RC pilots make some exciting flights! How neat does this look? Cade Ciripompa is shown flying his
helicopter in 2014.
I often have an opportunity to talk to people—from newly formed friendships to a random conversation
with a cashier—about the fact that I fly
model airplanes. Most of the time, these
individuals are highly intrigued. “Wow,
that’s pretty neat. I’ve always been
curious about them!”
Then come the questions I wrote
about in my December 2013 Model
Aviation column, about common things
people ask RC pilots. Questions such as
how high model airplanes go, the cost,
etc., are almost always inevitable. I love
answering the inquiries and sharing my
experiences as they ask away.
Some share stories of a friend or
family member who is involved in the
hobby. It’s a fun exchange, and I always
leave hoping that I’ve inspired the other
person to take up the hobby (for the
first time, or again if they fell out of it)
themselves.
Then there are the “Negative Nellys.”
Thankfully, these people are few and far
between. They’re the ones who unleash
quips about RC flying being “weird.”
(Hey, I won’t comment on your outfit
or bizarre fixation of eating prunes
with horseradish dip while watching
You Tube videos if you don’t call my
hobby “weird.” Deal?) But it’s those who
use the “B” word to express how they
imagine RC flying to be who really get
my fuel clunk in a crank.
“I don’t know,” some have said. “It
seems kinda, well, boring.” Ugh. Boring.
I’m not a fan of that word, especially
when describing a hobby that is anything
but.
As they say the word, they may
motion toward the sky, making a circular
motion with their finger repeatedly.
Around and around they swirl their
finger as if to suggest that flying is only
about making our aircraft do the same
old merry-go-round moves in the sky.
I must say (ahem) that flying this way
is perfectly fine. I tend to fly like this,
perhaps adding some Figure Eights and
loops to the routine when I feel the
urge. I simply enjoy flying in a low-key,
controlled manner. Even then it’s filled
with fun and excitement, and I’m left
feeling a rush of adrenaline both during
and after my flights.
Regardless of how RC pilots decide to
fly, it’s anything but boring. Here’s why:
A Variety of Maneuvers
Many RC pilots fly model airplanes
as realistically as full-scale airplanes.
This could include a takeoff that mimics
how a World War II aircraft would have
lifted up back in the day. Others take
that same airplane and lift up abruptly,
making a turn well before onlookers
would have thought. It’s up to the pilot,
and it is fun not always knowing what to
expect from their talented ways.
There are pilots who fly RC jets, the
engines screaming with every flightline
pass. Others enjoy the smaller size
and—and by comparison, the silence—
of rubber band-powered flight. I’ve
seen RC helicopters suddenly become
inverted, blades skillfully placed mere
inches from the tips of the grass. There
are knife-edge passes performed in
a matter of split seconds, creating an
entertaining dance of sorts in the sky.
With so many maneuvers and flying
styles, both pilots and spectators
experience nothing short of excitement
and often, an ever-changing, edge-of-seat
anticipation.
More Than One Type of Aircraft
Variety is anything but boring, right?
As you know, there are many different
types of RC aircraft around. If you’re
putting new covering on your Kadet (as
I have been for … um … two years now)
and are itching to fly something else,
89 Model Aviation APRIL 2017 www.ModelAviation.com
There’s no such thing as boredom
behind the sticks
SKY’S THE LIMIT
