What sparked your flying addiction?

I'm just curious really how everyone got into flying,what your first model was and how long everyone's been flying for?
I was just given a couple of hours on a cheap contra rotating Walkera about 3 years ago and that was it.Addicted.
I'm curious to see who has been flying the longest as well.

Danny.

Started flying control line combat with John Bowman and several others at the age of twelve on grassland between the railway and sea wall beyond the level crossing at the bottom of Sandbank Rd Towyn. We used to have crowds of holidaymakers up on the sea wall watching and cheering. Then got into radio when it became slightly more affordable and am now 65. I did have a spell away from the hobby for families wives and children and that 4 letter swear word WORK. Enjoy it (flying not work) as much as ever. First successful control liner was a "Peacemaker" followed by loads of combat wings. First radio trainer of my own was a Kamco Kadet.

Control line,is that the same as that model I saw you fly a couple of times last year?
Got any pictures?

Danny.

Yeh that's it Danny two lines string or more usually steel and somewhere between 30 and 70 ft long depending on the size and power of the model.When I started control line radio was in it's infancy and basically you had to build your own radio gear from components servos had not been invented you had to use what was known as an escapement usually powered by a twisted rubber band and it was single channel just giving L/R rudder control and was mega expensive and unreliable. Even by the 1970's when we got into radio which by that time was proportional it was a very expensive undertaking .
My first set of Futaba 4 channel gear cost me £175 and a weeks wages at that time were under £20. There were no luxuries like servo reversing or rates all that was way in the future back then. So in relative terms the hobby was far more expensive then

We didnt have very much money when I was a kid - my first plane came as a present from a work mate of my old mans who was getting out of the hobby - basically it was one that nobody at his club wanted to buy, so you can imagine the state it was in - needless to say it never took off, which was quite crushing for an 8 year old with his hopes built up!
Several years later things started to get financially better, my old man promised to buy me another, which I think he started to regret after he starting costing things up! Second plane came as another secondhander - I cant remember much about it now to be honest except that it was high wing, beaten up, light blue/orange and three channels. Flew this beauty on my old mans farm land for years - crashed, repaired, crashed repaired, you can picture the sequence of events!
Got to 15-16 bought and built a four channel precedent high boy (yellow and black wasp I take to the field).
Found girls, cigarettes and a pub that would serve us underage so forgot about the whole thing until about a year ago.
The misses bought me a Blade Z indoor heli (toy) for stress relief from work which got me hooked on flying again. Wanted something bit bigger and "real" so got a Century GL450SE from Fleabay. Flew and crashed (several times over) as you would expect, trying to teach myself.
Got the urge to see what local flying places were like as I kept getting a rollocking from the misses for knocking chunks out of her garden pots so dug all my old radio kit out from mam and dads and came to check you fella's out!
Member since late last year - Still crashing and repairing stuff but Lovin it! Woo Hoo!

I started flying at University. I was doing an Aero Engineering degree, and after the RAF told me there was no chance I was getting in there as a pilot (asthma), I thought I would try RC flying. So, I bought myself a Zagi 480si kit, complete with a speed 480 brushed motor and a couple of packs of 8 cell 2/3AA nicad packs, and taught myself to fly.

Oddly, it wasn't until I moved to North Wales, back in 2003, that I decided to join a club and get properly addicted. Up until then I was quie happy messing around with my little Piccolo helicopter, and a couple of electric wings..... Since then I am making it my mission to try out every branch of the hobby, so I can say with authority I know what I like. So far leccy gliders, fast leccy stuff and turbines seem to be most enjoyable things.....

Andy

If you want to see some old radio as used by some of us old 'duffers' check out these sites HERE (the 'modern emulated' single channel vids are a must) HERE HERE
The last two are USA biased, but interesting non the less

I started flying about 3 years ago, a friend of mine called Nigel hough got me into planes and taught me to fly on the cob in bagillt. my first model was a boomarang trainer.

After that first go on the buddy box i was hooked!

Peter

Some nice links there Alan.Whoever owns that room or office on that third link I am sooo envious of.Must be over 100 radio's in there.
It won't let me watch the videos while I'm on the IPad so I'll check them out on the computer in a bit.
Andy I didn't know you wanted to be a pilot.
I see where your turbine addiction comes from now.

Danny.

Andy I didn't know you wanted to be a pilot.
I see where your turbine addiction comes from now.

Danny.

He's still trying to be

I know a hell of a lot of people who started flying at University but it was nothing to do with planes!!!!

I'm not addicted you can get over addiction, it's an obsession

First Tyro Major, OS 35 FP Ripmax transmitter, thats the reason why I stay with Futaba, crashed 3 times a day nearly every day.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DwyCiVHGzs/SKAtCSrgVoI/AAAAAAAAAA8/-pwBox2JKLQ/s1600-h/Futaba+M+Series+1.jpg

I was taught by in no particular order, Tony May, Jack Jackson, Bill Robinson, Charles Cornes, Keith Goffet, Mike Steed, Gary Gilmour, Lester Watkins to name a few, if I've missed any sorry.

The best trainer I had was a "Cosmos" I bought it from Charles Cornes in his legendary team colours "Blue & Yellow" I've never looked back since.

I bet he still has some of that SolarTex in his box of bits.

I remember Brian Colclough coming back to the hobby with that Piper Cub, it flew a treat when I had the sticks.

Mike S wrote:I know a hell of a lot of people who started flying at University but it was nothing to do with planes!!!!

Are you sure your not still on something now.

Started when i was around 12/13 but never got as far as solo, my grumpy farther couldnt be botherd to teach me to fly he was more bothered about shouting at me, so I lost intrest.

Went RC car racing for abit in my late teens before a chance weekend away in 2002 at the Llyn fly-in with Rich and Dad we were sat having a fry up on the Sunday and they were discussing buying a couple of SAS Wildthings so I said get me one as well.

A couple of months and several miles of walking round the orme later I was hooked. After returning from my Dads with a battered old Hooligan (poor mans WOT 4) I was power flying.

With my A cert out the way Dad and myself when to Sandown Model Show and I bought my first proper airobat a YT Katana 50 and a Jen 91 2 stroke this tought me how to land dead stick as after proberbly 20-30 flights it olny landed under its own steam 3-4 times (damm engine's)

Since then ive owed (and killed) lots of models in all the area's of our fabulous hobby and im in for the long hall!

But I wouldnt be here now if it wasnt for the help I had (and contiune to have) from Rich, Jem, NFJ, Dad and many others at RDMFC

M

First dabble was with free flight Keil Kraft stuff - basically a load of long matchstick type bits of wood glued together with balsa glue, and covered with tissue and dope - I guess that would be around the age of 10 or so, which is almost 50 years ago - Yikes ! Then a few models on and a few years later, control line with a Keil Kraft "Ranger" and a PAW diesel - that ended somewhat dramatically during an encounter with some telephone wires - ironically on the Great Orme, a few minutes from where we all now fly Slope. First RC was Futaba gear in a "Cotswold Square One " Trainer, around ......hmm....circa 1986 at the Worcester Model Aero Club. My instructor was great guy by the name of Bob ( apologies I forget his surname ). Flew at that club, and couple of others around the midlands for about 10 years. Dropped it all as work moved me around the country, and only came back into the game when I moved back home to North Wales. Had sold all my gear following divorce, not expecting to restart - huh!
Joined RDMFC as a fairly early electric enthusiast about what....8 years back?
Most peeps have a layoff for some reason or another, but they also all come back eventually

I first got into modeling when I was 5 with my grandad, building (well me watching him build) Rubber powerd free flight models, and I was bought one of those cheapy Argos toy R/C planes which I kept on crashing over and over and never really got any good at it, I drifted away from aircraft and went more into IC cars and got pretty good at them and got my frineds into them and we made a track at the local woods and mucked about there frequently after school.
Then As a suprise my Grandad bought be a GWS foamie Corsair which I flew (Crashed) at the local running track At the weekends, then I was thinking of Buying another when I remeberd someone talking about a rhyl Flying club In one of the model shops when buying bits for my IC cars, So I googled then and was soon down at the field and joined the forum where I got heaps of advice on what radio gear etc, I then bought a rath rough looking 40 size trainer of John Dean, Got some flights in then Tim introduced me to the world of Slope soaring and managed to get me a few free models including my zagi and I wrote a letter in thanking everyone and won a charger Got back into power flying and then progressed on to pass my A and buy myself a cougar 2000.

Some cracking stories there.
My first rc experience was with all the Tamiya range when I was 13 to 16.Then cars and birds took over till I was about 25 when I got into it again.
Helped out at the local model shop and did a lot of racing for a few years.

Then one day the Schumacher rep came in with a Walkera contra rotating model and gave me a quick lesson and that was it.
My first model was a Hirobo Lepton EX and by the time I finished with building it I was terrified of damaging it after looking at the spares prices.eg £399 just for a replacement head.
That was it then.Trex 450 and learned to hover in the garden but didn't know where to go from there.It's hard learning heli's on your own.

Enter my first visit to the field where Dave Sargent offered to teach me everything and he got me to progress faster than I expected.
Also Zaide helped lot's and told me off a lot. Actually he still does.
Actually everyone helped in one way or another which I'm extremely grateful for.

Now I'm tempted to try gliding next.It never ends.

Danny.

Mr Moff wrote:It's hard learning heli's on your own.

Danny.

Amen to that Brother!