Redback

I played around with Free Flight and CL in my early teens until I discovered girls. Too poor to get into RC, though there was a guy at the club that had this cool system called Galloping Ghost!

Fast forward to the late 70's and I build a single channel model with a rubber powered escapement. Flew it a few times but didn't do any more.

Fast forward again to about 1995 and my wife made what she now realises was the biggest mistake of her life by saying "you should take up a hobby". You're right I replied, I used to dabble with model planes as a kit, I wouldn't mind trying again. So we found a hobby/toy shop and I bought a GP Trainer 40 kit, an LA40 and a Futaba AM radio - not I realise now the best combo, but it got me addicted! Built the kit, joined a club, found an instructor (thanks Noel) and eventually managed learn to fly.

Terry

lez1troubles

I started back in 1981. Long long time ago.[8D]

KitBuilder

I was 13...pardon my trip down memory lane but this will be a somewhat emotional maiden for me...
Dad and I were getting started because I 'loved' planes. It was a lot of money back then to "get started" so dad took me to the hobby shop and we bought a Rubber powered stick and tissue 24" span cub. I spent the next few weeks that summer on the back porch building her with dad checking on progress each day. He said if I built it and made it fly then he knew i was serious and would buy the epxensive stuff.. radio, motor and I would buy the less expensive stuff.. the kit.. so i was "invested" in it.

Well i built that little cub and it flew (in my memory im sure better than it did). But dad passed away shortly after. So mom kept that promise and bought the expensive stuff. I had an Enya 19 and my brand spanking new Kraft KP-4A, and my M.E.N trainer. Having built oodles of sport planes and sailplanes since then I decided to get into scale as I've always wanted. This Clipped Cub is for you dad..... She breaks free of gravity for her maiden this evening and I know he'll be watching .

tryingagain

My dad got me into model planes and model railroading before I was 10. I started with a Guillows Cessna rubber powered free flight model. Soon after that was a series of Cox in a box control line models. They resulted in a box full of.049 engines which went on to power Goldbergs' Lil Wizard a Lil Satan and a Lil Toot. (also one Tonka Jeep, but that is another story) After many years of drooling I finally got into RC in my early 20s. I built a Goldberg Skylane 62 with a Webra Black Head .40 on it and an Airtronics XL 6 AM radio in it. I managed to get one or two flights on it with an instructor when our first son was born. Fast forward 24 years.(they sure felt fast after the kids came along) In the process of de-cluttering the basement my youngest son pointed to the old Skylane hanging on the wall and said "That has been there all my life. What are you going to do with it?" I shrugged and said,"Throw it out. The engine hasn't moved in 20 years, the radio is obsolete and the plane is too old to ever fly again." His next question will haunt my wife for years. "Do you know that for sure?" The next thing I knew we had it gutted on the dining room table. It soon had an OS 46AX on it and a cheap JR 4 channel installed in it. I joined a local club and found an instructor. That was two years ago. I will never be a 3D or pattern flyer but I am having fun! Oh yeah...the son who was responsible for all this is working towards having an Eagle 2 ready for flying season. (He is 24)
It seems once this hobby bites you the sickness may go dormant for a while but you are never cured!

Cheers

Gord

P.S. I feel your pain Kitbuilder. My dad was there for the first two flights of the Skylane those many years ago but we lost him about 5 years ago. (5 years before that to Alzheimer's) I know he is watching because he would be loving this.

ArcticCatRider

My Feedback: (6)

I am a self starter in the RC hobby. I'm 27 now, and started flying RC at age 15. The first year was tough as far as getting rides to the flying field.

This was all preceded by control line, which I started around age 11. Of course, the Cox .049 in a PT 19 trainer. By age 14 I was flying some Sterling .35 size control line models.

I never got out of RC. Even in highschool and college...I had times where I wasn't involved as much, but never 6 months went by that I didn't fly RC.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

I started RC in my early 30s, but this was after 20 years flying control line. I started that in 1953 after flying gliders and building solid and stick models.

When I graduated from grad school, I had some extra money and ''blew'' it on an RC set and plane.

Bruce

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

Thanks for the memories Metal. Dan.

Rob2160

Loved aircraft from the age of 3.. mum said I'd always look and point to them in the sky (I don't remember that) and could make great paper aircraft by the age of 5.

First control line plane at a young age but I really hated it because planes should not just fly around in circles attached to string.

Bought my first futaba at the age of 14 with an OS 15 powered high wing trainer...

Got more serioius at age 16 when I bought my first 7 Channel Kraft radio..

Vid here..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DU7WD8ra0[/youtube]

Had 20 years of solid and regular flying.. a 10 year break and have been back with a passion for the past 12 months..

378

My Feedback: (4)

Does the Kraft radio still work?

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

Great post Rob. Dan.

Radical Departure

My Feedback: (13)

Always loved flying and anything aviation. As a kid had a couple control line planes, but no one around to really lead me deeper into it. Attended a few fun flys and such 20's thru 30's, but either didn't have the money, time, and moving around too much with military. Then in late 30's wanted to get into it but held off, because I believed the electric side of things would make inroads into the hobby and make it more affordable. Around 40 or so, small electrics started coming into the market. My first 'plane' was a small 2 engine electric called an Outlaw. From there went to Aero Commanders, then on to Parkzone Strykers, Cubs and so forth. Went thru a heap of GWS slow sticks. From there to Ultra Sticks, 3DHS sport planes, a variety of electric helicopters and a large Telemaster. After 5 years or so flying electrics, finally transitioned into gas and never looked back. About 2 weeks out from having my 1/3rd Paulistinha ready to go up. Its been a blast. Odd thing.. in the approx; 10 years been flying, have never flown a glow setup.

RightFly

I had started building static models at age 11.  The LHS carried Strombecker wooden kits that you had to finish forming the airfoil shapes with a small sanding block furnished in the kit.  I advanced to a balsa stick frame model of an F101 covered with tissue like paper.  My cousin and I decided if we built a small hook in the nose under the fuse we could stretch a long rubber band and launch it. We bought a couple bags of heavy rubber bands and looped them together to form a giant rubber band, maybe 20 or 30 feet - relaxed.  Hooked our magic launcher to the F101 stretched the rubber band maybe 75' or so and let fly. The plane took off like a shot went nearly straight up, never releasing from the rubber band and came back staright down.  I now had an F101 that the fuse started at the wing.  We then decided to try a hand launch.  The highest spot was an access door in the very peak of our barn. We called the flight crash and burn. I held the plane and my cousin lit the tail on fire and I hand launched it.   If there were problems in the area most people came to talk with my cousin and myself.

I then bought a control-line airplane we never flew, even after removing the sod and creating a ring the diameter of the control line as a landing strip. I gues we were at least optimistic enough to think we would actually be attempting a landing.

Last fall at age 71 I soloed a Flyzone SkyFlyMax. Those flights gave me pictures to do a Crash and Rebuild post.   I know have over 5 hours logged on my HZ Champ.  Thinking about giving a go at the SkyFlyMax again.  Maybe it has gotten over its love affair with trees. []

Rob2160

Yes it actually works perfectly.. the batteries only hold charge for an hour.. but that is not bad after 31 years!