I started flying model airplanes with my father when I was 10 years old.
My first airplane, a Christmas gift, was a Testors P-38 Control Line airplane with twin Wen Mac .049 engines. We never could get both engines running together, so we always flew it on a single engine. From there, I went on to flying various small Control Line models until I bought my first large, .35-powered model, a Carl Goldberg Voodoo airplane.
I felt like the model was a mile away from me with the Control Lines being so long. I managed to successfully fly that airplane and remember being so proud that I could actually fly such a large and powerful model. From there, I joined a local club and enjoyed the camaraderie and help I got as a young boy. I entered various contests flying stunt, combat, and then rat racing. I managed to win a few trophies over time, but mostly it was about competing and having fun.
My first attempt at RC flying was with a single-channel kit radio that I built and installed on a .15-powered airplane. It was very rudimentary, as you only had rudder control with one push of the button moving the rudder left and two pushes moving it right. Finding the .15 engine to be underpowered, I doubled the size by installing a .35 engine. That ended in disaster, as the first flight went straight up and then straight down. After moving to California, I got into RC in a more serious way. I first purchased a Kraft two-channel system with the brick servo that I installed in a small .049 power airplane. I flew that airplane in a local park and enjoyed it so much as it was fun and relaxing. It reminded me of my younger years when I'd fly a kite and just lay there watching it fly with the clouds going by.
From there, I joined a local RC club and progressed to bigger RC airplanes with four-channel radios. I mostly flew pattern type airplanes. When our field closed down, I transitioned to slope soaring at a nearby park. That was a lot of fun and challenging, as the only power you had was the wind coming up the slope. You could stay up as long as your batteries lasted.
I was out of the hobby for a while till retiring and moving to Florida. I got back into RC flying and joined a local club where I now serve as Secretary. It's nice being retired to have the time to devote to an activity I love and have always enjoyed since I was a young boy. Model airplanes started my interest in aviation, and I'm sure that interest is what got me started in a long career in aviation including many years with United Airlines.
