First flyby a confirmed success

The day started at a local pizza place in Castle Rock, Colorado. The Radio Control Club Meet Up poster, on the door of the establishment, attracted a new friend and fellow fixed wing pilot when he saw the invitation and decided to join us. By the end of the day, he was seriously considering adding a quadcopter to his arial fleet.

After pizza, we all congregated in the parking lot to compare aircraft. We talked about wireless frequencies and gear before heading over to the park. There, we planned to fly each of the planes, single propped, triple propped and quad propped copters that were currently waiting in the trunks and truck beds.

Would you go again?

For me, it was a relaxing day in the sun feeling the breeze, listening to the propellers drone and the children playing in the playground beyond the open field. I enjoyed watching the pilots, who focused on their craft, and the choppers and fixed wings flying over the astroturf and the surrounding rolling hills with scrub brush in the valleys.

There are always varying degrees of expertise within any group. The RC club is no exception. I nearly cratered the quadcopter; but, kept trying and flying until I could take low, slow flights only a few feet off the ground. Others, with tens perhaps hundreds of hours more experience, flew around the park and countryside until their batteries (all of them, and there were many) were exhausted. One of the pilots implemented amazing flips, turns and barrel rolls. Most flew the craft from the edge of the field by craning their necks and turning as the copters flew by. One pilot put on the first person perspective (FPV) video piloting goggles and flew around watching the flight from the cockpit perspective via a small camera mounted on the craft itself.

Throughout the day, the participants analyzed their flights and technologies, enjoyed each other’s skills and continued their practicing, in hopes of improving their own flying techniques. The day was long and enjoyable. We made new friends and strengthened bonds with old ones. I recommend the RC club to anyone who wants to take off into the blue and leave their troubles on the ground for the day.