How did you get into flying?
Jennifer Lea Reynolds
jensunshine3@gmail.com
When I meet someone for the first time and mention that my husband and I fly RC model airplanes, the reaction I receive is often one of intrigue. “Oh, wow! I’ve heard about that and it just sounds so neat,” people often say. Next comes a series of questions about how high the airplanes are capable of flying, or where they can be purchased. People are mostly curious about why I chose to fly model airplanes in the first place. They often ask, “How did you get into flying?” It’s a pretty unique hobby after all, so they’re interested in learning how it all came to be.
I guess you could say that I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to my interest in this hobby. I wasn’t holding a transmitter in my hand as a teenager. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in my late 20s that I got involved after becoming friends with some people who were RC pilots.
Even after those friendships changed and people moved, my interest in the hobby persisted. Now, I’m hooked! However, in retrospect, I suppose I always had the flying bug. The signs were there all along.
Childhood Memories
My longtime childhood friend and I used to get a kick out of walking more than a mile to the country store to purchase little wooden airplanes that could be assembled in seconds. We were eight-year-olds whose sole mission was to return to our summer vacation home after wiping the store clear of wooden airplanes (and a ton of candy, too), doing nothing more than tossing our aircraft around and giggling.
I’m sure we did this for hours on end. Ah, childhood. Bills? What bills?
My childhood was also filled with memories of my late father, who dabbled in RC airplane flying decades ago. To this day, I can still picture an assortment of his models lining the dining room table. I think I was partially convinced that the reason TV trays were invented was to give modelers a place to eat!
Whenever I flew to Florida to my grandmother’s house as a child, I loved getting the window seat in the airplane. I never understood those who would rather be squished in the middle or preferred the aisle seat.
To me, nothing was more exciting than having a bird’s-eye view of the earth from above. It was an especially memorable flight if my seat was above the wing where I could see the flaps move.
I’m No Barbra Streisand
In high school, I was into my studies more than anything else. I was more focused on doing my best to ace French and psychology (math was a whole other story, but I digress …) than immersing myself in hobbies of any kind. But I tried.
I loved watching tennis, so I gave the school’s tennis team a whirl. I made it, but quit shortly after positions were named. I decided that all of the warm-up activity before practice wasn’t for me. I was an overweight teen who would rather get right to it and play a few sets without all of the beforehand courtside sit-ups and jogging.
During my senior year, I thought I’d try my hand at singing. My shower songs
were, I thought, rather riveting (I mean, who doesn’t sound better with those tile acoustics?). Singing made me feel happy, even if they were silly, made-up melodies about the day’s happenings.
Flash forward to singing lessons, the great expense of them, and the realization that, although fun, I never felt that rush of excitement that made me want to pursue it as a hobby. In the end, I’d rather listen to singers on the radio than try to emulate them.
Something I Really Enjoy!
Years later, I was introduced to RC flying during one of those friends-of-friends situations. The rest, as they say, is history.
I was exposed to building, observing incredible flights, and watching fun contests at local flying fields. It seemed so unbelievable to me that one person could make his or her airplane do such fantastic maneuvers.
Plus, the variety of airplanes stunned me. From warbirds with massive wingspans, to small foamies, to jets and helis—the variety of options left me amazed.
I eventually found myself with a buddy box in hand and I remember the day it all kicked in. The whole “is it coming toward me or flying away?” notion was a thing of the past. I finally had that “aha, I can fly, I can fly!” moment, which always makes me think of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Jennifer would rather fly than build. She’s embarrassed to say that this winter project is from a while ago and still waiting for some TLC.
upon his similar discovery. I went on to pass a test at my flying field in New Jersey, where I lived at the time, allowing me to fly there.
Although I’ll admit to not being big on the building aspect (I’d rather get to it and take to the skies with minimal assembling involved), I’m all about heading to the field with my Sport Air or giving my husband’s Fokker D.VII a go.
I fly because, unlike the hobbies I’ve tried before, this one took a hold of my curiosity and never let go. Now that I’m older, I also have more of an appreciation for the fact that my father was involved in it and that his father was a B-29 crew chief during World War II. It’s an understanding that I comprehend more so now than in the first grade when I saw airplanes all over the dining room table.
Today I have an appreciation for all kinds of flight and pilots everywhere. For years now, I have been able to say with certainty that I fly because it’s fun, full of surprises, and it creates lasting, wonderful friendships with people from around the world.
For what it’s worth, occasionally I do still belt out a tune in the shower. Some habits just stick with you, I guess!
How did you get involved in flying RC? Send me an email. I’d enjoy hearing your story.
