samolot

My Feedback: (14)

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on how my interest in this hobby developed over the past years. The reason im doing this is because the other day at the field, there was a guy with one of those ready to fly pusher prop design beginner planes who was pretty much completely new to the whole hobby. Some other guy was helping him set up the plane and fly it for him, but he had to leave, so i took the opportunity to point out a few tips. In the end, I was pretty much his right hand man, setting the plane up for him, launching it for him, and looking for it with him in the bushes. I became his "instructor" and after he left, it made me realize how far i have progressed in this hobby. I started out with a RTF Wattage Cessna which became a disaster. After countless hours here on RCU I was given a RTF glow powered TOwer Trainer 40 from a man known as J3Fan (God bless). From then on, i flew nothing but glow. Then gone through an electric phase and now starting back into glow.

What im trying to get at here is that this hobby is really great. It builds great character. If youre at the right field, you can meet alot of different people all with interesting back grounds and stories (and new flying tricks). I love the community atmosphere at the flying field, with everyonel lending a hand no matter what. Out of plain curiosity, I was just wondering what were all your first planes? How long are you currently in the hobby? What is your current fleet? Take the time to reflect on how you started out and how youve contributed. I remember a guy at the field who had a RTF supercub a year ago and now he has a PUlse, Nitroplanes Low Wing Trainer, a .40 Yak, a T-28 Trojan... all glow powered.

I started out with the Wattage Cessna

4 Years later...

E-Flite Extra 260 Profile
Hobby-Lobby Profile Yak (The 20$ dollar one, its amazing)
Nesail.com Bambi II
Hobby-lobby 50" TIger Moth (COnverted to glow)

This post may sound kinda lame, but im just interested to see how poeple across the nation worked into this hobby.

Thanks alot!

Samolot

PS: Ever notice how after you learn to fly very well, you pick up one of those ready to fly trainers and find out that they are probably the most horrible flyers available? Funny how they are meant for beginners...

Stick 40

I got into rc cars with my son back about 20 to 30 years ago, we raced the elect ones. we went racing about once a week. I wanted to quit smoking, but was having a hard time of it. I got into planes to keep my hands busy, it worked. I built from kits in the winter and flew and repaired all summer long. I have not smoked in all that time, I took the money that I would have spent on cig's and bought rc stuff. I figure all the rc stuff I have is free!!!!!!!! Now that I retired I have a nice collection of planes and gear to play with, life is good enjoy the ride!!!!!!

Nathan King

Ever since I was four years old I held a fascination with flight. Three quarters of all my toys were aircraft/airport related, and I wore those poor things out from so much use. I'm currently one of the young ones at the age of 22. I began flying at the age of 17 with a kit built Carl Goldberg Electra. I couldn't cover worth a darn at the time, so the model looked like a deranged prune. I didn't belong to a club either and only taught myself to fly the glider after many, many crashes. I have since entered college as an aviation major where my love of flight has only grown. Two years ago I joined a local club and was taught how to fly a glow powered Avistar trainer. It didn't take me long to learn to fly it since I had the previous R/C experience. I progressed from the Avistar to a Great Planes Cessna 182 to a Kyosho Spitfire. I sold the 182 and spitfire to buy other aircraft after learning to fly them well.

I currently have four aircraft in the hangar: a Joker tailwheel pattern aircraft with tuned pipe and retracts, an Atlanta tricycle gear pattern aircraft with tuned pipe and retracts (very fast airplane), a Sundowner 50, and a 1/3 scale Pitts S-2S Special with 50cc gas engine. I am building a Fresh Aire pattern airplane and a quarter scale GeeBee R-2 from Haffke plans.

I also instruct new members how to fly and find this extremely rewarding. I have found that my full scale flight experience (although limited compared to some of you) has helped me in this hobby. I have had two mishaps in the hobby so far. I was training a student one night with a cub and noticed an avistar coming towards us. The avistar pulled up, so I figured he was spacing himself further away to avoid conflict. In actuality he was simply performing a loop. When he came back and finished the loop both aircraft collided head on. I should not have assumed I knew what he was doing. The other was with my Joker when I failed to properly perform a preflight check. I took off, the airplane turned left and collided with a bank of trees at full throttle. It turns out that the aileron connector was plugged in backwards. I had zero aileron control and the rudder didn't have enough coupling to bank the aircraft away from the trees. I have since repaired the Joker to like new condition and always perform very thorough preflight checks. I haven't dumb thumbed one in, yet (knocks on wood).

Jburry

My way into this hobby was a little round-a-bout. Model aircraft fascinated me throughout my childhood, usually in the form of rubber power models, cheap electric free-flights and toy gliders of every shape and description. By early high school, I'd also grown a fascination with gas engines of any kind. I bought a couple Cox motors and regularly annoyed the neighbours by pushing clouds of glow smoke into their yards with a screaming .049.

Years passed, and more engines arrived, still no planes. The last straw was a Norvel Big Mig .061. It's such a beautiful engine, I knew this one would have to fly. It had made enough smoke in the basement and back yard (yes, I know better than to run engines in the basement....now...).

a happy thing happened, and a co-worker gave me the airframe for a 3 channel .25 size trainer, a very heavily kitbashed Aamco H-ray, bashed into something of an S-ray. I re-built it. The co-worker began flying electric aircraft, so we both joined the local club. I learned to fly.

I spent many hours soaking in the contents of various magazines, and found the plane I wanted that little Norvel to haul around, a Herr Aquastar. Very easy building kit, and with what I read on the forums, I made a buncha changes to it as well. Ailerons, bolt on wings, chine rails, upthrust, etc. Managed a couple flights with it my first year, but was always very nervous with it, it being my first 4 channel plane, and with a finnicky 1/2a engine.

The next plane was another gift from my flying co-worker, a Dynaflite Fun Scale Mustang 40. This would be my low wing and aileron trainer, LOL. Rebuilt her with an OS 46AX, and got her to the field early in my second year. Holy (*^&^%^, that's fast! Somehow, we both survived the year, and it's now been clocked at over 100mph. Made me a much better pilot (didn't have much choice!).

that second year also brought the Aquastar's first float fly, where it performed admirably, ROW ing with decent ease in less than ideal water conditions. I'd spent some time over the winter figuring out the finer points of Norvel tuning and had it running as well as could be asked for by this time. The little Aquastar has dozens of flights on it now.

The 4th and last plane in my hangar right now is a byron Pipe Dream, an old giant trainer, and its been flown 2x so far. I've grounded it for inadequate elevator servo power for the time being, but when I get parts, she'll be no trouble.

This is the beginning of my 3rd year flying, and this year I'm serving as a Jr. instructor with the club. Basically, I'm helping with new plane setups and preflights, doing much of the ground schooling and I'll be instructing in the air very soon.

To me, going to the field on Club night is a great time. I'm almost as happy to just chat with the guys as fly, and often the wife comes along with our 1 year old daughter and we picnic at the field. I've seldom encountered such a large group of people with so little need for ego stroking in my life. Great bunch.

J

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

I got interested back in 1977 when I was riding my motorcycle in Eureka, California. I was riding down a spit road on the Samoa peninsula and saw some folks flying models. I stopped and watched them for a while and thought.. man, that's for me!!
So, I talked to one of the guys, who turned out to be the Fire Chief AND chief instructor for their little club.

I bought a Goldberg Skylark, don't remember the engine nor the radio except it was at least a four channel. I built the plane and then brought it out to the field. The fire cheif checked it out and did some minor adjustments, and put it up in the air for me. He got it all flight trimmed and landed it. We refueled it and up it went, him flying it high then handing off the TX to me.. no buddy box systems at that time.

I flew it several flights, and had to hand it back a few times, he landed it each time.

The next day, I did as I was told, dial out the excess trim by adjusting linkages, then bring it back. So, I did.

Well, on the first flight, we got it up at altitude and he handed it off to me. I flew it for a few minutes, but realized that it was behaving strangely. He took it back, announced that it was not responding, and tried to land it. What wasn't responding was the elevator. He managed to get it almost down, but it stalled and crashed into the pavement. Destroyed it. We found that the elevator clevis was not correctly reconnected.. came apart in flight, and that was that.

I was in the Coast Guard at the time (hence CGRetired) and assigned to a ship. The schedule for patrol was brutal.. 10 days out, 10 days in, with the in days spent doing something or other on the ship AND responding to calls at sea for one reason or another. I never got an opportunity to rebuild, and then was transferred to New York City.. and that ended my RC career.

Move forward 20 years to 1997 and my retirement from the Coast Guard. I was again out driving (no motorcyle this time) and saw some guys flying RC at this nice field. So, I stopped and talked to the guys. The circle closed, as they say, because I simply picked up where I left off, but this time with a Tower 40 trainer and later a NexStar, solo, and more aircraft.

That's my story.. and I'm sticking to it!!!

CGr

samolot

My Feedback: (14)

CG Retired,

Dont say that New York City killed your RC career!!!! I live in Manhattan and found a great club in staten island. There are a bunch in brooklyn, the bronx and northern jersey. But yeah, living in an apartment kills your work space. I have a little 2 by 5 desk where i work and the rest is on the floor. I am getting my doormen addicted right now. THey like the helis....

Cheers

Samolot

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Sam. Well, that was 1979 and there was not much going on in the RC arena that I could find.

CGr.