Calin666,

There are several excellent CL fliers in the SLC area. One thing you'll learn - and enjoy - is the open friendliness and helpfulness of other CL fliers. After all, the model is way over there, and you have the handle where you are. It helps to have someone to hold your model until you are ready to take off... And, if the other guy has a lot of experience, that is a great help and shortcut for you to get started right. Local hobby shops might know these guys, how to get in touch with them, or, perhaps, where they fly. If you can locate where and when they fly, they'll welcome your visit. (Only exceptions might be in the middle of a contest in progress, or if they are practicing intensely for an upcoming meet. Even then, they'll welcome your visit as much as those conditions allow.)

An experienced fellow flier is also a great reassurance as you come up against that first flight. You can expect a thorough check-over of your model, and discussion of the good and less-than that's there. If you're both willing, the more currently experienced guy might be willing to give it a test flight to make sure - and make you more confident that it will fly well. He can also catch anything that needs further adjustment or whatever before you go for it. Such things happen, even to very experienced fliers, so it's not a knock or insult to go through things like this. Flying buddies might also offer to give you some "dual" time on a well-trimmed model. For instance, he might take such a model off, get it settled down, then with both of you holding the handle, go round with you to be sure you feel what's necessary, and can handle it. (He can ease off his control inputs as you get the hang of it, while still being ready to resume control if the model decides to bite you - or the ground...) (Also, two at the center is more dizzying and work than one, so if you have no trouble with that, it will be easier to fly solo.)

Building, with the modern kits, is much easier than in the days when I started. Back then, either the wood was crushed brutally in supposed "die-cutting" or you had to cut the pieces out of sheets of wood with the shapes printed on in ink. So many kits are laser-cut these days, that that ordeal is old history. The usual kits today also have much better wood and fairly complete building instructions. Discussing how to build with an experienced flying buddy is a way to learn not only how, but to not be intimidated by the idea.

There's nothing like it, for me, to fly a model I've actually built most of, rather than shaking the pieces out of a box and stuffing them together. Not knocking the ARFs or quick-build planes available today - remember, I go back to the days when there was no such thing... It's just an added joy in the hobby to me.

CL fliers go around in the best of circles...