crxmanpat

I dabbled in RC briefly in the early 80's when I was a teen, but never had the time or money to really get into it.

Fast forward to 12/26/2005. I went into HobbyTown USA to buy a plastic model kit as I was not satisfied with the telescope I got for Christmas. I wound up walking out with a HobbyZone Firebird Commander II!

That was just over 4 years ago now. Three and a half of those years I've been President of a club. I've built/scratched well over 100 planes. Right now I've got about 15 flyable, many under construction, and many more in need of repairs.

EpoweredRc

Wow... good story, I walked in a hobby shop once to just "look" well I didn't hav cash on me, Always a good idea, but seen something I had to have. had not been flying any glow for about 4 yrs at that time, went home found money went back and got the plane.
that was about 10 years ago. but been hard back into it past 5 years.

crxmanpat

Well, it was very easy to walk into the store and lay out $120 for a complete RC setup. I flew that plane for the better part of a year before I finally wore it out. I had the drop module for it which dropped bombs and a PJ. Tons of fun!

thomdoe

my thought to you capn chaos (Alton) enjoy your retirement !!

capn chaos

Thomdoe,
I hope I didnt confuse you, Didnt want to "quote" Alton's entire post so copied and pasted the last part. That post was essentially thanking Alton for such a great post, great inspiration.
PS I'll never be able to retire...lol. will get back to this with "my" RC history.
CC

StephenW

I remember this question which I answered incorrectly the last time, I started flying in 1964 as a kid but did not move on the single channel O.S.Pixie RC till 1965 till 1966 with a galloping ghost set before buying my first every Propo set a 4 channel KO digiace which saw me through till around 1970 when I received my first 6 channel Futuba set . And I've been flying power and slope ever since But for the past 18 years its been slope only.
as I was tied of all the extra gear need to fly
SteveW
1964 New South Wales Aeromodellers association number 743
and once the FAI came to Australia for the club I was in it became VH-7431
and to date its now AUS #7431

EpoweredRc

thanks everyone, I do not know why I did not bring it back in 09. I wasnt hear most of the year. well maybe we keep it going for 2010. i hope its a great flying year.

FL RV Flyer

Well now we are in 2011 and here in Florida it is flying weather. I bought a Hobbyzone mini cub early in 2010 but did not try to fly it until returning to Florida for the winter in November. My teacher, Jeff of Heads up RC, flew it and it was really squirrelly with the RTF transmitter and brushed engine so I purchased an Easy Star. That is a pleasure to fly and when I feel completely comfortable with it I will try the mini cub. Before I do I want to repower it with a brushless motor, esc, servo combo from Spektrum pretty much like the one in it now. Anyway I'm hooked and now my wife is learning to fly so we can do the RC thing together.

kyleservicetech

I started flying U-control in 1963, and had my first RC model in 1964. Radio was a home made "Galloping Ghost" system using the Rand Galloping Ghost Servo. Compared to the stuff nowdays, that was pretty primitive. But, did get a whole flying season out of it. (f you have to ask how that worked, you really don't want to know!)

In 1965 I went to proportional radio with a MicroAvionics system, that cost the equivalent of 4 months rent, and that radio was second hand and was used a year before I got it. Was not very reliable either. Radio failures caused several crashes.

solentlife

I was very young ... about 7 or 8 when my brother and I flew control line on our front lawn. That would have been in the early/mid 60's.

Later when my brother left home and went to work - I was left holding a CL plane and no way to get airborne ! So of to LHS and talk to them. They recc'd RC.
So having lack of money - I shelved my modelling apart from free-flight stuff till I had money from a job.

I went for boats and cars ... but found them to be lacking in that fun part - the 3rd dimension. So bought my first 3ch trainer ... so I could basically peg throttle and use my 2ch radio on elvator / rudder ... what a disaster !

Anyway - finally listened to what the LHS guy said (we young kids always think we know best !) ... and set-up properly. I would have been about 17 by then. So that's 1973.

Things progressed very slowly as I was at Marine College training to be a Ships Officer .... but I managed to learn slope soaring and from there onto power flying.

I eventually became good enough to do display flying at shows and fete's with fellow club members ...

In early 90's I left UK and really didn't have so much time or opportunity to continue RC work and it died of for me. Just about a year ago - the bug hit me again .... when I saw a cheap 2 ch toy in the supermarket. I bought it, found it completely unflyable ... next I tried a 2ch Helicopter ... another waste of money ... but I was back on the trail again.

Ebay and I was proud owner of a ME109 ... which showed I hadn't lost ALL skills but also showed I needed to learn some again ... It's survived and still get's it's outings.

I used to dabble in Helis in 80's - and with my house in a large area that I own, but with hundreds of trees preventing fixed wing - I decided to seriously go Helicopter. So the 450 clone arrived of Ebay.

So there you are ... a potted history of flying since mid 60's up to about 93'ish ... then a lay off till end of 2009, beginning 2010 ...

How do I feel ? Extremely nervous still before every flight. But very glad to be hooked again.

drdanke

I'd consider myself a wise senior member of RC flying. It all started back in the spring of 2010. I knew I wanted "in" to this hobby, but had no clue where to start and nobody to mentor me. So I decided on purchasing a disposable first RC airplane, a Parkzone Micro P-51D. I had never even seen someone fly an RC airplane, nor do I know anybody who flies. I did know, that I loved airplanes, and that RC was the way to go. I knew the odds were stacked against me choosing a semi-fast 4 channel plane as my first. At least I didn't want to use the crappy transmitter that usually comes with the little parkzone, so I at least bought a DX5e to get the feel of proper transmitter sticks. I did a full control and operation check of the little aircraft. Everything looked alright, so I took the plane to the field, and hand launched for the first time. Full throttle, yanked the right stick back all the way, then let her go. She flew like a champ until I had to turn it. The aileron controls were reversed. Oops, I missed that during the preflight check. My non experience prevailed, and she went down fast. The little PKZ micro pulled through the unintended grass landing with a smooshed foam nose cone and a bound up elevator control horn/rod that fell out of place, which only took a minute to put back into place. That was quite an experience. To be so scared to launch it, then so happy that it got up in the air, then to feel my heart stop when I knew it was going to crash. I had to go home to collect my thoughts. I analyzed in my head what went wrong, and finally got the courage to go try again. I flew the plane all 4 batteries without crashing again that day, making a simple left hand oval around the 1 block sized grass field park. Using standard right stick bank and yank. A couple more days of flying in left oval circles, scared out of my wits to do anything else. I knew I needed to learn more about actually making the airplane go where I wanted it to, rather than just concentrating on keeping it up in the air. I then purchased Phoenix flight simulator to use with my DX5e, and wow, was I impressed. I had always been the guy at the hobby store who tries the flight simulator for 1 second and crashes and walks away. Needless to say, the flight simulator should have came first, before I flew the plane for the first time. The better I got with the simulator, the easier it was to fly my little PKZ mustang. This summer/fall, I went through 4 motors on my Parkzone Micro Mustang, before the weather got too cold. I learned that I hate brushed motors. Now, here I am in winter, still spending lots of time on the simulator and thinking about what kind of brushless electric airplane I want to fly next spring... should I stay with foam, or go with balsa, ARF, RTR, BNF...... or scratchbuild with my extra time this winter. I think I will go with the latter, scratchbuilt balsa.... can someone say PD1 Pocket Rocket? I'm sure most people don't scratchbuild aircraft only being in this hobby for a few short months with limited experience.... but, isn't that what the internet is there for? To help people like me, who want to learn, but have nobody to teach them?

Signed,
New but incredibly enthusiastic WattFlyer Member

flypaper 2

For more fun, see if you can find a club, your hobby shop should be able to help you out that way, and see if they have indoor flying. I've been flying RC for 50 yrs and still enjoy flying the little BNF Ember. Would hook right up with you DX5. The other club members would probably be glad to give you a hand with some pointers. Have fun

Gord.

A10FLYR

Looking at all those dates makes all of you a bunch of old farts......like me!!

flypaper 2

Making it this far, we've earned the privilage of pharting all we want Whew, what's burning

Ed Emmons

I have been flying since Hector was a pup Started n CL late 40's. Graduated to RC 1962. Quit RC in 1973 following 2 back to back interference crashes. Returned to hobby 3 yearsa go. NOw have 5 planes, 2 gliders and a scratch built 1/6 scale Storch that is almost finished.

Just bought the new Futaba 8FG system. I've got a lot of learning to do. This is my first conputer radio.

Ed Emmons

Wrongway-Feldman

I started when I was 10 in 1978 and built a rubber power balsa and tissue stuka free flier.
Then my parents bought me a Consumers Distributing ( older Canadians will remember that store ) plastic gas powered control line plane. That got me into building my first kit of a J3. Due to circumstances Ive been out of the hobby since 1985 but jumped back in last week with both feet.

Wisc-BK

Well, started flying control line on the tarmacs at SubicBay
Philippines while in the Airforce part of the Navy (Navy Air)
in 1963, then Nam started in 64 till 65 for me on the USS Coral Sea squadron VF154. Got back into gas/nitro powered after school and marrage and job in 1973 for a few years until the 2 kids came along, then stopped flying because of that and our flying site near Oswego Illinois got dumped on us. Got back into it after I retired back to Wisconsin and owned 60 some acres of land to fly on and one of my friends introduced me to electrics. Got hooked for good again, now own at least 8 electrics, couldn't be happier.

Bob

50+AirYears

I've mentioned my flying chronology in other posts here, but I might mention this timeline. Jan 12 1990, went to the field in a break in the weather. Got in 2 flights. Dec 28, 2010, got in 3 flights that completed 20 years with at least one flight a month, all outdoors They were RC, FF, and CL. And on Jan 9 this year, after a club meeting, I stopped at the club field and started year 21. Not sure if I want to try for another 20 at my age.

BTW, three of those flights, the ones in March 1990, were flown on Lake Harvannan, in Northern Sweden. Now, that was cold.

mclarkson

I made my first flight on my 50th birthday, on May 10 of last year, with a Mini Super Cub.

I don't track my flights, but between my Night Vapor, UM J-3 Cub, and Blade MCX2 heli, I usually manage to get in at least one flight a day, even if I don't make it out to fly my Stryker, Radian or Tiger Moth.

solentlife

road king 97

I was 17 when i joined my first club and i built my own plane from scratch.It didnt look like much but my instructer sad it would fly fine and it did. I flew alot and soon i was competing in plyon and flying pattern at my field. I got into scale birds and building them next and for the rest i have fell in love with flying off water and go to 7 or 8 ama water fun flys during the summer. I am 55 now and do not regret one day of freezing at my field or burning up to get a couple flights in. During my trip i have taught over 100 newbes how to fly as a club instructer and served as club presedent for 3 terms in two different clubs. I am now building a short solent sea plane from ivans plans ,99 in wing with 4 electrict motors on the wing and i hope to be flying it at my fun flys this summer . I have enjoyed this hobby and the ama too for letting me compete when i was younger. I now belong to the joliet rc club in IL and it is a great laid back club with a great flying field . joe

flypaper 2

Solentlife: I was just an hr. ago dialing in a Chinook Twister tandem heli I'd just bought used from a friend and hit the only tree in my front yard. 20 degrees F and 2 ft of snow to get it. Dug it out of the snow with some parts missing. I guess my lawn mower will find them in the spring. The things we do for the advancement of aviation.

Gord.

Nitro Blast

I found this photo of me from 1984:



Wow.... nice mullet. If those shades dont date it, the watch will.

I'm holding a Hots II, that was .46 wet powered.

BEAR-AvHistory

Flew CL for a number of years in the '60s, mostly 48" profile warbirds. Started flying RC 2 years ago with an Eflite RTF T-34 & quickly switched to an Apprentice.

jungmann1

Got my first two channel rig in 1974. Been involved off and on ever since. Go through stages of obsession and ambivilence.