Yes.. I did mull over the title before I started writing this article - that's what I came up with. I suppose the alternate title could have been "Back in the air!" but this just seems more appropriate.
As site readers are aware, I am a man of many hobbies. They never really get old either, just seem to fade in and out. Once I pick something up that interests me it kind of sticks for life. "Flying" or more accurately, Remote Controlled Flight is one of those things. I started flying when I was about 10. My dad built me a Midwest Aerostar 40 trainer plane and I used to rock a 4 channel Futaba radio that weighed as much as my head, which as you can see from these images is enormous. Back when I started in the hobby, flight simulator software for computers was not very far along... and I certainly didn't have access to any. I fucking hated flying. I could not grasp the simple concepts, I would go out to the field and be on a trainer cable connected to my dad's radio and he would be saving me left right and center. Constant fuckups with direction, my brain just couldn't seem to grasp the simple concept that when the aircraft was coming back towards you, the roll inputs were reversed.
I flew very little and dreaded every minute of the "bonding" time with my dad out at the field because it just wasn't fun. Enter the flight simulator a few years later. I believe I was in grade 10 when I got my hands on "Realflight Deluxe". Wow, its a lot more fun when you don't have to worry about wrecking shit. I treated the simulator like it was a video game, and at the time I was fuckin good at video games. I think I can honestly say without exaggerating that through my highschool and college years I flew over 2000 simulator hours on fixed wing aircraft, and probably another 500 on helicopters. Now over this time I went through many real life R/C planes, I had combat bees, aerobatic biplanes, even a nice 3D funtana. I was acclaimed at the flying field as a quick learner... but fuck you guys, it wasn't quick, it just seemed quick because I learned at home on a computer and then came out a couple times a week to the field to look like an idiot savant. Or maybe just a savant, or maybe just an idiot. Not sure.
I couldn't really afford great aircraft, but I still had some interesting stuff. No helicopters though, until now.
I picked the hobby back up in December last year with the purchase of a Blade 400 3D. By all accounts a mediocre but "hobby grade" R/C helicopter made by E-Flite. Certainly not the best in its class, but it was relatively inexpensive ($550) and included a 2.4GHz transmitter. I decided at the time that I would get back on the simulator and also log every real flight I have with the Blade 400. Well, this is me remember, and I told myself "just one helicopter"... Fast forward 7 months:
Not a blade 400.
My primary heli, a Trex 600 Nitro Super Pro with an OS 55 HZ.
Yes... the fleet has... umm... expanded, slightly. I've now got two Trex 600 nitro helicopters, a Trex 450 Pro, a Trex 250SE, and the Blade 400 3D I started with back in December that I don't even fly anymore. As I am writing this article my flight log has 218 logged flights totalling 25 hours of actual flight time. My skill level has improved to performing nearly flawless tictocs at various speeds, to inverted flight accross the deck and hovering upside down all the way to the grass. Sounds impressive, but really is not. There is still a long way to go, like reverse flight, reverse inverted flight, piroette manuvers... all sorts of things. There really are no boundries with helicopters and I'm finding it impossible to get bored, there is always something new to learn.
The only thing that is annoying is that I don't really know anybody that likes this shit, or at least not enough to want to do it on a regular basis. On average I head out to the flying field 2 or 3 times a week, all my friends are either uninterested or can't afford to start the hobby, or both. The few people I know that do fly don't fly nearly as much as I do, so it's kind of a bitch. Usually during the week I am out there solo, talking to myself. I am indeed a member (also a Fixed Wing/Rotary Instructor) of the Chatham Aeronauts again (www.chathamaeronauts.com) so if anyone is into R/C flight, or interested in getting into R/C flight... let me know! We can always use more human shields.
As site readers are aware, I am a man of many hobbies. They never really get old either, just seem to fade in and out. Once I pick something up that interests me it kind of sticks for life. "Flying" or more accurately, Remote Controlled Flight is one of those things. I started flying when I was about 10. My dad built me a Midwest Aerostar 40 trainer plane and I used to rock a 4 channel Futaba radio that weighed as much as my head, which as you can see from these images is enormous. Back when I started in the hobby, flight simulator software for computers was not very far along... and I certainly didn't have access to any. I fucking hated flying. I could not grasp the simple concepts, I would go out to the field and be on a trainer cable connected to my dad's radio and he would be saving me left right and center. Constant fuckups with direction, my brain just couldn't seem to grasp the simple concept that when the aircraft was coming back towards you, the roll inputs were reversed.
I flew very little and dreaded every minute of the "bonding" time with my dad out at the field because it just wasn't fun. Enter the flight simulator a few years later. I believe I was in grade 10 when I got my hands on "Realflight Deluxe". Wow, its a lot more fun when you don't have to worry about wrecking shit. I treated the simulator like it was a video game, and at the time I was fuckin good at video games. I think I can honestly say without exaggerating that through my highschool and college years I flew over 2000 simulator hours on fixed wing aircraft, and probably another 500 on helicopters. Now over this time I went through many real life R/C planes, I had combat bees, aerobatic biplanes, even a nice 3D funtana. I was acclaimed at the flying field as a quick learner... but fuck you guys, it wasn't quick, it just seemed quick because I learned at home on a computer and then came out a couple times a week to the field to look like an idiot savant. Or maybe just a savant, or maybe just an idiot. Not sure.
I couldn't really afford great aircraft, but I still had some interesting stuff. No helicopters though, until now.
I picked the hobby back up in December last year with the purchase of a Blade 400 3D. By all accounts a mediocre but "hobby grade" R/C helicopter made by E-Flite. Certainly not the best in its class, but it was relatively inexpensive ($550) and included a 2.4GHz transmitter. I decided at the time that I would get back on the simulator and also log every real flight I have with the Blade 400. Well, this is me remember, and I told myself "just one helicopter"... Fast forward 7 months:
Not a blade 400.
My primary heli, a Trex 600 Nitro Super Pro with an OS 55 HZ.
The only thing that is annoying is that I don't really know anybody that likes this shit, or at least not enough to want to do it on a regular basis. On average I head out to the flying field 2 or 3 times a week, all my friends are either uninterested or can't afford to start the hobby, or both. The few people I know that do fly don't fly nearly as much as I do, so it's kind of a bitch. Usually during the week I am out there solo, talking to myself. I am indeed a member (also a Fixed Wing/Rotary Instructor) of the Chatham Aeronauts again (www.chathamaeronauts.com) so if anyone is into R/C flight, or interested in getting into R/C flight... let me know! We can always use more human shields.
