243,481.65 raised in 2025. We have reached 60% of our goal.
Help us reach our goal of $400,000!
The Healing Power of RC Flying
When my husband died unexpectedly on one of the coldest days in January, everything in my life changed. Mike had been flying in the morning and a few hours later was in the ER. My days were filled with pain, confusion, exhaustion. Shortly after Mike's death, fog rolled in for days and the feeling of loneliness and powerlessness was overwhelming. I could barely see my front yard and likewise could not see my future.
I started out as a young boy getting a plastic jet-type Control Line model with the popular Wen Mec .049 engine. I don't think I ever flew it much. I went on to building other Control Line models. Sterling Models were making kits, and then I went into Free Flight with a Mini Mabo launched with a Cox .049 baby bee engine. I launched it and never saw it again, as it flew off high in the sky.
Model Aviation - Segway to a Lifetime Vocation
I was blessed to have been raised on my father’s public-use airport at York, Pa. Being raised on an airport afforded me opportunities to have hands-on learning about aircraft servicing and maintenance. I soloed on my 16th birthday and got my private pilot license on my 17th birthday. The open acreage of the airport was ideal for flying model airplanes. Along with my brothers, I spent countless hours building and flying free-flight and u-control models.
My old friend, Bernie.
I started flying RC in 1973, enjoying almost 20 years of making friends and flying at the club field. Around 1990, other interests took me away from the hobby. When I retired 10 years ago, I decided to start flying again.
My old club was still active, and my original AMA number was available. I paid my dues, built a new, electric sport plane, and started my old passion again.
With a 40-plus-year career with McDonnell Douglas/Boeing, I have always been interested in aircraft and flying. I flew RC aircraft back in early 2001 and fell away from the sport. Fast forward to 2025, and the drive to operate and fly RC aircraft has me returning to the sport with a new appreciation for all those members piloting their airplanes. Thank you all for keeping me interested.
When I was a child, I was exposed to model rockets and planes by my uncle Eduardo, who was so passionate about learning and exploring. He taught me to question everything and figure it out. I carried that mindset with me through college, where I studied aerospace engineering.
Hello! My name is Derrick Horn. I'm 41 years old and live in Savannah, GA. I was introduced to the hobby as a child by a friend who’s parents owned a hobby shop. I flew for a few years, got out and started racing RC cars, did that for a few years, then met my wife. Her father is the president of the EAA chapter, so back to planes I was, and I have not let off the gas since.
Just rejoined. I was 19 when I last flew. I am now 63 and am excited to get flying again. I worked in EMS on a paramedic unit and retired in December. I rejoined the Diablo Valley Radio Controllers.
As a child in Toledo, Ohio, in the early 1930s, my father’s escape from a strict father and ill-tempered older brother . . . was building model airplanes. Of his five children, I was the only one interested in working with balsa and tissue and Ambroid glue in anticipation of future flights.
