A couple of Saturdays ago, Steve took me out to the place where he flies his radio controlled airplane. It was a perfectly gorgeous day, with all of Roanoke Island wrapped up in the bluest Carolina sky imaginable.
The flying field is way out in the boonies and marked by this sign.
As soon as we arrived at the field, Steve raised the official flag which announced to the nearby gun club that there would be a plane in the air.Then he unloaded all his stuff and got to work.
Flying RC planes utilizes many of the impressive line up of tinkering/fixing/building talents that Steve possesses. Constantly adjusting and redesigning and modifying stuff makes him a happy, happy man!
And then the fact that he’s loved planes since he was a little boy (growing up with a fighter pilot Dad) is just the icing on the cake.
It had been many years since I’d seen him fly since he’s just recently gotten back into this hobby; I had completely forgotten how high an RC plane actually goes. Quite exciting to watch!
One of the main challenges on this particular outing was that it took Steve four or five attempts to get the engine to stay running. (He has made some adjustments since then and isn’t having that problemso much anymore.)
Most of the time the engine quit while the plane was still on the ground but we had a moment of excitement when it quit while it was in the air! Steve deftly managed to get the plane on the ground without a crash landing. (I learned that landing a plane without an engine is called a dead stick landing.)
In order to help you picture the whole preparation/flying process more clearly, I’ve put together a brief video. I especially love the part where Steve throws back his head and laughs after the engine quits for the bazillionth time. A sense of humor and a lot of patience are two of the many attributes needed for this great hobby.
Enjoy!
Does that red flag protect the plane or the pilot on the ground? that was a neat video, and I could actually hear the engine!
I just read Fred’s reply and thought I should recommend the McDuff children’s books
(SO cute) because McDuff’s (a Westie) parents are Fred and Lucy!
Hello Mrs. Pam, thanks for mentioning the McDuff books! If I were an author, children’s books would be exactly what I would want to write! And we have had a lot of fun over the years joking about Fred Mertz & Lucy Ricardo on the old “I Love Lucy show!” 🙂
Fred,
Love me some I Love Lucy!
Mrs. Pam – well of course “I Love Lucy” is my motto! 🙂 When our boys were growing up, there weren’t a lot of decent programs to choose from on TV. VCRs had recently come along, so we taped all the I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith Show programs we could find. As a result, our boys know most of the dialogue from those programs by heart! 😉
Take care,
Fred & Lucy
PS – Before I retired, years ago when I would get home from work, I would open the front door and say, “LOOOO-ZY, I’M HOME!” 🙂
Mrs. Pam,
That’s a question Steve would have to answer; I’ve never really thought much about it.
And a book about a Westie sounds wonderful!
That was fun, Becky. I chuckled along with Steve. What a great guy to have that much fun when too many would be frustrated and scowling! Makes all the difference in life. It was fun to watch it soar and land – even if it was in the rough.
Mary,
Yes, I agree, watching the plane soar and land is fun–I’m just glad I’m not in charge of it!
Becky, Your recent blogs about Sarah’s birthday, her childhood photos, your photos of Steve’s plane (my word, it is huge!) and your video of Steve flying his plane were just great! Thank you for sharing your wonderful family with us! BTW – I really liked Steve’s PCV pipe flip-over plane immobilizer. What a brilliant invention!
Best Regards,
Fred & Lucy 🙂
Fred,
I didn’t know that gadget of Steve’s was called a PCV Pipe Flip-Over Plane Immobilzer but it sounds like an apt title to me! 🙂 Glad you’ve enjoyed the recent posts; we’ve had plenty of reasons to celebrate!
Hi Fred, The flip-over plane immobilizer was built by our club members before I joined. Many times I use one that has a rod that goes into the ground. Either way works. I really respect a spinning prop and don’t want the plane getting loose. Do you do R/C?
Hello Steve! What a pleasure to hear from you! We have a lot in common… We are both big fans of Becky, Manteo is my favorite place on the planet, marriage and fatherhood are at the top of list of values – AND – you set an example for husbands and fathers that we can aspire to, but are not likely to ever attain.
(Not to mention that in December, I will be a 10 year cancer survivor!) 😎
You know that long-time dream of yours regarding a real airplane; well, my long-time dream is to have – an RC plane! 😉 (“Someday”) Well, I’m 66, so i’d better keep an eye on that “someday” thing! 🙂 Actually, I am fascinated with the “quadcopters” that I see on YouTube videos, but I dare say they require absolutely no skills compared to your RC plane.
BTW, until I saw Becky’s video, I had no idea how BIG your RC airplane was!
Soon after I retired in 2004, I got a Windows flight sim for the PC, and thoroughly enjoyed using it.
Long story – some time ago, when our PC failed, we switched to Mac, so that our two musician sons could use the Mac “Garage Band” (?) software. Last year, I got the Mac Flight Sim, but haven’t used it as much as the windows version.
Thank you again for taking the time to write me, Steve. I know for a fact (from reading Becky’s blog) that you are always incredibly busy.
Best Regards,
Fred & Lucy Johnson
Virginia Beach
twinclarinets@gmail.com
Hey Fred. Thanks for your gracious comments. If y’all are down here sometime we should grab some lunch together. A quad copter sounds like a blast. Check out Debbie’s RC World in Chesapeake. On line try towerhobbies.com. I have used both suppliers and have been pleased. Man you should go for it!! You’ll feel like a kid again!!
Oooooo, that looks like fun! One of the things I love about where I live is that there are a lot of private pilots and plans zipping about. Watching them is such a great time…
A sense of humor and a lot of patience are excellent traits for pretty much EVERYTHING! I think I have the first, but the second? Not so much 😉 . Working on it, though. Glad you and Steve had a good time with his hobby!
Kristina, well, a private plane is definitely Steve’s dream. But until that happens, the RC will have to do!
I guess I could call it my hubby’s hobby!
That’s very cool!
Lesley,
Yes, it’s cool to do and cool to watch!
Becky: Love it! And I agree, love the laugh and the patience needed. Life lesson! Blessings, Beth & Bill
Hi Beth, good to hear from you!
And laughter and patience are definitely good things! 🙂