The Gopher

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Still a begginer but can remember how excited the first flight was. bought a toy a XPV went to parking lot and had a blast next a firebird 3 ch. got boring so a nitro trainer was next got 1 used with all the gear studied hard went to large open area and got it up and down twice, heck this aint so hard. Next weekend watched it full throttle in at 45 deg angle over the top of my radio. Thats when I noticed the antenna down. I have destroyed many nice planes since then. Currently only have a stryker that will fly and a whole bunch of tore up stuff. Anyone wanna buy some tails LOL

sprgfvr02

My Feedback: (1)

I also started with a PT-17 .049. It belonged to a good friend. We were stationed at Offutt AFB Nebraska. We tried to fly it on the parade grounds, but were politely asked not to since Genereal's Row bordered the parade grounds. I was also stationed at Clark, but never saw anyone fly there.

After leaving the military in 1970 I bought my first profile control line plane, a Buster. Don't remember who made it. My older brother and I began flying at the North Shore club at Danvers Mass agrecultural schools' soccer field. We flew combat with the streamers for a few years before I left the area and headed west. My favorite plane was an ME-109. My last plane before I left was a Nobler.

That was a fun time. I now fly R/C 60 sized planes and am still learning.

Wes

kerrydel

My Feedback: (2)

I had wanted to try RC after having a control line plane that I could never get to start. (How many people did Cox ruin with their crummy engines that wouldn't run)? So, when I was interning during my second year of college, and made some money, I bought an early ARF. This was in 1984. The plane was a .25 size high wing that had foam core wings and a plastic fuse. There was I guy I worked with that said he new how to fly and would teach me.

We went to one of the empty parking lot fields by the Charlotte Motor Speedway to try it out. He got it about 30 feet in the air and rolled it straight into the ground. He said that the controls were set up wrong. Of course it cracked the plastic fuse into multiple pieces. I put it aside, and it wasn't until 20 years later when an intern who started working here talked about RC that I got back into it. I have since come to realize that the transmitter was set up for Mode 1 and my 'instructor' was used to mode 2. Why he didn't checked that I'll never know.

I'm sure there were clubs back then, but there was no such thing as the internet, so I wasn't aware of them. It was definitely a different time. Had I found a real instructor, I might not have lost out on 20 years of fun.

P.S. I have to admit that I was terrified of that little engine. I thought I was going to cut my fingers off every time I had to adjust the needle valve.

Kerry

Link119

My Feedback: (1)

To simply answer the question, im still a beginner

ncsky

I'm just starting out with a Super Cub. Joined a great club with very helpful people. I was able to buddy box and do well, later that day soloed with another member close by. All went good. Couldn't wait to get back to the field so got my honey do list done early on a Saturday and rushed back to the field.No one really there yet, so Ithought " a little more wind than yesterday". Got up and around then did alot wrong, plane came at me and I ducked, plane hit post (mind you on a field that is very open). Easily repaired, but two other members and myself got a good laugh out of having to duck from my own plane.

Can't wait to go again this weekend!

Granpooba

My Feedback: (5)

Naw ......... I have a good memory, but it is short .............

But I actually started building stick models when I was about 8 years old. I will be 69 years old, in a few days. I think ...............

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

I started many times! something always came up to stop me like the wife leaving me and the four daughters! on my last atemted I ran into a guy down in Rockspings Wyoming his name was Eddy Gilmer, He died right before Cristmas two years ago. Miss him very much! But Eddy taught me to fly after all the years i wanted to, And that want started when I was very young! I know my first flight was a Cox tri-plane that took all summer to start and not even a half circle flight to end, But I was hooked!

tryingagain

I'm sorry you and Cox engines didn't get along. I had countless .049s as well as numerous .020s and 1 .010. I don't recall issues with any of them. It was Cox that got it all started for me. There must have been hundreds of evenings and weekends with Cox control line planes (and one no control Tonka jeep with an 049 bolted to it's grill.) All that led to the next step which was control lines kits then RC Kits. Cap that with the great people I've met and my experience as a beginner was terrific.

Cheers

Gord

a65l

My Feedback: (17)

I built a Sig Kadet MKII with a Futaba radio in a barracks room at NAS Oceana back in 1986. I was trying little hops on base when I sucked a rock or something down the intake and scored the cylinder liner. I was learning to fly at NALF Fentress. I was getting ready to solo when the Kadet took to the air with reversed alierons. I was in the process of fixing it when I had to deploy again, and I just sold it and my soon to be second plane to someone else. Fast foward to 2004, my then brother in law brought his nitro car over. Asked if I wanted to drive it, and I said yes, didn't give the transmitter back soon enough and was hooked. Bought a RTF Avistar later that week, back out to Fentress and soloed shortly thereafter. I managed to only make my instructor dive for cover once..... in a way I miss those days, I could put the entire air force in my sedan, stuff was cheap (I miss $14 servos and MAS 10x6 props) and my daughter still liked going to the field with me.

mike31

My Feedback: (67)

Yeah, I remember. Learned with a World single stick in a Goldberg Skylane 62 kit built using an HB 40 for power. No electronic gimics to help. What buddy box?

Radical Departure

My Feedback: (13)

My first RC plane was the Hobbyzone Outlaw. It didnt fly worth a hoot but I was hooked. From there it went to Firebirds, Aero Commanders, GWS Slowsticks, Parkzone Cubs and Citabras, Stykers, Watt Flyer Bumblebees... No club, no instructor, just a couple guys and any open field we thought we could fly in. Lots of repairs and lots of busted up planes, but what a bunch of fun! Mixing and matching parts to other planes, modifying wings and such, more crashing, more parts... Then my first 4 channel, an electric Sig Kadet. What a blast. Now it was time for my first real radio, a Hitec Eclipse w/Spectra module. I felt like I was on the bleeding edge of RC. Then came Ultra sticks and the ante was kicked up a notch. Man thats fast!! Finally a prop injury and realization that didnt know as much as I thought I did, so time to join a club and get serious with it. In the 3 years or so since I'd got the Outlaw and joined a club, went through 30-40 planes 'learning' RC. Was still heck of a lot of fun. Guess been into it around 10-11 yrs. or so now.. nowadays fly mostly 1/4-1/3 scale gas or electric. 80% of the 'fields of learning' are gone, having been developed, and buddies from then have moved on to different states etc.. Its still fun now.. but looking back, man that was a blast.. wouldnt trade the memories of those busted up foamies and burnt out engines for anything..

overbored77

My Feedback: (11)

My buddy has a story, the worst one i know, He bought a Firebird XL the same day I did, he came out once or
twice to watch me fly mine, but never brought his. he always had an excuse, didn't have it assembled
it, battery not charged, no double A's for controller. After I stopped flying mine I didn't think anything of it.
When I started flying glow I brought him to the field once, one of the instructors offered to take him up
with his SIG Senorita for an intro flight, my buddy declined as he didn't want to fly someone else's plane.
On the way home from the field, he was kicking himself in the arse for not doing an intro flight. I stopped at
the hobby shop that evening and grabbed some fuel and other odds and ends, my buddy decided he wanted
to try flying, so he bought an Arrow 40 trainer, 6EX radio, and an OS 46 FX. When we got home I told him
we could assemble it tonight and head back to the field tomorrow. He ended up taking it home in the boxes
and said we would get together soon. I called him a few times to try and get him to come over so we could set
up his plane and he could try flying. he was always too busy, and always had excuses. I stopped asking and
continued to fly without him. My wife and I were at his house over the holidays and we were out in the
garage so I could look at his ATV that was broken. I noticed sitting on the shelf the boxes for the Firebird, and the
Arrow. I opened them up and both were brand new I don't think they were ever even taken from the box.
I asked him about them and he finally told me the truth, "I was afraid to fly the Firebird because I might crash it,
and I didn't want to look dumb at the field having to fly with the instructor in front of you and all the other people".

MajorTomski

Wonderful, memory filled thread guys!
I’ve played with flying models, stick and tissue, cox control line from about 10 years old (’65). Dad got us into RC when he volunteered to design the electronics to go into a servo for what would become “Delta Systems” a major RC Car supplier in the 70s and 80s.
Our first RC unit was a Delta Systems 7 channel HOME MADE unit, two channels of which were stuffed into a Midwest “Lil T” that had been converted by Dad to a two channel plane. My first “flight” was in the spring of 69 at a park in Florissant MO. The 0.049 on the pylon drug the plane in the air and it went round and round in big circles till the gas ran out. Never did feel like I ever had control.
One thing in my evolution, that none of you have commented on is that it feels like my RC experience grew in stages that were years apart. Once in high school Dad and I would take turns flying the Lil T at the Goodyear Model Club, now Corsair Model Club in Akron OH. I got to the point that I could launch, fly and actually land in one piece all on the same field. That old Lil T had to be a great trainer, we never broke it. I do recall my first lesson with an instructor. He put my new 61 powered Goldberg Sr. Falcon up SOOOO HIGH, that I could barely see it yet alone control it, then he handed me the transmitter and said “here kid.” To which I set it to idle circled down and landed it just like the Lil T.
For the next 22 years I built a couple of 40 and 60 size planes but never felt comfortable flying.
Then in 94 I built a Q-Tee with an 0.49 followed by a Kadet LT 40 and started flying frequently at my current club the TORKS in OKC. I was also working on my commercial/ instrument license in full scale. One day the light bulb came on as to trim, pitch power and airspeed and I actually began having fun flying RC.
Now almost nothing beats watching a big scale plane just brush the tops of the blades of grass and settle down for a perfect scale like landing and roll out!
Anyone else learn in stages?


Tom Solinski