Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Fond du lac RC Airshow

This weekend Linda and I went to the Fond du lac War-bird and Classic Radio Controlled fly in.

It was not a huge event but it was well run and there were several hundred flyers and half a dozen commercial sponsors. What jumped out was some serious practitioners of the hobby with awesome airplanes and flying skills to match.

I like to listen to the resonance of the engines and Linda and I spent a lot of time walking around and taking in all the events. There was a shaded pavilion set up where you could sit and watch the activities out of the sun. It was definitely a fun weekend.

Several weeks ago I was invited to the back room of a hobby shop in Marshfield to look at a huge stash of RC model airplanes that were being sold as part of an estate. I bought a number that were older, priced right and put together by a master builder. I like to bring these old models back to life in much the same way I enjoy rehabbing old automobiles.

A number of my friends chide me for flying old junk and shake their heads but hey! Its something I enjoy and I am well past being too swayed by what other people think or want me to do. I find working on old models built is a great way to learn, plus most of the work is already done. Sure, most of the electronic gadgets are obsolete or missing and in some instances there is some crash damage but as long as the fuselage and wing are not warped these shortcomings are not too difficult to rectify.

Anyway I did buy a trainer at the airshow so I can show my purist friends that I am capable of scratch building an airplane from a kit. It should be fun to build something that is complete with a good set of instructions to go along with it. Most of what I have been working on of late, has been done without the benefit of a construction manual and working plans.