I got started in R/C airplanes when I was about 12 when my uncle gave me an old Sig Kadet kit. I attempted to build it, but I think it ended up mostly butchered. Many years later (1999) after finishing high school in while I was working at a Volvo/Saab shop back home in Vermont before leaving for college I got the itch. Anyone who's had it before knows what I'm talking about... it's the "I've gotta build something!" itch that doesn't go away until it's been scratched.
I ordered a Duraplane Trainer 40 from Tower Hobbies along with an OS .46LA engine and everything necessary to assemble the airplane. I knew it wasn't the best trainer, but I was looking for durability and cost-effictiveness since I was supposed to be saving money for school. I spent the next several weeks putting it together in my spare time. The kit was near completion, all I had to do was glue the control surfaces in place and install the aileron servo and wing-guard when I pretty much lost interest for the moment. I had been going to the local club's flying field several days a week to check for anyone flying and didn't ever see one. As the days turned shorter and colder the fall winds started to come in, and I put everything away and got ready to move to Tennessee for school.
In winter 2001 I started to get bored and began to look for something to do, I found my duraplane in the garage and decided to finally finish putting it together. There was only a couple hours worth of work to finish it. I had an older Tower Hobbies radio for it but it wasn't FCC approved since it wasn't a new narrowband frequency so I bought a used Airtronics Vanguard 4 channel system. That summer I got about 6 days of flying in, I only took off once or twice, In the air I could do pretty well but I wasn't able to make a good landing approach when I stopped going. Click here to read about my flight-training. I got my second plane for my 21st Birthday (01/2001) from my parents and the accessories for it from my wife Kellie. I bought a Thunder Tiger Pro .46 after I sold my tamiya 4x4 truck. It's finished except for gluing on the control surfaces and installing radio gear.
2003: I've started to get back into the hobby, I recovered the duraplane to make it more visible and I even had one solo on it so far, this spring I managed to round up the flight box stuff I was missing. I've only been able to get to the field a couple of times this year. Recently I decided to get an electric GWS Slow Stick to help get some stick time at the field across from our house. See my flight log and slow stick page for more info on that stuff.