In my early RC days flying slope and power planes I looked forward to a quiet airfield and having the sky to myself. It rarely happened while living in Southern California or stationed at a Navy base. I sometimes went out of my way to find secluded places to fly, driving to hidden coves along the beach, inland to a remote hilltop, or up into the mountains where the giant scale sailplanes flew in some serious winds, piloted by guys with more guts than I ever had.

Now that I'm finally competing in aerobatics and need time and airspace to practice, I have mixed feelings about arriving at my club's airfield to find the gate locked and no one there. I have opened that gate after work and on weekends, and locked up long after sunset, more times than I can count. We have 85 members at our club, yet I am often the only one flying at our field.

Granted, I will fly in less than ideal conditions: in gaps between thunderstorms, in strong winds, in the heat and cold. Competition has made that a necessity. We did have a few pilots come out for our Chili Fly last Saturday, when the temperature was struggling to get above 40 degrees and the clouds threatened rain at any moment. I went back to fly again the next day, with the winds a bit stronger and the thermometer stuck at 40 again, and I had the field to myself. On a Sunday afternoon. I went after work today, with the air feeling balmy at 52 and the sun finally pushing back a week of gloomy skies, and once again I arrived...Continue Reading