Why do you love this hobby?

[PatNjos]

I used to skateboard, and snowboard, so the 3d, freestyle part is all the same to me. I was at a friends house, and his roommate had a $30 helicopter that really did fly all that great, but it started this madness, I went and bought the same heli that same day, even brand new it flew like shet. I went to a local hobby shop a week later and spent a ton on a coaxial heli which did fly very well, but wouldn't 3d, so I bought just about every heli horizon hobby sells. I got sick of repairing the helis and developed some bad habits with the way I flew, that really hindered me from progressing, so I bought the Champ, a 3 ch little cub, I had a blast. I always thought that Rc airplanes would be so boring, but even the champ was fun. This was 3 yrs ago, and since then I have had just about all the parkzone foamies, and now fly gas, I have a 30cc p47, 3 50cc's, and one 100cc airplane. My favorite thing about this hobby is that it's almost never ending, you can build, fly, repair, shoot the shet, 3d, freestyle, scale, warbirds, tail dunks, mid airs, ass hat wrecks,fpv.

 

[stangflyer]

Why do I love this hobby? Hmm.... many reasons actually. When I began a little over 20 years ago, I was bored outta my mind. I just felt the "ache" of wanting to do something really cool. I wanted also to share something with my son. Now 20 years later, I find that the biggest thrill for me is the ability to achieve at something that not everyone can do. I do like the camaraderie. I do like the tossing insults with lots of love. Most of all, I completely enjoy being a part of something so amazing that drives other people just absolutely crazy. LOL

 

[rcbobp]

Most of you got your inspiration from a father or grandfather. My story is a bit different. My wife has always known of my fascination with flying. I like the window seat in the airplane so I can figure out where we are while flying. At the airport I like staring out the window watching planes take off and land. Our family company manages shopping centers in the Baltimore, MD area, and she handles leasing. One of our Tenants was Hobbytown, and she went to talk to the owner about expanding his store. After the meeting she told me I had to go to the store and see all the model planes hanging from the ceiling and on the shelves. So, with her encouragement, I went and took a look. From there they told me where the local field was. One evening I stopped by, and one of the older guys offered to take me up on a buddy box. Whammo I was hooked!! That was 13 years and I don't know how many planes ago. My wife likes to kid me about all the planes, just like I kid her about all the shoes in her closet!



Fast forward to 2009 when I was in Massachusetts for a family wedding. On Saturday during the day my wife and daughters went antiquing, and I went to the Snap-A-Huckfest and got to meet both Sleepy and Elie in person. I was so taken in by the giant scale planes and the freestyle demonstrations. Everyone was very nice, like I was an old friend. Wherever I go, the people in the hobby are like old friends, no matter what their background. Yes, there are the a-holes, but for the most part, especially in the Giant Scale area, it's like one big family. I'm not the best at the modeling part of the hobby, but I enjoy the tinkering and mechanical side.



I find flying to be an addiction. The more I fly, the more I want to fly. Thanks to all the folks in this hobby who have been helpful to me along the way, and I look forward to seeing you all sometime. I'd love to go to Nall, but every year my business has its big convention in Las Vegas the 3rd weekend in May. I've taken side trips to the field out there, and one day I hope to bag my convention and make it to Nall. Until then.....have fun and fly!

 

[Bhughes]

I didn't start into the hobby till I was 29. But every time I have a good flight I want to go again. First time I flew a 60cc I wanted to go bigger. Then my first 100cc reminded me all over again why I love it lol. I love the get togethers and funflys camping meeting new people

 

[stangflyer]

"I was so taken in by the giant scale planes and the freestyle demonstrations. Everyone was very nice, like I was an old friend. Wherever I go, the people in the hobby are like old friends, no matter what their background. Yes, there are the a-holes, but for the most part, especially in the Giant Scale area, it's like one big family."





Nicely put....

 

[IMAC FANATIC]

Alot of great stories here, so heres mine.

A buddy at work has been into model rc for 35+ years, raced nitro boats at championship level and managed a hobby store for a few years, mentions to me.. theres a huckfest in Lodi October 2011 , so I go , expected to see alot of glo and ep planes, had zero idea that these were made so huge and used gas engines, I was a true noob to it all, so astonished at the sights and sounds of the day, he introduces me to Dave aka dwdixon, now my best and closest friend in the entire world, I say" im going to buy one of these asap" he says " I have an eflite apprentice ill sell for 100.00 " SOLD. Had no idea what an apprentice looked like.. didnt care. All I knew is I just bought an airplane, sight unseen and couldn't be happier.

Following day, I pick up my new toy. Radio and case, plane, extra motors, props, extra batteries, extra everything. And am told the purchase comes with lessons ! So I solo in a week or so crash and repair the thing till it has more glue than foam, it still flies and my son 22 has it now but is no where near addicted to flying as me.

That xmas my new friends jay and dave buy me a sig 4 star 40 to build, it builds it flies its magic, to see something I built out of a box of wood into this flying machine, I fly it for a few months.. literally just a few months, now its 2012

Attend an IMAC event in Bakersfield, just to help and to " call" , whatever that is. One minute out of the truck im consumned beyond all reason to own one of these machines. By the next event Dave taught me to fly andlet me use his Comp Arf Extra at Fresno event.I didnt even know and was too afraid to land it for the entire season. I ended up 10th place over all for southwest region... not bad.

2013.. I learn how to land the thing at last, and after a long process of building the shop we now work in almost every night, building our new ones, he gives that Comp Arf to me for my birthday. Gives! Wow.

I end up 2013 southwest division 2nd place overall, by a margin of like 13 points, im so completly hooked by the IMAC bug by now its ridiculous.

2014 building a JTEC 3.1m competition series and its in covering stages now. 3 YEARS FROM TRAINER TO GIANT SCALE ! ! You can say I have a slightly addictive personality if you haven't figured that out yet. LOL

And up to 7 short years ago said addictions led me to alot worse places than to an event or a hobby shop to blow my monies, if you know what I mean. ALOT worse places !

I now ,for once in my life, have a circle of friends that are actual friends, a best friend and his fantastic wife and kids , a hobby that drives me, steady employment, sobreity, friends that are licenced pilots and have experienced flying a J3 cub and cessna 172 ,friends at field, at events and online that keep me humored and driven to build and encouraged back and forth. Its endless the rewards that have come from this hobby.

Priorly I built motorcycles/ choppers for an outlet, ive yet to build an airplane that ended up taking me to a bar or places we wont mention here.

Can you say that this hobby " saved my life ", not really but, one can certainly say its changed it for the better, for years before my hobby was just going to work and watching TV and countless hours of Xbox. I've met so many good people and made so many real friends that its difficult to believe sometimes.

RC to me is an outlet, yes.. everything fades away when the wheels lift off the ground, and when they come back down safely the feeling is as close to a high as I dare get close to.

As i read back through this and ponder if I should actually post this story I realize there is no fear of judgement to share all this with you all.. my friends. And im sure that some of us have the same kind of story to tell,

So thats me guys.. and thays why I love RC.



Ps.. and if you've never competed and flown in an IMAC event, you're missing the boat, its not about the trophy itself, ive come in dead last and had a great weekend many times. Its about the people, and that your pushing your skills to the next level .

 

[thurmma]

My addiction started when I was in Okinawa, Japan on a 1 year tour with the Marine Corps. I had an RC truck that was fun, but not fast enough so I concocted a frame that I mounted an OS 40 glow engine on and found out that it was WAY to much power because I couldn't keep up with the freakin thing in the parking lot. I would get it running and ease into the throttle and once it was heading straight hammer it and it was out of control! One of the guys in the barracks saw me messing around and asked if I had tried flying airplanes, which of course was a no. He told me he had a plane that needed to have the covering finished and if I wanted to cover it I could have it. I got the plane and finished the covering and with the help of the hobby shop at the bottom of the hill from the base, picked up everything I needed to get the plane ready to fly. I was wanting to test the plane to make sure everything ran and tracked correctly before heading to the field, so we took it out to the softball field and started it up and was taxiing it around and I decided to add a little more power. Well for a few feet it was in the air and that was the beginning of the addiction to flying for me.



I did learn to fly the trainer and flew it for a couple years before the glue weighed more than the rest of the plane. I built a couple more planes over the next 3 years and flew them quite regularly. Then I got married and had a son and daughter and didn't have much time for flying so I got out of the hobby for about 6 years. I got back into the hobby when I was stationed in Iwakuni, Japan on another deployment. I built a Fun One 40 and flew it but wanted something faster so I got a ScatCat and put a 32 with a pipe on it and had a blast! I flew that plane for the next 10 years off and on.



After retiring from the Marine Corps I moved to Arkansas and was driving around one day and saw airplanes in the air, so I followed the planes and found the local flying field and watched for a while. It would be a couple of years before I joined the club due to school and work. I got into the club with only the ScatCat to fly, but still a blast. One day while at the field one of the guys had a 43% Yak and that was the start of the GS bug for me. I hated having to clean my plane after the glow mess and from talking to the guy with the Yak and finding out that if you don't run smoke there wasn't a lot of cleanup to the gas planes, I was on a mission.



I went to the local hobby shop and they had a 27% Extra 330S on the shelf that went home with me that day. The owner had a 3mm TOC 53, which was way more power than that plane needed, but for $150 I couldn't pass it up. The plane was a monster and a blast to fly. I only flew the ScatCat 3 more times in the next year.



I was looking for a little larger airframe and ended up with a 30% Edge from PAU in ARC fashion. After covering and flying it I still had the "bigger plane" bug and one of the other guys at the club had a 40% Edge complete with everything except rx's and my wife told me to buy it It was a great day!



Had some engine issues and ended up dead sticking the plane into a tree/bush that tore up the foam core wings and bent the aluminum wing tube, so that airframe was dead. I now have a 42% Edge from Pilot and a 36% Edge that was a custom build for another person in the club a few years ago.



I am also the current President of our local club and can't wait to get to the field to fly. I will head to the field even if it is just for one or two flights before the sun goes down. Thank god for this hobby and the good people that are around it.

 

[pawnshopmike]

I'm in it for the hot chicks:smug:

 

[IMAC FANATIC]

pawnshopmike;19097 wrote: I'm in it for the hot chicks:smug:

Aaahahahah funny stuff right there

 

[siko_flyer]

For all the hot chicks that hang out at the field!!!















Actually I'll tell the real reason later,I have a headache and don't feel much like typing at the moment.