you started flying models because?

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I'm told that I was spotted taking an unusual interest in any aircraft flying over my pram long before walking and talking so I seem to have been pre-programmed to take an interest in aviation. I started along the usual route, Biggles books, Airfix, KK (as soon as I was trusted with a sharp blade despite my first trip to casualty being courtesy of a modelling knife), a bit of CL and, once I had a bit of income, moving on to RC which I embraced fairly comprehensively for a couple of years.

Like a previous poster, I'd picked up perforated eardrums as a kid (possibly courtesy of a friend who fired a very loud cap gun into the open manhole that I was inspecting the inside of at the time) and have always been shortsighted so professional aviation was out. However, after confirmation that flying was definitely for me after a trial powered flight at Elstree, I tried gliding, loved it and ended up literally living at the gliding club until matrimony took it's toll.

After some years of Microsoft flight simming (and a birthday present of a trial lesson in an R22), I got the urge to try my hand at RC helicopter flying which I quite enjoyed, getting myself to the hovering without aids stage after buying a complete outfit from a small ad and a CSM simulator program. I then joined a heli club some way from home, flew there a number of times, found it rather impersonal and decided to try a local club which turned out to be much more friendly but FW orientated. As I had an old Irvine 40 from my previous modelling career, I bolted it to a Ripmax trainer to fly there while I got my heli A at the other club - although the FW A which I soon acquired allowed me to hover the heli on my own with the blessing of the local club. It didn't take long to discover that FW floated my boat far more than rotary and I started rapidly building and buying a fairly well stocked *hangar" of various models.

I suspect that my wife rather regrets encouraging me to join the club now...but at least she knows where I am and what I'm up to when I'm out!

Edited By Martin Harris on 18/06/2012 00:34:49

[Simon Chaddock]

I suppose I took up making and flying model planes as a lad because it was the one thing that my Dad did not do. He was interested in full size aviation but his real passion was in model engineering.

So model planes it was - simple as that - but his engineering skills did come in handy at times!

[Peter Miller]

Hard to say. My father was an observer on DH4 in WWI but he was absolutely into sports and couldn't even change a tap washer. (Brilliant at maths though)

I was at a local village school in the mountains in the Argentine. They got some glider kits for the fourth and fifth forms. I was in the third form but I did some serious begging because for some reason I just wanted one. Finally got a spare.

No one to help. Glue was the old carpenters glue that you heat over boiling water. Finished it but it never flew.

Moved to the capital Buenos Aires and built a few more. Finally got a Wakefield model to fly like a dream. I will never, ever forget that flight.

Came back to the UK in late 53 and got a £200 inhertance (That was an awful lot of money then)

Have never stopped since that day. Did 12 years as an airframe fitter in the RAF. Still love aircraft of all types.

These days I do a lot more building than flying. I get too tired after an afternoon on the field so two a week is maximum.

[Danny Fenton]

My father was originally in the RAF working on amongst other things the canberra. He then moved into the light aircraft field and then on to restoration work. He has become one of the few that can still do fabric work. If you have a copy of Stringbag Reborn, the tale of the Swordfish restoration, my Dad is on their, doping away the wings I do remember him building models before ful size took over.

I guess the interest is genetic. I started with Airfix, then rubber powered models, then free flight using diesels. Later moving onto control liners of all sorts. I eventually started messing with single channel RC in my teens, with not much success. My first real positive RC experience was when I got a SANWA 2 channel proportional set. Messed around in RC from then on. Lost interest and took a 30 year sabbatical, only coming back into the hobby in 2006, when my interest was re-kindled after chatting to a aeromodelling colleague at work (thanks Old Smithy).

So I guess the story is because my father loved aeroplanes and they were always in my life, modelling was the only way to have your own airshow any time you like.

Cheers

Danny

[Chris Turner]

There's some great story's here,but I blame Father Christmas for my down fall,as he left me a KK Playboy in my stocking in 1958,and I can still remember opening the box and that wonderful smell of balsa wood,thats were the love affair started.The tools we had then were priceless,no razor saw,no modelling knives,no planes,just a broken in half 7-oclock razor blade and that wonderful stuff know as balsa cement and tissue paste,but the balsa cement was very import as you could quicky stop the flow of blood after you had cut your finger with the razor blade.

So for the next few years my mission was to save my pocket money to amass the amout of 3/6d so I could spend 4 to 5 hours in Shrewsbury's model shop on deciding what scale kit to buy,but I have never figured out how you make a spitfire canopy out of a flat piece of perspext.

After I joined the army in 71 I was stationed in Germany were I was able to a afford a Multiplex 4 and a KK super 60,that was the start of r/c for me,but the mates and times you have flying with a club is the one of the highlight's,model flyers all over the world are all the same...NUTS ...so keep building,keep flying have fun.

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Interesting thread....not sure its genetic though Danny.......my Dad can barely hold a screwdriver the right way round......that said my Uncle was Apprentice of the year at De Havillands in the late 50's (although he became an HGV mechanic) so maybe it came down the maternal line.....

I was well into Aifix as a small boy...I had hundreds...& can remember looking at the plastic Keil Kraft control line Hurricane in Boydells toyshop in Bolton & thinking "Wow..it has a real engine in....one day I will own one of those" I can even remember that the price was £11 something.....a fortune in the mid 70's By the time I could afford one they'd been discontinued so I bought a KK Joker & a WASP 049 which managed half a lap before it hit the ground & became a kit once more........after that I was hooked.....usual break in the late teens early 20's to chase girls & ride motorbikes but came back via helis in the late 80's & been hooked ever since......still re-kitting a few like that Joker though....

I don't know what it is.....I think its something in the blood.....like malaria...once you've got it aeromodelling is always with you somehow.....

But to pick up Kiwis basic point I understand his angst.....it seems to me that the "Fun Factor" is inversely proportional to the cost......in other words the less you spend the more fun it seems to be....small models seem to have taken over in the Hargreaves workshop just now & I'm having tremendous fun with them....cheap, quick to build, fun to fly....spend less & enjoy more is my motto

[Piers Bowlan]

For me it started the day my dad brought home a rubber powered Frog Intercepter from Gamages. Every day I could, I would peddle up to th local park on my tiny Triang bike with The Interceptor strapped to the back. I progressed from rubber to FF and CL (Keil Craft Hurricane) until my parents bought me a SC McGreggor radio complete with Elmic escapement for my 14th birthday. I flew (and crashed) my Aeromodeler plans built Snipe (complete with Cox BB engine) until it was mostly epoxy, held together with just a little balsa. Happy days!

Fast forward a few years and I was determined to have a career in full sized aviation I gained a PPL then ATPL. While living and working in Scotland I was sharing a house with another pilot who was into RC soaring. He gave me a plan for a Rivington Hawk which is how I got into Slope Soaring; I was hooked!

A few years later my wife was proudly showing her friends around our new house when she came to the spare room which had a couple of my model aircraft hanging from the ceiling. With embarrassment she explained, 'It is my husband's only vice!' She still thinks aviation is a disease. Not long after that the spare room became 'the nursery' and my models and I were relegated to the garage. Shame!

Today my house and family have got bigger but I am still building and flying model aircraft when I find the time (thank goodness for ARFs). I still love to design, build and fly my own creations however. It is great for relaxation and fun, which is what the hobby is all about. of course.

[TheFlyingCrust]

Piers.

Rivngton Hawk? Got the plan for one of those. And the build article. If you fancy making another I'll send a copy. My younger bro is building one - not very well, I might add. A real FUBAR. He, like me was hooked by our big brother.

Ian

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Brilliant stuff this.

My father was an engineer - but not planes, he worked for Napiers on the Deltic diesel engine - so his world was BIG engines! As far as I know I've always loved aeroplanes, I can't remember a time when aviation wasn't part of my life in some form or another.

Like many I started modelling with Airfix, my Dad used to bring one of the small plastic bag kits in most weeks when he arrived home from work on Friday (pay day!).

About 13 I graduated to KK - built a couple of thier rubber powered scale jobs, but never got one to fly sucessfully! Then at about 14 the physics teacher at school started a lunchtime and after school model building club. I built a free flight glider (yes - see I have "done" gliders!) called IIRC a "Dolphin". It was about 30" span and was the first model I built that actually flew! Not very well I recollect - but it did fly.

Every oppotunity I got I went to the local library, because they took Radio Modeller. I read and re-read all the articles. I remember Norman Butcher's DVII and Brian Taylor's original Spitfire - the first with wash out on the wings. But I couldn't possibly afford radio control - a set was more than Dad earned in week!

So I saved up, bought a small cox engine, and put it in lots of free flight stuff built from plans - the most memorable being an SE5a! At one point I had a about 3 models - but only one engine - so I became extremely adapt at changining engines!

I had a break from modelling while I went to university, discovered beer and women, travelled a bit, got married. Then I realised that I could afford a radiot control set up - and that was it. Built a Hi-Boy, joined a club and I haven't looked back since. Had the the odd spell of 6-12 months with modelling on the "back burner" but its never really been absent.

BEB

[leccyflyer]

Aaah, well if we're going back to the real beginnings then I suspect a lot of us have very similar stories of the progression from Airfix (and those Frog versions of the Airfix dogfight double kit sets that were availlable with Green Shield Stamps) through the non-flying Keil Kraft "scale" rubber power jobs, alongside the occasional success with non-scale rubber power (KK Ajax/Achilles) towline-launched gliders (KK Chief especially, plus a couple of smaller plan builds) and rather less succesful control line (Cox Stuka, KK Phantom, KK Spectre and various aeromodeller plan builds) culminating in the foray into single channel radio (via GEM 1+1 from Roland Scott's and a KK Outlaw, Student and Mini Super in my case). Don;t think any of them ever managed more than 15 se3conds in the air and my overwhelming memory is of picking up the pieces.

Like BeB we had a lunchtime aeromodelling club in school, run by the lab technician, and that included school trips to the Model Engineering Exhibition in a Commer van, just like the one in The Italian Job. Happy days.

Followed by the ubiquitous gap years (20 odd years in my case) for beer, further education and real life, before returning to the fold on starting a family and thinking it would be a nice pastime. I'm hoping that my boy returns to the fold in due course, as he hasn't flown at all this year.

[Piers Bowlan]

Thank you for that Ian, I have sent you a PM. I have thought of building another Riving Hawk from time to time and perhaps scaling it up a bit too but I gave my plan copy away.

[Allan Bowker]

I just love anything to do with planes

[Area 51]

Love of the full size as a lad, plus a Father who took me to airshows, Airfix hanging from the bedroom ceiling.. Lucky enough to the have a career with them too..

Love them, the variety and fact the job they do is like no other... and the people around them are some of the most enthusiastic on this planet we occupy...

I have found all those with aviation in their blood, share these positive traits.. Best hobby in the world, full size, RC or desktop... bar none...

[Hogster]

I fly RC simply becauseI have a love of aircraft. I guess I got it from my father who trained to be a pilot towards the end of WW2. In the end he didn`t make aircrew but his love of planes remained with him and he took us to countless airshows and museums. I started building airfix at quite young age and must have built hundreds until I reached my mid teens. My mum still has many of them in her loft. I always dreamt of owning a control line or radio control model but they were too expensive. Wine women and song held my interest until I got married and started a family. Many years as a single parent meant time and money were tight but I still kept attending the odd airshow. Now the kids are grown up my time and, most of my money , are my own.

I believe I got my love of all things flying from my dad but it seems my own sons haven`t got it from me So I dont think its genetic. I think you either have it or you dont.

[Turbycat]

I've always loved flying and aeroplanes. I used to help my Dad build aifix kits. Then when I was about 7 or 8 Dad came home one day with a control line Hurricane and a tin of fuel! That was me hooked. Flew control line until I was 10 and then I got a bunch of secondhand RC planes and gear for Christmas. Flew regularly up until I started full size gliding at 15, but still kept my hand at RC. Got a Flying scholarship through the Air Cadets at 17 nad continued to get my PPL. I used to fly my RC stuff at the airfield before full size flying started.

I then had a lay off for about 20 years. I got back in to flying after a big motorcycle accident. I am more a flyer than a builder (I haven't got the patience or skills required) and to me it 's a hobby that keeps occupied now I can't ride bikes anymore.

Andy

[John Tee]

Started after reading an Eagle book of model aircraft at school in 1959.Lucky to live on a large country estate where my Dad worked that the owner only visited at weekends so spoiled for choice of fields. Flew free flight a lot but failed miserably with control line.Joined a slot racing club and met others interested in flying and we formed th Horsham and District R/c Club in '68. Had a break in '90s to play tenpin league bowling. While on honeymoon in Devon took my wife to Brean in Somerset to show her where I had happy hols flying my planes years before. This led to her getting me back into the hobby and has been supportive ever since (I'm very lucky). Now retired but weather, time and site access due to weather never seem to coincide enough these days. Still going to Brean each September. Many thanks to the organisers for thejr efforts.

John

Edited By John Tee on 18/06/2012 20:57:42

[gliggsy]

Started building the Airfix kits and got addicted to the glue, I'd build anything for my 'fix' until I discovered tissue and dope, Mmmmmm dope......... After the family and carreer decided to give helis a try, now them things can break your heart, forever fixing and checking and parting with readies so now decided to go pack to planes and building and having a great time passing on some help to prospective pilots, also a far more relaxed experience whilst in the air. Been building in depron but have a couple of traditional builds due to start but get my 'fix' ATM with a couple of Parkzone, Mustang and Spit but looking forward to flying my own built balsa thingys

[Martyn K]

Aeromodeller and proud of it...

I started flying in 1969/70 after spending a while building Model Boats (I used to sail full size and lived next to a lake). I had an idea that I could make a polystyrene apple tray fly (a bit like an early hang glider but at the time they din't exist I think). It did - after a fashion - and my interest took off - mainly Freeflight and some Control Line. It was 10 years later that I dabbled in Radio flying Slope Soarers... I just LOVE all of this stuff...

Martyn

**LINK** (experimental)

[Devcon1]

Started with my dad, we flew free flight, control line, sailing boats in the late 60's. He started R/C with a McGregor 1+1 and then he got me into R/C with generous Christmas and Birthday presents. All his models were built from plans or scratch built.

There were early Mardave cars and Horizon radio (yellow or red servos I think), I remember my first set of 4 channel radio (brown metal cased Futaba M series) I used to turn it on last thing at night and 1st thing in the morning and just watch in amazement as the servos copied my every move with the sticks. RC models went from a Skyleader Skymaster to the EMP gliders. I had a set of the famous Skyleader yellow TSX7 (I think)

My A level metalwork project was a Morley bell 47G which was machined from scratch apart from the perspex canopy.

I've touched just about every aspect from slope, thermal, helicopters, 3D. 1/8 circuit cars, 1/10 indoor electric cars and flew scale at Old Warden and peaked with a Hanno Pretner Curare with an OS 61 rear exhaust and Rom Air retracts.

Also spent a few years with AMPS (Agnew Model Propulsion Systems) in Hertford helping manufacture of their famous props, hulls, scale outboard engines, 1/10 diffs for cars and the groundbreaking first 1/8 scale fully independent suspension circuit car the Rapier.

Spent the best part of 20 years doing nothing but slope soaring at Ivinghoe Beacon.

Currently falling in love with ic again and fly a Pete Miller Druine Turbulent with an OS 40 fs and am building a Precedent 1/3 scale version destined for a Gemini or Saito or ASP twin.

In between I build plastic kits (Winter only)

Can't imagine how my life would be without models and the challenges they bring...

Just wish I'd kept all my old radio and engine stuff. (I've started to put together a list of every model I've ever owned and flown)

My remaining challenge is to enter the scale nats in 2013....

Regards

savedbytheground

[paul (dig-it-up)]

hi i started my flying days by watching time team /you see i do a lot of metal detecting and i was interested in crop marks to see were the old buildings or ancient footpaths would of been.so i brought a foamy supercub with a little cam on board to find the crop marks after my 1st flight i was HOOKED . metal detecting went out the window for at least 3 years but i am now slowly going back to it .

[Paul Marsh]

I used to buy Airfix models, but after buying the whole range (100+) found the next logical step is to build them to fly.

Way before that, we used to go shooting at Sealand Ranges and there was(still is) the RC model club there. Going back before then, I reckon the thing that got me interested as there was a film on TV from the Children's Television Workshop (brought you Seseame Street and Muppet Movies) about these diamond theives that were using a model plane to smuggle diamonds across the English Channel.

The children in the story (goodies) learnt to fly model planes (spitfires), equipped with weapons which caught the baddies by shooting them down. I think the weapons were arrows let to fire on the wing. Don't know the name of the film, can't seem to google it...

 

+++Update. The film was called Sky Pirates (1977) +++

Edited By Paul Marsh on 20/06/2012 20:36:27

[Codename-John]

I like lots used to go to airshows, dabble with airfix and polystyrene chuck gliders etc as a kid, but i first found out about RC at about 11, watching MacGuyver on the TV, he was an American crime fighting secret agent kinda thing, sort of not so sophisticated James Bond, but he had all the tech, and on the episode he used an RC plane to catch some bad guys.

Then just by chance i went to Hobby Corner with my older sister who used to make plaster cast models and paint them etc for some bits and bobs and saw the kits and made up planes hanging from the roof, they gave me all the details of wrexham mac and 3 weeks later I drew all my savings out of the bank and got an MFA Yamamoto, futaba challenger radio and an OS .40, I learnt on that and progressed onto a Precedent fun fly, and a Precedent low boy.

Then after a few crashes and some family problems I gave it up, I swapped the Low Boy with engine, radio and all the other bits for a moped to go razzing round fields etc on insted. That was that for about 15 years.

Got back into it a couple of years back, just happened to go into WH Smith with my little lad for a comic and saw RCM+E on the shelf, suddenly I was taken back to warm summers days and the smell of glow fuel, went back to Hobby Corner after work one day the following week and left with the details of Wrexham mac, a Boomerang, SC.46, Futaba radio gear etc

Now i can take myself upto the field etc, even tho ive crashed a few times and written a couple of airframes off, It wont be getting swapped this time around

[Paul Marsh]

Here:

 

Edited By Paul Marsh on 20/06/2012 20:49:23

[MikeS]

My journey to R/C started way back when I was 5/6 years old. Like most built airfix models on a saturday and rushed down stairs sunday morning to paint them.

When I was 8/9 my parents brought me a president HiFly with Hitec Radio (I think thats the brand). I spent a good few weeks building it and about ten seconds crashing it. Not put off I then built a FlyBoy and I/C engine. Took it off did some nice flying from what I remember then did a fast spiral nose in.

Then I got in to course fishing mostly pike with my largest being 20lb from a weir at Penton Hook near staines. Then girls came along followed by jobs and marriage. Had two rug rats which are now teenagers.

Of course left the R/C behind when I was ten. I did buy a ARTF, I./C engine and radio when my first was born fifthteen years back but did not have anywhere to fly so it got sold on.

My dad was a strange man and never talked about his past. When my dad got terminal cancer we did talk and he told me he had been involved with doing a lot of wiring work on the Concorde prototype. I never had any idea. He also told me that he took me down as a child with the family to see it before it flew.

It was then that it became clear why I was so intrested in aircraft. I decided that I wanted to get back in to the hobby, build from a kit and fly it. this time not crashing. I Joined a club and they helped me to learn to fly. I passed my A-cert a year later and brought a few models such as the Pulse xt25 and the large Pawnee 40. A year later I brought the P47 Topflight kit and have been building this ever since.

I enjoy building and flying as well as ARTF's

I found out last year I have ADHD and have done ever since I was a child. What is strange is now it makes sense to me. why I never had a lot of friends and enjloyed time on my own. It makes even more sense to me why I like this hobby.

[Paul Marsh]

Sky Pirates is on Youtube. Just watched it. As I remember it - a little far fetched, but it was this film that started my rc model madness!