My interest in airplanes started at an early age, with two cousins and an uncle who were pilots, and my Dad who was a machinist for Eastern Airlines. He would take my brother and me to the airport in Miami to watch planes take off and land. First plane was a Cox .049 PT-19 control, which crashed almost immediately.
In college, I built a Guillow's BF-109, also with a Cox .049, and it re-kitted after about 2 circles. Next was a Shoestring Stunter, with a McCoy .35, a great Control Line plane that I kept for more than a decade. First R/C was a small plane with only an escapement on the rudder. It flew away. In Grad School, my wife gave me a 2-channel radio for Christmas, and I joined AMA, and flew with that in multiple planes for about 4 years, until I bought a 4 channel radio.
My first RC with the 4-channel was an EZ-Built Superstar. It was tail heavy, and spiraled in a spin to crash. By then, I had joined a club with AMA members for advice. I've graduated to countless newer planes, some kits, some RTF, some ARTF, which I prefer. I'm in a great AMA sanctioned club now, with dozens of members, and I have a huge variety of about 42 planes, electrics, glow, both 2- and 4-stroke, as well as bigger ones, including an Edge 540, a big biplane, a Laser, and a Chipmunk, all powered by Gas. I also taught my son to fly, and have to admit, that at my age, he's better than me. He only has an electric Pitts, because the hobby is expensive, and he's young.
