“My interest in RC flying vehicles goes back about nine years when I got a toy-grade helicopter for Christmas. For some time, I was mainly interested in drones and helicopters, but about three years ago, a friend took me out to his flying field and gave me a demonstration of his RC airplane. From then on I was really hooked on airplanes, and I purchased my first ready to fly Horizon Hobby model that summer. Through the hot months of June, July, and August, I worked through the trial of teaching myself to fly, learning from my crashes, and finally working up to doing aerobatics by Fall. Around this time, I discovered Flite Test and was surprised to learn that I could actually build an RC airplane relatively easily. This opened up a whole new realm of the hobby, as I jumped head first into building several foam board models. The reward of building a plane myself, overcoming the struggles that I encountered, and in the end seeing my creation take flight was incredible. Of the eight airplanes I have had, only two have been purchased pre-built. My favorites have been my Flite Test models like my Simple Cub that I constructed and painted myself. Especially through scratch building airplanes, I have learned a lot as a result of this hobby. I have increased my understanding of electronics, from the motors and batteries so crucial to RC planes, to the radio transmissions used to control them. And of course, my knowledge base when it comes to aerodynamics has been greatly increased as I have constructed actual flying machines and taken note of how different forces influence the flight performance. Spending time in my RC hobby has been my favorite recreation for the last 3 years. By far my favorite flying memories, however, have been when I flew with one of my family members. Whether it was with a buddy box system, or even flying formation (which I was able to do one time with my brother), I have found that doing my hobby with someone is the most rewarding. This really points back to the power this hobby has to bring people together, in flying with one another at the field, building and troubleshooting on the bench, and fellowshipping at community events such as Flite Fest. The new FAA regulations, particularly remote ID and fixed flying sight rules, threaten to cut short what has been a truly life changing recreation. The models I fly are small and completely safe to fly in the large field at the park up the road from my house, but a requirement to drive the 12 miles to the nearest flying club would put a serious time and financial constraint on my pursuit. My hope is that with the help of organizations like Flite Test, my hobby can continue to thrive and keep bringing a smile to the faces of thousands of people for many years to come.”