COVID, CONSOLES, AND CHIPMUNKS
By Jennifer Reynolds | jensunshine3@gmail.com
WAIT, HOW DID OCTOBER get here so fast? Two months from now (if we aren’t already hearing it), we’ll either be tapping our fingers or feeling our blood pressure spike at the likes of “The Chipmunk Song” while we stroll down aisle three in search of beets. Supermarkets have traded in their go-to Gordon Lightfoot tunes in favor of songs in which a chipmunk declares he wants a hula hoop. Hanukkah and Christmas trees are reminding us that it’s time to skip right over the Halloween candy and get straight to the fruit cake.
But I digress. With just a couple of months left in 2022, I’m more pensive than usual about the year. Change has been the name of the game, for sure. In my last column, I wrote about how happy I was to find a new flying club in May. People were friendly and helpful. Sadly, two things have gotten in the way of my flying since then, more than I would have preferred: 1) Needing a new battery adapter and receiver for my AeroScout, and 2) I contracted COVID.
Time slipped away that day to the field in early May, and just as I was planning on heading to the hobby store during Memorial Day weekend, I experienced the horror of my inability to taste a peppermint patty. Next up was a sore throat, and then came the joy of a positive PCR test, followed by my boyfriend’s positive test a couple of days later.
Along with that, however, came something positive (no pun intended)—lots (and I mean lots) of time spent staying inside with nothing more to do than sleep, watch TV, sleep some more, and eat.
It was the TV part that got me thinking. We binged on Stranger Things,
so why not do the same with flight? We immersed ourselves in all kinds of YouTube videos about flying RC, as well as Scale airplanes. Our eyes were glued to everything from International Miniature Aerobatics Club (IMAC) maneuvers and the Blue Angels to funny RC pilot takeoffs and commercial airliners landing in crosswinds that made our heads spin.
Flash-forward to our recovery from COVID, my yet-to-be purchased airplane parts, and my boyfriend’s teenage son, Nick, who is an aviation enthusiast. Eager to get outside and fly, but still lacking the ability to do so, a lightbulb went off. Nick loves flight and enjoys playing games on his TV console.
Although I haven’t been to the flying field other than to observe some flights and chat with other club members, the past couple of months have meant post-COVID time together using that console. Nick uploaded a flight simulator and there was—airplane choices and destinations galore. He showed me how I could easily change views so that I could see from the vantage point of the cockpit, although, not surprisingly, I preferred the familiar RC feel of the on-the-field-looking-up-at-the-sky mode. The handheld console was extremely different from my transmitter; however, I was happy to still be doing what I enjoy and with someone else who also loves aviation!
On another note, while I still wiped the sleepiness from my non-caffeinated eyes, hearing Nick (who is a natural with the flight simulator, by the way!) wake up and ask, “Do you want to fly?” filled me with excitement. Sure, it’s neat to know yet another person who enjoys flight, but it fills me with hope that he’s taken to it so much.
This used to be a discussion point at all of the clubs I’ve belonged to throughout the years: How do we get younger people who, at this age, are typically more focused on social media, studies, dating, and driving (and not necessarily in that order!) interested in flying models? Conversations about waning attention spans, changing
interests, and simply changing times ensued, as did talks about the fact that it’s not only teens whose interest in the hobby ebbs and flows. Let’s face it; we can all probably think of a handful of adults who show up to the field and rarely fly, or who used to fly regularly and haven’t been seen for months. Was I able to fly as much as I would have liked? Outdoors, no. Inside, yes. Sure, it’s not the same thing as the real deal, but I was happy to watch videos and use the simulator. Hey, sometimes you have to make do with what you have in the moment, right? It kept me involved, I learned a lot from Nick, and, most importantly, I’m symptom-free and so happy to be out and about again! Now, time to head to that hobby store ...
Oh, and if you’re curious, I am a fan of “The Chipmunk Song!” That adorable hula hoop bit gets me every time. I mean, there are people in the world (ahem, me? no ... not me) who want new adapters, airplanes, or maybe even flight lessons one day, but this little guy just wants a simple, circular piece of plastic to twirl around his waist. He is just so innocent and cute.
Tell me, what have you done to satisfy your flying urges when you’ve been stuck indoors for some reason? Feel free to weigh in on “The Chipmunk Song” too!
