SKY'S THE LIMIT
YOU'VE GOTTA LOVE IT ALL!
By Jennifer Reynolds | jensunshine3@gmail.com
THANK GOODNESS FOR CHOICES.
As RC airplane enthusiasts, we certainly know all about options. We can get involved in aerobatic contests, fly rubber band-powered aircraft, slope soar, or stick to small foamies in local gyms. We can buy kits or ARFs; build from plans with glue, balsa, pushpins, and binder clips; fly warbirds, sleek two-toned giants, or palm-size flyers; and add stuffed animal pilots, no pilots, or realistic World War II pilots. And on it goes ... I can’t help but appreciate it all!
I’m reminded of this every time I open Model Aviation. In the July 2023 issue, Justin Wells wrote in his “RC Aerobatics” column about half Cuban 8 turn-arounds. In that same issue, Thayer Syme wrote in “Around the Patch” of using playing cards, his preferred option over layering balsa pieces, for making dummy engines. In the April issue, the fun and future of the Mayhem MultiGP drone race was the focus of Susan Smith’s “The Deal with Drones” column.
Scrolling though emails, I’m reminded of the outreach from people who’ve expressed an interest in various birds, with specific preferences or downright aversions. With just about something for everyone, I’m reminded—yet again—that such diversity is part of what makes this a truly great hobby.
All this being said, I can’t help but reflect on electric power’s stronger foray into the RC world. It has really started to gain traction and become yet another choice for modelers.
Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Nitro
I remember attending an RC club meeting quite awhile ago, where the word of the evening was “electric.” As we sat in the high school common area, the talk was that electric power was going to be an exciting new direction for modelers. “Where we’re going, we don’t need nitro,” I imagined Back to the Future’s Doc Brown saying. There were murmurs of “charging our airplanes” and “LiPos,” peppered with questions about fireproof storage options. What on earth was happening?
Some people squirmed in their seat, holding steadfast to phrases such as, “There’s nothing like the smell of nitro in the morning.” More pilots, though, were wide-eyed and ready to explore what “flying electrics” was all about. Those people loved the idea of longer sky time and not having to clean the post-flight, gnat-embedded goop that cascaded over wings. This was starting to emerge as the next big thing.
Then there are people like me who, as the phrase goes, are sometimes late to the party. In tech talk, it’s said that we’re late adopters. We need proof that it works, surety that it’s here to stay, and evidence that it’s doable.
After a few years, I got into electrics, zipping a flying wing around. In
approximately 2013, I dabbled a little in indoor foamies inside a Vermont school gymnasium. Those were still my days of shying away from rudder use, so you can imagine the challenge I experienced flying inside a gym with ailerons only. Those were often short flights—ahem!
As most of you know, these days I’m fully satisfied with my AeroScout. Maybe I should name it? Fun suggestions are welcome! Alliteration is nice, as are puns, but I’m up for anything!
Wait, How Does That Go Again?
Similar to most things in life, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Or, in the case of charging electrics, you can forget how it all goes.
A few weeks can easily become a couple of months, and before you know it, here we are. It’s October, for crying out loud! Life happens, and with that comes inevitable delays and schedule shifts. This year, I focused on a busier work schedule, setting a date for cataract surgery next year, and more (all good, thankfully).
It wasn’t until the latter part of spring into summer that I was able to find a bit more field time. Still, with the time that elapsed, I admit to having some “How do I charge?” moments. A few months of not charging batteries left me scratching my head, turning to YouTube about that one step I couldn’t recall for the life of me, and asking club members for advice.
Once again, the variety in forms of assistance reinforces the “you gotta love it all” aspect of flying. There’s so much out there in terms of the types of aircraft, online or in-person resources, article variety in Model Aviation, hobby opinions, and so on.
Needless to say, it all worked out! Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I’m a huge believer in notes. That helped greatly too. I have a notepad on my bedstand and leave sticky note reminders on my door about what to bring to the field, work, or a friend’s home, lest I’m 15 minutes on the road without a battery—or my Halloween potluck dish for work.
Sometimes it’s just good to sit back and reflect on all of the options that flying model aircraft offers. Even if we can never imagine flying electrics, performing aerobatic maneuvers, or getting into Slope Soaring, how great is it that we can still come together under the umbrella of a collective love of flying?
