The Backstory

Before I get into the projects, I feel like I should share some backstory with you.

When I was young, my brothers and sisters had already moved out of the house, and my parents were fighting.  It was 1992, I was about 12 at the time.  My father, Joe, needed a hobbie to get him out of the house and give him something to do with his time that was positive, and he had always loved model planes.  When he was a boy he flew the kind that you controlled on 2 strings as you spun in circles as a way to cope with his father (my grandfather)'s death (my father was 12 when his father died).

Naturally, I thought it was the coolest thing ever!  We started off with an inexpensive, "ready to fly" foam plane.  Didnt know the first thing about how to fly it, but we had drive and determination to learn how and have fun.  

I'll never forget that Saturday morning.. sun was shining, perfect temp, no wind.   We drove to my elementary school which was only a few blocks away, and unpacked the plane.  We set it up in the parking lot next to the school.  My Dad took the controls.  I started the motor, stood back and watched.  He hit the gas.. taxi'd about 20 feet.. took off straight into the air.  

"WOW.. WOOHOO!" I heard him shout from behind me as he continued to hold the elevator control slightly back to climb.  Then, I watched it arc.. straight up... turning over.. upside down.. it flew straight over our heads and BOOM into the side of the building.  My Dad was laughing so hard I almost thought he was crying.. so naturally I scrambled with a garbage bag to try and salvage every piece of shattered foam, as if we could repair it.

That first flight was about 15 seconds, and the landing was... questionable :-) but it was the start of something big.

A week or so later we drove down to the hobby shop and started asking questions.  We bought a balsa RC Plane kit, a motor, a radio, and got directions to a flying club near our house.. the Exeter Flying Eagles. Over the next 4 years we would learn a lot about super glue, zip-kicker, apoxy, plane fuel, properller strength... how to "lean" out an engine, and best of all how to roll, loop and land!

By 1996 (or so) the divorce was final, we weren't really flying anymore,  and my Dad moved out.  He didn't have room for the planes at his new place, so they stayed in my Mom's garage.  In 2001 I graduated from college and my Mom said "Drew, you need to find a place to keep these or I'm throwing them out".  Can't say I blame her.. 5 years taking up 1/4 of the garage with no use.. I'd throw them out too :-)

My sister, Kelly, was in the middle of building an addition onto her house, which included a very large attic, and they had nothing to put in it; so I helped them out :-)