SKY’S THE LIMIT
REFLECTING
ON 10 YEARS
OF COLUMNS
By Jennifer Reynolds | jensunshine3@gmail.com
TIME GOES BY SO FAST! This year marks 10 years that I’ve been writing the “Sky’s the Limit” column! I still recall my conversation with Model Aviation Executive Editor Jay Smith in 2013, when he called to inform me that he’d like to have me onboard. I had emailed him to explain my interest and involvement in the hobby, pitching my idea that this would be a column that looked more at the human-interest, non-technical-oriented angle of RC flight. It would be about observations of life along the flightline for the most part. He responded favorably, and the rest, as they say, is history!
It’s been wonderful working with everyone at Model Aviation. I remain thrilled that Jay brought me onboard and that everyone there continues to run such a well-put-together, informational publication. Associate Editor Jenni Alderman is super organized, sending out column due date reminders to the columnists, responding to questions promptly, and always doing so in such a friendly and professional way.
I can’t tell you how many times she’s patiently explained image sizing to me, and why 345 x 567 dpi resolution just won’t make for a great photo for readers. She knows why something that looks great on my phone or computer screen still won’t cut it on the pages of Model Aviation. My AeroScout might look like an AeroScout on my cellphone, but when the folks at the magazine work their magic, well, sometimes I’ve had to revisit my images because it looks more like a grainy milk carton with wings or something.
Of course, there are all of you, the readers. So many of you have responded to my articles throughout the past decade. You’ve written to me about so much, from comments about why your airplane acts like a drama-infused, fussy lover (the February 2014/Valentine’s Day column), to the funny leg and foot movements we make while flying, to female RC pilots making strides in this hobby and tips to keep your airplane free of mice and other critters.
In 2015, reader Jim Smotherman emailed me when I wrote a piece about trunk space. I outlined how critical it is to have space to fit our aircraft, something that takes precedence over whether or not it’s sufficient to carry several bags of groceries or ski gear.
“I’m getting ready to fix the back-end of my old Toyota pickup for hauling my airplanes,” he wrote. Jim asked if I could share emails from other members. He’d love to know about anyone in his position and “how they did a pickup bed.” No one did ever respond with that vehicle setup in particular, of which I made him aware. To this day, I’m still not sure how Jim made out. If you’re out there, Jim, let me know! It’s been 8 years, so I imagine he figured something out.
The following year, Mike Higgins contacted me about how he got into flying. I had explained that I caught the bug as a young child while seeing my father fly models. Many years later, I made friends with some people who happened to be into RC, and I was hooked!
Mike explained that his involvement was genetic, talking about how his dad was a U.S. Air Force F-86 fighter pilot. The two started flying models when Mike was young. Like many of us, we have to find some humor in our flights. “After a half-dozen flights with reduced fuel, we decided to give the Cox .049 a full load of fuel! Whoops! It flew out of sight and was never seen again!”
Mike has since flown all kinds of models and was excited that a neighbor’s son got his own model and began flying FPV.
Many of you reached out to me after I wrote last year’s column about considering pursuing my private pilot’s license. “Do it,” encouraged some. “It’ll be fantastic, and all that RC experience will be beneficial.” “Do it,” wrote others, albeit with an air of warning. “It ain’t RC, so don’t think that flying full-scale will be anything like the sort.”
Some suggested that I look into gliders, as was the case with David MacVeigh. “I strongly suggest that you look into flying gliders. Soaring Society of America’s website has a ‘where to fly’ menu,” he noted. “You will learn a lot about micro meteorology, energy management, etc., and there is little more satisfying than climbing from a little bump of a thermal to close to the cloud base, and then having a long flight.”
There were several responses in 2015 when I shared that my father had passed away. I wrote about how, as a child, I recalled seeing our dining room table lined with his RC models. He loved all things aeronautical, as well as space exploration. I ended the column drawing a parallel about his departure and that of our airplanes as we take off at the field: “After all, much of the beauty happens when our craft departs the earth it once stood on, soaring to the sky with wings proudly outstretched into the unknown that sits before us.”
There have also been some more obscure or overly assertive emails. I’ve received requests to mention products for publicity purposes (some that have had nothing to do with RC), political YouTube links with
regular “Did you watch the video I sent?” check-ins, and others have questioned changes in my personal life.
You have all shared so much. Suggestions on how to better place pins on wood, comments on Warbirds Over Delaware and other events, ideas on how to deal with sunlight in our faces, and tons more. You’ve even shared personal aspects of your life, from health challenges and animals that have passed, to grandchildren graduating, fun family moves, and job changes.
I want to thank all of you for reading my column and taking the time to write. I feel as though everyone is family, from the members at the various clubs to which I’ve belonged, and those at the events I’ve attended. There is also this other kind of family: you, the readers. I generally don’t interact or see you face-to-face, but I have gotten to know you through your emails and photos.
These past 10 years have been filled with new flying fields, new airplanes, and new experiences. I’ve been the secretary for a former club, moved past my fear of using rudder, and enjoyed seeing the new Model Aviation redesign that went into effect a few years back. I’ve lost airplanes, a parent, caught thermals, and caught COVID ... Sometimes, because of those reasons, I thought I’d lose my mind! Writing for the magazine, reading other Model Aviation articles, receiving your emails, and, of course, flying, have reinforced just how fun, unique, and special this hobby truly is.
No matter where I am on life’s journey or what life brings my way—good or bad—RC flying has been an enjoyable constant!
