Mark's Intro into RC Flying

Sometime around the year 2001 I saw an ad for a complete ready to fly RC airplane for under $300. The kit included everything including the transmitter. I was amazed because as a kid I remember RC stuff being really expensive. I decided to do some online searching to see if I could find something I liked for a reasonable price. After a few days of searching, I decided on a moto-glider. I figured I could climb up high and take my time gliding down. I could hardly wait for the USP guy to deliver my plane.

I was a bit disappointed when the UPS guy showed up. The plane was OK but transmitter was not what I had expected. (There are two types of RC radios/controllers - Mode I and Mode II. Mode I is no longer popular and has the elevator and rudder operated with the left thumb while the aileron and throttle are operated with the right. Mode II radios operate the rudder and throttle with the left and elevator and aileron with the right. If you are new this may not sound like it matters. However think about it, with Mode II you control the up/down and right/left with one thumb while the other thumb operates the throttle. With Mode I up/down is controlled with one thumb while left/right is controlled with the other - slightly confusing.) Anyway, instead of a standard layout (mode II), my left thumb operated the elevator, my right thumb the rudder, and on the bottom of the transmitter was a slide control my fingers operated for the throttle. Needless to say this was a bit confusing. I also failed to realize what a poor pilot I would be the first few times out. My first flying field was a Christmas trees farm with a grass patch along one side that I figured I could easily land on. In less than a minute of flight time I broke the wing after hitting several Christmas trees - flying was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I ordered a new wing and broke it the second time out. I then lost interest in the moro-glider.

Several years later I once again saw another ad, this time for a ready to fly electric RC helicopter for under $300. I have always loved helicopters and decided to get one. After spending several days searching, I decided I wanted one with cyclic and collective control - full 3D. This really excited me because I would be able to practice in my back yard. No need to find a HUGE field. I was not disappointed with the helicopter when it arrived. I learned to hover it even in strong winds. However, I never learned to fly towards myself. It was just too confusing to control the hover and navigate with everything reversed. This didn't really matter because it was fun to fly around with the tail facing me. I flew the helicopter for several years replacing many parts before losing interest.

As I mentioned on my main RC page, near the end of 2007 a friend re-sparked my interest in RC planes. We decided to go flying with a mutual friend. My brother had also loaned me one of his planes along with a standard radio. Quite a bit had changed since I started with my moto-glider. Brushless electric motors had dropped in price to the point where they were affordable. Batteries had also improved to the point where instead of a four to five minute flight; you could fly from ten to fifteen minutes on a single charge. Batteries also became lighter allowing for smaller aircraft. Smaller aircraft meant I didn't need the huge field to fly in that I had before. Basically, flying electric RCs is now affordable, practical and fun! That day I brought my helicopter, moto-glider and my brother's plane. My friend brought one plane, and our mutual friend brought a helicopter and a plane. Needless to say we had loads of fun for an hour or so. By the end of the morning we had crashed (and broken) one helicopter and three planes. I was hooked!

As a kid some of my favorite memories are of building planes with my dad. We built a plastic model B-17, a scratch built balsa U-control biplane, a plastic U-control PT-19, and various other models. My favorite was one we never finished. It was a scratch built 47" wingspan balsa, silk covered plane that was designed for RC controls. We completed enough if it that I turned it into a glider and can remember it gliding a foot or so off the front lawn for what seemed like forever. I was fascinated how it would just keep gliding. I credit that moment as one of the reasons I'm so fascinated with flight today. (My wife probably wishes I was inside watching TV that day.)

I also strangely enjoy stress - at least stress that I have some control over. The idea of spending a month building something and then test flying it is something I truly enjoy. Although there are a lot of already built planes that can be purchased for about the same cost of building one, I just can't see the excitement of trying not to crash something I purchased. So, I decided to purchase a balsa kit - a Telemaster.