Friday, March 6, 2009

Hey, I want to build a plane and do it by myself

I am really excited.... When it comes to the RC plane hobby my wife and I both participate. Normally the job of building and prepping the planes is my job, but recently she decided she wanted to build a plane, and do it by herself. I thought I would post a few thoughts on first builds here.
I still remember my first build. It was an Eagle 2 kit that I picked up from the LHS (local hobby shop) while I was a jr. or sr. in high school. I can still recall the joy of sitting in my bedroom floor with a piece of 2'x4' plywood, a box of balsa, and a bottle of CA. I can also remember the roll of my parents eyes as I brought home this box of balsa explaining I was gonna build an airplane. I have not always been known to finish all the projects I have started so im sure my parents figured it would end up half finished in the garage somewhere. Well it did end up in the garage, although it was fully covered and well flown.
I have high hopes that my wife finds at least some of the joy I found in putting together an airplane from a pile of wood, and the joy of seeing the completed project knowing that hey .. you I built that.. I have every intention of letting her do it by herself, and providing only the most basic of assistance.
As I thought of the things I wish I had known when I built my first plane, it has nothing to do with specific ways of monokoting, or exacly how to get an exact balance on the plane. In those days the internet was new.... way new... and it would have been nice to be able to do a quick search on rcgroups or rcuniverse to see what others thought of the kit.. Its always nice to know what worked and what didnt for others.. but that doesnt mean I would have HAD to follow their advice.
For those that are new to the hobby I would pass them this as a tip... look and see what others have done.. take some and leave some when it comes to advice, dont rush even though the process is exciting, above all have fun.... if you dont find this part fun... buy an ARF..

OK just my thoughts..

PS good luck on your new build!!!

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