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I just became a member at Rock Valley RC Flyers in 2025.
I have been involved in building and flying balsa wood model airplanes on and off for about 50 years. Things started with rubber band power, then glow power -free flight, and control line planes.
My first two RC planes pictured above were gifted to me by my girlfriends brother. So, this is all his fault😎
Honestly, it was a great gift, and I can't thank him enough for giving me a chance to participate in the great hobby of RC airplanes.
I began flying RC planes around 2022.
Many times over the years, I remember driving out to the Rock Valley RC Flyers field to see if someone was flying. Spectators are always welcome!
I always enjoyed watching them fly, and I knew this would make a great hobby when I got the chance.
I am one who likes to Build and Fly my own planes. I do Crash(it happens sometimes) then Rebuild-Fly-Crash-Rebuild again.....
Where it all really started was with a gift from my Mom and Dad around the time I was 10-11 years old. Dad helped me put together my first airplane, and I learned some new curse words in the process!
Where it all really started was with a gift from my Mom and Dad around the time I was 10-11 years old. Dad helped me put together my first airplane, and I learned some new curse words in the process!
He was a WWII Navy Vet who's nickname was "Salty". What would you expect?😉
There were a couple other models built and crashed, but never re-built. As I got older I had some control line planes with Cox .049 engines, and in later years the hobby went to the wayside for a while.
I tried to get back into building when my son was older, but it wasn't something that piqued his interest. The end result was the build of one SIG Twister - Control Line airplane.
I tried to get back into building when my son was older, but it wasn't something that piqued his interest. The end result was the build of one SIG Twister - Control Line airplane.
It flew a couple times, had a minor crash, and then later after repair it was destroyed.
I did keep the engine and hardware which gave me a chance much later on to get back to building and flying. I just didn't think it would take 20 years.
My Control Line Model Stuntman 23.
My Control Line Model Stuntman 23.
It now proudly hangs on the ceiling at Hobbytown USA Rockford, IL.
It now proudly hangs on the ceiling at Hobbytown USA Rockford, IL.
Several years before my retirement, I started an airplane collection beginning with the building of three Control Line airplanes.
I purchased a Carl Goldberg Stuntman 23, SIG Beechcraft Staggerwing, and I finally replaced my long lost SIG Twister. I still had the engine and hardware stashed away! 20 years later I found everything boxed up and waiting for me. The Twister engine, tank, and hardware, along with building tools, and parts. It was a good start to a small shop and basic supplies.
Those planes got me back into building, and were a blast to fly, but I quickly found that spinning in a circle wasn't something I could do very well at my age.
It was perfect that about this time, the 2 RC planes were gifted to me by my girlfriend's brother. That was my introduction to the world of RC airplanes and now, I am hooked.
My Control Line Model Beechcraft Staggerwing.
My Control Line Model Beechcraft Staggerwing.
It also proudly hangs on the ceiling at Hobbytown USA Rockford, IL.
It also proudly hangs on the ceiling at Hobbytown USA Rockford, IL.
My SIG Twister hanging on the ceiling at Hobbytown USA Rockford, IL. along with my Stuntman 23 and Beechcraft Staggerwing.
My SIG Twister hanging on the ceiling at Hobbytown USA Rockford, IL. along with my Stuntman 23 and Beechcraft Staggerwing.
I did some model kits over the last few years, and even did some kit modification on a couple of kits. Commonly known as "Kit Bashing"
I'm working on a couple "build pages" to show what happens on the build table during assembly.
You may notice throughout this page you've seen the word "crash" several times. That is understandably scary for anyone who plans to start participating in this hobby. I know first hand it does happen, and it happens to nearly everyone who tries this hobby.
There's something I've heard said over the years about this hobby and other activities. "There are 2 types of flyers. Those that have crashed, and those that will.....someday."
The electric trainer gifted to me. An EFlite Alpha 450 Sport. It is a balsa wood ARF(almost ready to fly). I did have to rebuild it after a pretty bad crash. It flies better than most of my planes to this day. A really nice trainer plane!
The SIG Kavalier gifted to me. It needed recovering and the engine needed to be cleaned up. It has been crashed and repaired a couple times.
I call it "Bumblebee"
It is a great flyer.
If you would like to learn how to fly RC airplanes, it is recommended by all of us here at Rock Valley RC Flyers to go to some sort of flight training, like the buddy box system we use to first learn flying RC planes.
That will most assuredly help prevent the dreaded "crash" that sometimes keeps folks from trying a new hobby. It really does help having a group of flyers here to help teach, ensure safe flying techniques, and build confidence.
If you're interested in learning how to fly, be sure and check out the "Learn to Fly" drop down box on the top of the main page. Then, select from the drop down box Overview, or Instructors. This will get things started for anyone who wants to learn how to fly. The website is still under construction, so please be patient, and the Club will do their best. There is contact information on the homepage here for anyone who needs it. Be sure to also check out the forms and requirements for flying at our Club on this page here.You can also log into Facebook and join our group page also. Note: Log in to Facebook required to request membership in the group page.
If there is any interest in building RC airplane kits, and the techniques involved, stay tuned. I'll be adding some build photos and take you through the process. There are others in this group with FAR more building and flying skills than myself, but I will do my best.
GOOD FLYING EVERYONE!
This was the first kit I opened after doing repairs and re-builds on my SIG Kavalier and Alpha 450 trainer. I got ahead of myself, and thought I could do a kit bash.
I took this simple Herr Engineering AT-6 Texan kit and made it WAY too heavy with add-ons and extras. It flew once and crashed, then repaired and flown once after that.
It's a hangar Queen now.
MORE TO COME LATER, ON THE BUILD PAGES
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