• Building And Flying Is Great – There are so many great things about the sport/hobby of model airplanes I hardly know where to start. When I went to work at Texas Instruments in 1962 I had a couple of goals. 1. I wanted to get my pilot's license and 2. I wanted to be able to play some golf. Instead, I wound up designing and flight testing Terrain Following Radars and got my fill of flying; especially 100' off the ground. Plus, I was working such long hours I gave up golf, but for years I envisioned I would resume my golf hobby. Shortly after retirement, we were at a party at our neighbors Tom & Pat Roach. We began talking about Tom's Radio Control (RC) airplane hobby. He took me into his shop and showed me a couple of his beautiful airplanes and invited me to go with him the next time he flew. From there I was hooked. I lost this good friend. On June 5, 2009 Tom succumbed to a hard fought battle with cancer. I miss him but have vowed to try to follow his example by mentoring someone else. My Local Flying Club
• It Pays To Have A Mentor – I’m sure that having someone like Tom as my mentor went a long way toward breaking the ice, but additionally, I discovered that RC people are some of the friendliest and supportive (albeit a little insensitive) people you would ever want to meet. I had built a number of models when I was a kid but I couldn't afford the RC types of the day and more importantly I didn’t have the support of a group of experienced people like those I’ve met in the North Dallas Radio Control Club (NDRCC). This club (& I’m sure many others) will give you all the support and training needed. You can go the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) web site to find a club and flying field in your area.
• This Scratches My Technical Itch – Most often we go through life without ever knowing how our actions affect others. For me Tom Roach was the right person at the right time and place. As a retired Electrical Engineer I sorely missed the technical world and the RC hobby has gone a long way toward filling that void. I don’t consider myself and expert but I can tell you I read everything I can get my hands on and I’m inclined toward experimenting with different or new ideas. Later I will post some of my ideas and projects.
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