Sky’s the Limit

SKY'S THE LIMIT

OUT OF RC HIBERNATION

By Jennifer Reynolds | jensunshine3@gmail.com

SPRING IS IN THE AIR. Soon, too, will be my airplanes. At least I hope so. Here in New Hampshire, where it’s not uncommon for there to be snowfall—or at least piles of the white stuff still not fully melted from a month or two ago—it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s in store. For me, April might mean sticking to indoor flights or more simulator time. Perhaps it’ll be a few quick, chilly flights at the field. Maybe (and honestly, the likelier of the options) it’ll be some combination of all of these.

However it pans out, I’m ready. In the months leading up to April, I’ve experienced several gentle reminders that it’s time to come out of RC hibernation.

Aviation-Related Trips

One fun reminder was a trip that I took with some of the residents where I work. As the activity director, I plan all kinds of trips and events, from booking entertainers and heading to lighthouses in Maine, to doing crafts, exercises, and, of course, running bingo. There might be times (okay, a handful of times) where flight-related trips “magically” land on the calendars throughout the year. Gee, I wonder how that happens!

A trip to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry, New Hampshire, brought with it the pleasant surprise of model airplanes galore. Much to my excitement, there were dozens of models suspended from the ceiling, and several smaller ones in cases lining the entire side of one wall. Bonus: the museum is right next to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, so we were able to catch a few glimpses of airplanes taking off and landing!

We also headed to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, New Hampshire, last year. Although it’s obviously mostly about space exploration, I was still able to satisfy both my RC and possible pilot’s license urges. Using a simulator to “land” the shuttle put me behind the controls—in a manner of speaking—of a craft. RC, full-scale, a shuttle ... if it becomes “airborne,” whether I’m holding my transmitter at the field, in a makeshift cockpit, or watching from an observation deck at the airport, I’m happy!

Not so long ago, I was craving diner food. Not just any diner would do, however. Oh, no. I had to hit the airport diner that was, not surprisingly, located near an area airport. There’s something about having coffee while being surrounded by flight décor that makes the world right.

I love being around the aviation sayings stenciled on the walls; seeing this, especially in cooler pre-spring temperatures, propels my urge to get out of flying hibernation more fast.

Going to places such as this, especially during months when my AeroScout is in the shed waiting to come out as life thaws, helps when there are flight lulls. Little bursts of models when I didn’t expect them, or being able to “land” something while the temperature is cold and fields aren’t fully open, helps satisfy my urge to fly.

Your Emails

So many of you take the time to email me, which I enjoy. The emails are always nice to see, but they’re welcome during the pre-spring months in particular. Perhaps I live vicariously through some of the stories you share. You know who you are, you warm-weather residents, where 45° in March is almost unheard of. It’s fun to get your pictures that are sometimes with palm trees or deserts in the background. They make me smile as I eye the pack of hand warmers that still rests near my front door (even in April, because one never knows). All of your emails, climate aside, are things I look forward to.

Bruce Harrington recently emailed me, outlining his flying journey. He wrote that he’s with “possibly the smallest AMA chapter in the USA,” explaining, “Our chapter operates at the Myrtle Creek, Oregon, airport. We have five members, all over 60. Our leader is in his 90s. I’m

going on 85 next month.” Wow, Bruce!

He went on to say that he has been a modeler since grade school, beginning with basswood and paper models then Free Flight. It was all about Control Line when he was in high school. He joined AMA in the early 1960s, at which point he

Several small cases displayed model airplanes at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire.

started flying RC with an Ugly Stick kit. As time went on, he became interested in full-scale flying, eventually building a Kitfox and getting his private pilot’s license.

RC went by the wayside for a bit because of that; however, as many people do when they step away from RC for one reason or another, he eventually got back into it. “Old age started showing up, so I sold [the

Kitfox] and got back into RC with micro flyers. I now have three sailplanes and a few park-size flyers,” he wrote. “This has been a good 30 years of retirement, with lots of enjoyment flying full-scale and RC. I encourage you to get a pilot’s license, but continue with the RC if possible.”

Absolutely. If I do pursue flying full-scale, I have no intention of stopping my involvement in model aviation.

Surrounded by your interesting emails and fun work trips, the excitement of flight never seems to fade. It’s always there, reminding me that newness is all around as life thaws. Flowers are starting to poke through softer ground and more tire tracks are visible at the entrance of flying fields. It’s time to fly.

Out of hibernation, indeed.

The author can never resist trying her hand at flight. In this case, it was at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, where she “landed” the shuttle.

SOURCES:

Aviation Museum of New Hampshire
(603) 669-4820
www.aviationmuseumofnh.org

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
(603) 271-7827
www.starhop.com