A bit of a sentimental (and lengthy) post here. Please humor me for a moment...
When I first started in this hobby 18 years ago it was all about gliders. I always loved airplanes as a kid...Warbirds, civilian...Anything that flew captured my attention but nothing captured me more than sailplanes. I think it was all about their elegance, sleek airframes and sloping, long wings that captivated me as a child.
The idea that a beautiful airplane could soar in the sky without a motor really got to me. For whatever reason, I didn't get to own an RC glider as a child (I had good parents but I don't think this was a priority for them at the time) so as I grew older it became an obsession. I always told myself that one day, when I was an adult, I would buy myself an RC sailplane and soar the skies above.
In 1998, I realized my childhood dream and bought my first RC sailplane. I was lucky enough to meet a guy who was well versed in RC sailplanes and he taught me the basics. To this day I am so grateful for his help, for without it, I can only imagine my sailplane(s) would have ended up as little more than kindling.
I spent the next few years flying nothing but gliders/sailplanes. High Starts were my only form of takeoffs. Think of it as giant rubber bands that attach to the sailplane that you launch into the air which might stretch to, oh, about 250 feet on a good day. As you can imagine, most flights lasted about 45 seconds. The entire affair of launching, flying and retrieving was laborious to say the least. Good for a cardio work out at least, but it got old quick.
Yet, there were moments of complete awe and beauty when my little sailplane (and my young fingers not having a clue how to really negotiate the craft) would find a thermal and I would watch her rise...rise...rise...
It's hard to describe unless you have experienced the feeling of taking a glider up into the air a couple hundred feet with no power, only to watch her climb hundreds of feet or more merely on the graces of mother nature alone.
Eventually, I tired of the retrieval process and longed for electric flight. The idea that I could fly everything from a WWI and WWII warbird to a modern day jet, civilian/commercial plane and everything in between was too delicious to ignore. So I discovered various electric offerings that met with minimal success thanks to my lack of knowledge.
I recall discovering the F-117 EDF jet and I HAD TO HAVE IT!!! Despite those who came before me, telling me, PLEADING with me not to buy that as my first jet, I scoffed, and bragged about my several hours on Microsoft's Flight Simulator. The F-117 predictably lasted about 20 seconds before exploding in spectacular fashion on a chain-link fence.
The "Told Ya So's" were ubiquitous as you could imagine. And I deserved every single one.
Eventually, along the way, I taught myself to fly. Thanks to the help of others and primarily the Real Flight simulator (which I spent months and months learning how to fly anything and everything I could get my hands on), I was able to step up into one of my greatest loves of all time: The WWII warbird.
Like many of you, it took some time to master the skill of taming a tail-draggin' warbird. But once you do there's nothing like it in the hobby. I spent the next several years flying dozens and dozens of warbirds of all shapes, sizes and quality.
Somewhere around 2008 or so is when something changed in me. I stopped just flying these warbirds and started thinking, "Wait a minute. These aren't just models...These represent actual aircraft that brave young men fought in, and often died in, to protect our freedom."
It was a massive paradigm shift for me. I suddenly, inexplicably realized that the very act of flying these models wasn't simply a random hobby on a weekend, but it was a way to honor these brave, often very young pilots that sacrificed everything they had for our freedom.
From that moment forward, I have stopped looking at this hobby one dimensional. It's not just about whipping a toy around in the sky. It's so much more than that. It's about honoring the sacrifice these wonderful pilots made to ensure you and I would have the luxury we do, to fly these models today.
I couldn't help but think I'm not the only one that feels this way. There has got to be a profound reason for so many of us to be drawn to these glorious warbirds beyond the obvious appeal of their looks and performance. I have been so fortunate to meet WWII pilots over the years and it never seizes to amaze me how much they are enamored with our models even though they flew the real thing! And under unthinkably difficult conditions no less!
I would sure love to hear from others experiences and thoughts related to this thread. I think it's an incredibly unifying force that often goes unspoken.
When I first started in this hobby 18 years ago it was all about gliders. I always loved airplanes as a kid...Warbirds, civilian...Anything that flew captured my attention but nothing captured me more than sailplanes. I think it was all about their elegance, sleek airframes and sloping, long wings that captivated me as a child.
The idea that a beautiful airplane could soar in the sky without a motor really got to me. For whatever reason, I didn't get to own an RC glider as a child (I had good parents but I don't think this was a priority for them at the time) so as I grew older it became an obsession. I always told myself that one day, when I was an adult, I would buy myself an RC sailplane and soar the skies above.
In 1998, I realized my childhood dream and bought my first RC sailplane. I was lucky enough to meet a guy who was well versed in RC sailplanes and he taught me the basics. To this day I am so grateful for his help, for without it, I can only imagine my sailplane(s) would have ended up as little more than kindling.
I spent the next few years flying nothing but gliders/sailplanes. High Starts were my only form of takeoffs. Think of it as giant rubber bands that attach to the sailplane that you launch into the air which might stretch to, oh, about 250 feet on a good day. As you can imagine, most flights lasted about 45 seconds. The entire affair of launching, flying and retrieving was laborious to say the least. Good for a cardio work out at least, but it got old quick.
Yet, there were moments of complete awe and beauty when my little sailplane (and my young fingers not having a clue how to really negotiate the craft) would find a thermal and I would watch her rise...rise...rise...
It's hard to describe unless you have experienced the feeling of taking a glider up into the air a couple hundred feet with no power, only to watch her climb hundreds of feet or more merely on the graces of mother nature alone.
Eventually, I tired of the retrieval process and longed for electric flight. The idea that I could fly everything from a WWI and WWII warbird to a modern day jet, civilian/commercial plane and everything in between was too delicious to ignore. So I discovered various electric offerings that met with minimal success thanks to my lack of knowledge.
I recall discovering the F-117 EDF jet and I HAD TO HAVE IT!!! Despite those who came before me, telling me, PLEADING with me not to buy that as my first jet, I scoffed, and bragged about my several hours on Microsoft's Flight Simulator. The F-117 predictably lasted about 20 seconds before exploding in spectacular fashion on a chain-link fence.
The "Told Ya So's" were ubiquitous as you could imagine. And I deserved every single one.
Eventually, along the way, I taught myself to fly. Thanks to the help of others and primarily the Real Flight simulator (which I spent months and months learning how to fly anything and everything I could get my hands on), I was able to step up into one of my greatest loves of all time: The WWII warbird.
Like many of you, it took some time to master the skill of taming a tail-draggin' warbird. But once you do there's nothing like it in the hobby. I spent the next several years flying dozens and dozens of warbirds of all shapes, sizes and quality.
Somewhere around 2008 or so is when something changed in me. I stopped just flying these warbirds and started thinking, "Wait a minute. These aren't just models...These represent actual aircraft that brave young men fought in, and often died in, to protect our freedom."
It was a massive paradigm shift for me. I suddenly, inexplicably realized that the very act of flying these models wasn't simply a random hobby on a weekend, but it was a way to honor these brave, often very young pilots that sacrificed everything they had for our freedom.
From that moment forward, I have stopped looking at this hobby one dimensional. It's not just about whipping a toy around in the sky. It's so much more than that. It's about honoring the sacrifice these wonderful pilots made to ensure you and I would have the luxury we do, to fly these models today.
I couldn't help but think I'm not the only one that feels this way. There has got to be a profound reason for so many of us to be drawn to these glorious warbirds beyond the obvious appeal of their looks and performance. I have been so fortunate to meet WWII pilots over the years and it never seizes to amaze me how much they are enamored with our models even though they flew the real thing! And under unthinkably difficult conditions no less!
I would sure love to hear from others experiences and thoughts related to this thread. I think it's an incredibly unifying force that often goes unspoken.
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