2020 RC Airplane Hobby Year in Review
Everyone is doing a year in review, so I thought I would share my second year in the RC hobby.
It was a year of solo flying as my son lost interest in the hobby, and I continued by myself. I had gotten into the hobby through my son, so I had to transition to RC flying, not being a father-son event.
With my son leaving the hobby, I expanded and grew in the hobby by:
I am programming my RC airplanes into my transmitter. Aircraft setup is a critical skill that I needed to learn.
I progressed and took up one of my son’s EDF’s for the first time. Nerve-racking and tough. The Hawk was my first EDP, and I enjoyed it.
Creating a dedicated RC workbench. I needed a dedicated space to maintain and work on my RC airplane collection. Here is a YouTube video of my dedicated workspace.
Repairing my planes. My son enjoyed repairing our planes so, this year, I developed this skill. I developed my repair skills from foam repair to landing gear, servos, and motor replacement.
Painting and airbrushing my own planes. Along with repairing, I also grew my painting and airbrushing skills. For both aesthetics and safety (increasing my view of the plane’s orientation), I got good and enjoyed painting my airplanes.
Built a storage rack system for my planes. Planes are expensive and can easily get damaged if they aren’t organized and put away. My garage storage system keeps the planes safe.
Started a YouTube channel and revamped my blog. All about sharing as I grow and learn in the RC hobby.
It was a different year at the field as well:
COVID, coupled with my son leaving the hobby, really had me flying by myself a fair bit as our club couldn’t hold any Fly-in’s or club events. I did have a small group of friends from the club that I would fly with and learn from, which was awesome.
To be creative, we started racing cars at the field. Too much wind is a great time for racing cars. Care racing helped build camaraderie.
The club has given back so much to me that I am giving back by being the treasurer for the club. I can use my finance and accounting skills to give back and help grow the club.
How was your year?
Let me know in the comments below.
I will be reflecting on how I want to grow in the RC airplane hobby in 2021. I will share my thoughts as I set goals for 2021 and also bring you along on my journey in the hobby.
6 Reasons Remote Control Cars are good for your Remote Control Airplane Club
Here are six reasons introducing Remote Control Cars to your RC Airplane Club is a great idea.
You can’t fly when it is too windy. When the winds pick up that is a great time to switch to RC cars. Either on a separate track or even on the runway, racing and driving cars is a great pastime when the winds pick up. RC Cars can extend the day and help build camaraderie amongst your club members.
Want to expose more people to the RC airplane hobby? Which means more dues-paying members for your club? Putting in an RC car track or facility will attract RC hobbies and while there are there expose them to RC airplanes. You can even have memberships that cover both or either hobby.
RC Cars are popular now, especially amongst kids. Introducing RC cars to your flying field will help expose kids to the RC airplane hobby. This is a great way to get kids into the RC hobby.
Adding an RC car track doesn’t take up that much space. Adding a track to your club grounds can be easy. A packed-dirt or clay track can be easily built and maintained. A little planning will ensure the race track is away from the flying field, so both can coexist.
RC races are a great way to bring revenue into your club. You can organize fly-ins but weekly races are popular and bring needed revenue into your club. More revenue equals more upgrades and better maintenance for the entire club grounds. Also, more people at the field equals more people exposed to RC airplanes.
People enter the RC airplane hobby for the enjoyment of flying, the technical nature of the technology, and the creativity towards flying and building planes. RC Cars bring the same creativity, technicality, and enjoyment. The thrill of racing and trying to beat your best lap time is awesome. RC cars are a great compliment.
If you are brainstorming ideas on expanding your club, bring up introducing RC cars at your next club meeting.