This has been quite a year since my first blog post about my first RC airplane. The E-flite Maule that is my first plane now has195 flights on it, with only a handful of "incidents" in the logbook. Like a lot of people I think, I've gone nuts with this hobby with great encouragement from my local flying club. My second plane, an E-flite T-28 is currently awaiting parts for a major repair after a still-unexplained crash that was most likely pilot error.

My third plane was a Seagull Pilatus Porter that I had great fun putting together and flying, but life was short and I had a major crash that broke it in half. My club encouraged me to rebuild it, which I did, and then not long after crashed again and it became my first retired plane. After a long analysis, we found the issue and it was builder error, not pilot error. But since I was also the builder I only felt a little better to determine that I had not just flown it into the ground. It turned out that I had used a servo extension between the ESC and the receiver and despite using heat shrink at the connection, and it looked very nice, the connectors were not securely mated. This caused the first and second crash and was a big learning experience for me. Undeterred I kept flying the Maule and started work on a Flite Test Mini Mustang kit.

I'll stop there because I really want to get some work done this morning on my first balsa build from plans, but at some point, I'll come back here with more of the story of how I've gone from a new flier with a foamie to being a new balsa builder and the many planes in between.

Hello! I feel like I want to start capturing some of the things I'm learning as I get into RC planes, and this might be a good place to do it. I've already benefited from others helping me figure out problems so I'll see if I can help some other folks as well.

My best friend Keith started flying RC models about 50 years ago, but I didn't think I could do it back then. I was always in awe that he could fly like that, but the most I ever did was model rockets and a few control line planes that I built. Fast forward (and it does seem fast) 49 years and he took me out to his field and handed me the controls of his Apprentice on SAFE mode and I realised all those hours playing on Flight Simulator were going to pay off. I think I flew 4 batteries on the Apprentice. Unfortunately, I crashed the Apprentice which Keith still claims was due to a radio glitch when I lost the ability to control the plane and it did a slow circle into the ground. It looked fatal but he tells me he got it flying again. Amazingly he then said "try again" and gave me the transmitter for his Timber and I was able to fly it 4 or 5 times without another crash, even doing a few loops and rolls. I was hooked.

After returning home to Australia I found a local flying field that put me through a training program and last month I got my Bronze Wings. I bought an E Flite Maule because the local shop didn't have a Timber in stock and I've been really happy with the Maule. This week I flew my 25th flight on it and so far the only damage was a slightly sprung landing gear after a hard bounce. I'm really happy that Keith introduced me to R/C flying and that I found a local club who would help me since Keith is so far away right now.

Keith surprised me on our Birthday last week (we were born on the same day in the same hospital) with a new Horizon Hobby Parkzone T-28 Trojan. I've been in the hobby less than four months and I already have my second plane! What a great friend!