what to do yet. anyways... i got guys at my field who haev a full time job and family and i see them out EVERY sat rain for shine... if it's windy they'll be out there round 5 just to fly. my parents expects a lot out of me, and i got to keep the straight A's or glying will come to a stop, when i'm in college i bet they will be expecting the same, this expectation i don't mind because it's obvious that if i can't keep my grades then i can't fly. probaly for my senior graudation gift i might wan't a foamie and a glow, fly whenever i can, and stop when i have to. LIFE SUCKS!!! there are too many things to worry about!! and i'm not even out of HIGH SCHOOL YET!!! but airplane keep me goin...

coveredup

My Feedback: (1)

Yep, I took the "college break" too. Kept all my airplanes and engines, so when I got back into it wasnt too expensive. By your junior year in college you may have some time for a plane or two.

50%plane

My Feedback: (5)

Xoon,
Since you want to be a Aeronautical Engineer, you might want to design and build your own models. You could tell your parents that it is good preperation for college. It will help you to get a better grasp on aerophysical design, and the best thing is that they might pay for it(If they really want you to get good grades). If you go into the Air Force or Navy they will pay all or most of your college( if you go with the right program) if you sign for a certian number of years of active duty. You'll also get a month of paid vacation every year.( for model flying)

probro1213

Dude,
Fly what you have. Don't let it go the flying will help you get through stressful situations at school. Plus you will be better for it , since you will be flying and learning why and how things fly.
Hang in there man, you can't get out what you have in it anyway. Learn from the past and look toward your future , but, and this is a big one, DON'T give up flying just give up buying so much stuff to fly with.

Good Luck.

seanychen

My Feedback: (4)

Hello xoon,

I think my experience will help you. I started RC flying in highschool freshman in 1988. I was very intensely involved in flying throughout high school. I actually progressed to a point that I competed in pattern competition in 1991 as a high school senior. There were no 3D back then.

I also wanted to become an Aerospace engineer as a high school student. So I went to a private college called Harvey Mudd, which was the top specialized engineering school, and was very expensive. I ain't from a rich family, so I had problem making the ends meet. Combined w/ the hected engineering schedule, my flying took a break. I still had 2 flyable planes throughout my college years, but I didn't fly very much, maybe a few times a year. But it was enough to keep me from completely "getting out" of the hobby.

After college, I proceeded to get a MS in mechanical engineer from UCLA in 1996. Aerospace industry in late 90's had bad outlook, so I opted for the more general "mechanical" engineering, but still took some aero courses. Flying still was scarce for me after school. 5 years after MS were period of student-load repayment period, so no more new planes either. It's not until I got a good offer @ Ford and moved from LA to Detroit that I was able to settle down and have time & cash to get back into RC flying. None of the planes @ LA moved with me to Detroit. And boy, did I come back big time. In 2002&2003, I averaged getting 1 ARF every month or 2. 3D flying was beginning to take off, and I really wanted to master the moves I've never even though of before. Now I have 6 planes in flying condition, some needing repair, and 3 new ones sitting in the box.

So, you won't get lots of time and money for flying during college, especially as an engineering student. Unless you are Andrew Jesky who will be sponsored by big companies during college years, many things will be competing for your time and money. Dare I say girlfriend?

My advise to you is, get a few good all-around and durable profiles like Katana 40P, which are cheap to fly, easy to repair, can be stored in dorm room, and won't require dedicated fields to fly. Giant scales can be reserved for summer breaks.

Hey, maybe you will meet a special lady who likes flying too and let this hobby and college experience work for each other =)

AlexF

I'm ending my junior year at dartmouth right now. I have to admit that I've more or less quit the hobby for now; there's a lot of things I need to spend time on, but most of all it seems awfully difficult to set up a spot to build and maintain airplanes in a dorm room. It could be that the college's woodshop will let me leave partially finished projects in there; I'll probably look into that in the near future, because too long out of the hobby is killing me : )

If you're still living at home there's really no reason to quit the hobby if you're having second thoughts about it -- remember that you can always scale back as much as you want. On the other hand, if it starts to feel like a chore you shouldn't make yourself keep doing it; that'll just make it worse. Take a break and come back in a year or two if that's the case

DHG

My Feedback: (7)

Xoon,

I'm resisting the urge to tell my own war stories (building a .15 racer in the dorm, slicing up my roommate's bedspread cutting MonoKote, the precious old Andrews Trainermaster I kept hanging on the wall and took pains not to crash because when everything else went wrong I could sneak away on a Saturday afternoon and wring it out to restore my sanity and self-esteem ... OK, so there are a few) but with electric foamies you don't have to give up anything! I got through college and now have a job and a house with a basement and it's wonderful but at this MOMENT I have a foamy design on the board that would tuck in the corner behind the sink of any place I lived during my school years ... and that includes the drawing board and all the material, too!

I see we're neighbors. PM me if you like.

AlexF,

Based on your "totally uninformed opinion" about propellers over in Extreme Speed (which, by the way, was totally accurate and phrased with Einsteinian elegance), I never would've guessed you were so young. Stay with it. And don't let Dartmouth turn you into an "Animal House" type -- yes, that's where the writers of that ancient movie got their inspiration. Stop after the 37th beer, it's pointless after that.

Oh, and you can take art classes as an elective ... the painting studio is a big place ... it's possible to put silk and dope on a 58" Bucker Jungmann in there if you play your cards right.

Another Jealous Old Fart

xoon

My Feedback: (3)

my parents always joke ( or not...can't tell the difference) that if i'm in this hobby it should prepare me for college and all of that stuff.. since they spent some of their money on me and my planes ( i pay for all my planes, they chip in a couple of dollar here and there) they say that i will be rich and support them later in life.

FKY1000

sorry, i didnt read all the post... but this exactly happend to me...
im a junior in college now, and i just came back to the hobby a year ago, i quick the hobby for about 5 year total before i came back to it...

reason is because i was born in peru and i came to san francisco for college, so new country, new everything, and no planes, but i usaully go back to peru twice a year, and i flew my planes only then, the other reason i quick flying was because of spending time with my ex-girfriend...

one thing i learned from this experience is that if u really like the hobby, u are gonna miss flying a lot, and if u just fly 2 times a year, u crash a lot of expensive airplanes...

dont quick the hobby, but put ur studies in 1st priority, if because of finals u cant fly that weekend, its ok, but find apropiete time to spend in this hobby if u like it enough ( i mean do ur homeworks, do good in school and then fly ur planes... never miss classes or miss homework for the hobby, u r gonna regret it)

but always have fun and remember that this hobby is just for fun but educational at the same time...

u can always do both good and then u will be very happy for ur present and ur future..

aerothums

Everything everyone has told you has been great advise . One thing also is true and it is you have the edge of youth. You can learn so much more now with out effort, as you get older you will not have the same ability to do so. Just go to the field and look at the 20 plus guys trying to learn 3d.Compromise is the key here. Making yourself the best at what you do is important.Giving up some of youre hobby to do good in school is a good compromise. But you should never give up everything. This hobby can keep you happy all youre life . And compared to the alternative adult hobbies its pretty cheap and safe. And what you learn now will make the hobby more enjoyable as an adult

bdavison

My Feedback: (1)

I have a little experience here.

First DONT quit the hobby. You'll quickly wish you didnt once you start getting your degree in aeronautical engineering. Once you start learning the engineering side you will quickly get this mindset...."I could design it better than that".....every engineer does....well, a great place for testing your designs is in model aviation.

Alot of very famous aeronautical engineers use model aviation as a test bed for their designs. For instance...the X prize winning design "SpaceShip One" originated as a R/C model. They flew the model around for months, testing its flight charectoristics.

If you are not sure how you are going to pay for your education and your hobbies and living expenses....well theres only one place to go.

The military. What ever branch of service you choose, KEEP FOCUSED!!!! Your there for only two reasons. One is serving your country, and the other is your education. Everything else comes second. Dont get involved with some overseas hoochie, or get plastered every weekend. The military can send you to Embry Riddle. I did it. But if your going to go this route, its very difficult, and you'll have to use will power and focus for a long time.

If your not interested in the military, you'd better be making straight A's since 1st grade, and hope for a couple of scholarships or have some rich parents.

You may also be able to do internships at McDonnell Douglas or Boeing. It would be a great way to get on-the-job training while paying for your education.

I wish you the best.

xoon

My Feedback: (3)

thanks for all the great advice... when you said the X-prize a instant tingle went through me, always happen. well i'm planning to either the Airforce or the intership for Lockheed Martin, the conselor talked to me about that ) hope i get it for senior year. it seem like it should be quiting.. but instead work my a** off for the things i want most!!

biggestslacker32

Xoom, I am in the absolutley exact same position as you. I am 15 going into my sophmore year and spending all of my money on airplanes. Not only that but i have begun to slack off in school due to the amount of times im spending on the hobby, hense the screen name. My view on my situation is that i am going to have to down scale my participation in the hobby and really budget my money per month as well as my time. I also want you to know that a very good friend of mine that goes to MIT still finds a vast majority of time to work on his planes and helis from his tiny dorm. Also college doesent mean no airplanes, I was recently working with a mit proffessor and students on an airforce sanctioned project related to model airplanes involving autonomous flight by gps. It may not be 3D but we all got a couple of flights in on my foamie.

send me a PM if you want to talk more about it, there is a serious lack of kids our age in the hobby.

xoon

My Feedback: (3)

sorry i don't know how to do PMing on this place... i'm kinda new to this setup. all i can say is.. me too.. i started to slack off when i got into 3D spending everyday at least one hour on the SIM getting the moves down. this semester i got straight A's which my parents were pretty proud, but what they don't know is i was barely hanging on to most of my A's they were 90%. i got to stop from slacking, maybe w/ all of the free time over this summer i'm goin to be bored w/ that Simulator and school will be better next year.

WHO out there are 15 year old? i want to here from you.. how life is..

PS. i'm sorry, i know this is a 3D forum, i posted it here b/c i just got started in 3D and it got me worried

Zagiflyer576

im 16 and going inton my senior year...I have no idea what im goin to do with the hobby after highschool either. i mean, how am i supposed to maintain my heli (price can get up there EXTREMLY fast with helis....) and planes while paying for a car, insurence, gas, food, cell phone ext, and 40k a year at embry riddle? i dont know, unless i just sell all my stuff but my foamys, or stick it up in the closet untill i get back, so my engine will be i lil gummed up, no big deal =P.

Fly-guy

I posted before, Im 14, I put 15 before

I am one of many teenagers at my club, and one of only a few 3Ders. We are all at about the same point in our lives but we enjoy flying so much I think we would never give up, and even if we did we would probably come back to it at some stage.

The instructor who taught me to fly said this to me. "Flying goes in stages, you see the fathers and sons, then you dont see them for a while, then the son comes back with his kids," and so on. I think that is very true. They may stop for a few years but always coem back to the hobby.

Fly-guy

rcflyer96

Don't give it up.... i'm going into my 3rd year of Mechanical Engineering and am still flying all summer. I don't have to worry about it during the winter as I can't fly anyways so I just practice when I can on the sim. Sure I would love to get into GS gassers but just isn't economical right now, in a few years I will be done and then I can hopefully afford to step up to bigger and better. Right now I will live with the smaller stuff.

Good Luck In whatever you choose!!!

budgetdude

My Feedback: (6)

Hey Xoon, nobody ever really quits this hobby, some have to take extented breaks but everyone comes full circle right back in. Foamies would probably be an option for you because you can build new ones for 3.00$ a piece. You can get the pre-med girl you will be seeing to get you some hingetape. I bet you can even fly them in the gym or your dorm hallway. Things I learned from my breaks are:
Dont Sell your tranmitter
Dont Sell your motors
Have a good sim

Late

50%plane

My Feedback: (5)

Xoon, to PM, you click on the name of the person you want to PM and then click on PM. You can probably figure it out from there.
Sorry I'm 18, but I agree about there being a serious lack of kids in the hobby. At every club I've been a member(3), I was the young kid pilot.( at least the only one that flies more than three times a year) Now at the club I'm at(VRCFC) I am one of three kids my age. One comes out about every month, and the other comes out about every three months. I'm fly once or twice a week. My club sort-of encourages young people to fly, but not really. But good luck on your decisioin. The one thing I've learned in my short life is create a plan and stick to it ( unless it goes down in flames). Don't compromise with what you believe or think.

Super D

If you can do every 3D trick in the book, Find a sponsor. If your really that good they will find you. Seriously at your age you have reflexes that will only diminish through time.

Breakstuff is right about priorities;

1 family
2 education
3 hobby

Get a good education,become successful, Then you can buy you some 40% 3D machines.

codiddley

My Feedback: (4)

Just don't pull a "Cody," I spent moe then I had on airplanes, and have dug myself into a nice hole... Late on rent, quit school to work more, my buisness failed because I felt I was overworked, became bitter and lost alot of work due to attitude problems.... Mostly working late, then getting home and working on airplanes late into the night, then getting up w/out enough sleep, getting cranky etc.. It became a pattern. Then I fell (literally) off a cliff retrieving a downed sailplane and jacked up my leg. lost work while it healed, and several thousand on medical bills (with insurance mind you). Bankrupcy is not a fun thing. Trying to find a way out. Just be responsable, and budget your expenses. I have a problem with 'impulse' buying. I get something in my head and have a hard time getting it out. I have a F90 and a Saito 180 on the build table, and no $$$ to finish it.[:@]

Be responsable with your money, and lay off the big, cool, expensive stuff untill you get your degree. THEN when you have a good solid job buy what you want. Patience IS a virtue, just be reasonable, and don't give up something you love if you don't want to. I know what it's like to deny yourself the things that make you who you are. Eventually you will loose yourself and feel cheated, or somehow wronged. I know what gooney is talking about- just w/out the wife and family. I didn't last that long. Lost the girl (thank god) before it could get any worse... Just wish I could find all the time and $$$ to do EVERYTHING I want to.

Cody

xoon

My Feedback: (3)

just listen to what you said CODY. Patience IS a virtue. keep patience and you will get yourself out of that hole. hey Cody, where do you fly?

brokensolo

Dont give it up buddy...

I'm a junior in chemical engineering at the University of Tulsa, planning on getting my commercial pilot's license and using the engineering job to fund the eventual career change. We're a top notch private engineering school and it's expensive ($25k/yr). I'm paying for it all myself, but I have still managed to stay very involved. I just got back into flying lately after a 5 year hiatus. It is just a matter of priorities. I have a girlfriend, bills, job, school, AND I just bought a brand new U-Can-Do, 8U Tx, all new Hitech digitals, new engines...etc. If you REALLY want to fly, you will find a way. Just don't let it interfere with your school

Breakstuff5050

get yourself a fomy to bring to college, and everynight before you got to bed, TR through the halls and play, or just play in the parking lot if needed