I thought I would share my story after enjoying the other.

I am guessing it was a little over 16 months ago that I first went flying with a friend. He had glow only, an aero princess and a world models mach 2. They may have been others but it was so long ago and he goes through so many planes it's difficult to remember!

I must admit, I got hooked that first time out. I did some looking around and decided that electric was the way for me to go. I work in that field and it didn't really pose too much of a learning curve to start. I picked a slow stick, an optic 6 and scoured websites and the GWS site and started building it on Thanksgiving.

As cash is and was tight I stayed with the slow stick for quite some time. I put a brushless setup on it and learnt what over powering does to that wing etc. etc. I started venturing into glow and built a BUHOR spad - a mistake - and whilst that was going on I also bought a foam slimer kit and converted it to electric. It was a small piper cub.

After spending a huge amount of time on the kit I went out to maiden it and did my first takeoff and flight with something other than slow stick. Everything was going fine until it just died, there was no response from the control surfaces or anything. After I had picked up the pieces (landed on the only piece of road for miles) everything died down for a bit until 6 months or so later I dug out the bits to have a look what had happened. I am fairly sure the motor either had a failure or was overpropped because the wires to the ESC were melted as was the ESC itself. So I started again with a GWS formosa. That was fun! I learnt a lot about flying with that.

Then I started to get curious about glow again. I got the SPAD out and started going to training at my local field. The spad constantly needed way too much trim each time it was put together and after a couple of sessions I lost perspective and it augered a foot deep hole in the field. It just come straight down. Needless to say I wasn't buddied up at the time.

At that point I almost quit. There was a guy at the field who said he had an Arrow and all I needed to do was take my engine apart and clean it and pop it on. After 30 minutes or so of deliberating I went for it. Another friend cleaned my engine for me (EVO NT 40) and I put it on.

The EVO engine was appaliing (long before the crash) now I can attribute all the problems with it to trash in the carb. It wasted my precious days at the field. I will never buy another Evolution engine again because of this.

So back to training. All buddied up the Arrow was great. I flew it and after two trips out I was landing. Then next time out I solo'd. That was in Oct 05 - just gone. After a while of flying the Arrow I bought a World Models Mach II with an AX 46. Wow, what a difference! Still having a lot of fun with that. A $60 plane and $110 engine.

Then in quick succession came a Hangar 9 80" cub and a 60 size Ultrastick. The most fun by far is the Ultrastick, I have a Magnum 91 four stroke (swap meet purchase) and it is just out of this world.

Recently I decided a Spitfire was in order, but I didn't want a 40. There is just too much wind in Texas! I found and bought a World Models 60 and that is almost together now. It will be powered with a Saito 100. This is my second "new" plane. The cub, Arrow trainer, Ultrastick were all second hand bargains.

So to recap!!!

Slowstick x 4 (one is still together on floats)
Foam Cub conversion (RIP)
Formosa (need to sell)
SPAD (RIP)
H9 Arrow EVO 40 (Sold and is still alive)
WM Mach II OS 46 AX (Fast and fun)
H9 80" cub (need to sell - didn't enjoy flying it)
Ultrastick 60 with Magum 91 (will fly it until expiration date)
WM Spit with Saito 100 (already nervous about the maiden!)

I happily recommend the Hangar 9 Arrow as an excellent trainer (and more fun than the Nexstar/Avistars) and the World Models Mach II as a second plane. In fact World Models make a Mach I which is a high wing trainer and this looks also to be excellent for the price!

So not quite one year but almost.

p.s.

solo'd at the end of October