I'm about to turn 87. I'm still flying RC but not as aggressively as previous years.
I'm flying mostly the high wing trainer foamy type. I've been flying RC for around 57 years. My what changes have taken place in those years. Back then there was not much to fly unless you built it from a kit. In other words you opened this box and were looking at dozens and maybe hundreds of pieces of mostly pre-cut balsa wood. My first build was a Goldberg Skylane 62. Looked like a Cessna with a 62" wing. I still have a flying replica of that. The '70s and '80s brought out dozens and dozens of kits and numerous kit producers.
For 25 years you could buy what you wanted--in a kit. Sig was a great producer of kits as well as Carl Goldberg. I built most of them. I currently have 6 powered gliders. Very relaxing. Pick a nice summer day with your favorite lawn chair, launch a glider and with a few thermals you may stay up for hours. I also enjoy the latest in helicopters. Very easy to fly. They behave just like a drone. Kinda pricy but fun.
Here comes the ARF. What's that? Almost Ready to Fly. Electric airplane? That started to look pretty good if you did not have the know how or the time to build. Oh yes, battery development was coming on strong as was the production of "foamy" airplanes. Now we have come to the point of the market being saturated with airplanes built entirely of foam. There is nothing wrong with that. They have become very beautiful, eye catching and they fly very well! For the beginner, it's great! With the electronics of today you can teach yourself to fly. The kit manufactures are becoming fewer and fewer.
In my career I've built somewhere around 180 planes. Nothing more satisfying than building an airplane in your hobby shop for 3 months, then taking it out to the field, checking everything very carefully. Taking off and seeing her fly for the first time. Always a big thrill!
The radio systems in the '70s were not a large choice. My first was a World Engines 6-channel semi kit. Now the semi kit required you to assemble the transmitter. Install the gimbles, do some internal wiring, servos and receiver was complete. It worked very well and even included a receptacle for a buddy box cord. When that system started to give me problems I switched to MRC which became Futaba and been there ever since. Big name radio system was Kraft. Rather pricy in its time (450). When you saw someone with a Kraft system, you thought boy there's money there.
In the 2 and 4 stroke, O S was the big name in engines then. My first engine was a .40 Fox. It was after that I realized the Fox was good if it stayed in the box. Then in the '80s the 4 stroke engines came up for sale. Once again OS was kinda at the top with Saito close behind. Four strokes were much quieter and didn't have that screaming sound that the two strokes had. Sadly the price of fuel has skyrocketed to the mid-30s per gal. Tower Hobbies had the 1988 price of 7.25. Then the switch over to electric began and now you know the rest of the story. I made the switch over to electric which for me was so much easier but I do miss the exhaust odor of a running 2 or 4 stroke engine. Now many modelers choose the larger airplanes using the gas engines at 2.50-3 per gal.
It's been a great 57 years of modeling. In those years I've taught 40-45 people how to fly. Gained many many friends during that time. Thanks to the AMA for their assistance whether to an individual or a club. Below are my favorites.
Biggest - Balsa USA 1/3 scale Cub
Favorite float plane - Sig 1/4 scale Cub
Fastest - Motion RC-F16
All time favorite - Sig Kadet SR (electric and still flying)
