MATT SAYS ELECTRIC RULES!!!!!

 May 26, 2010  by Dave Anderson

Matt is one of those rare people who knows exactly what he wants. . . well, as least when it comes to radio control flying!  Why R/C?   Even as a kid, he was facinated with planes; wanted to fly real planes, but never did.  He dabbled with control line planes as a kid, and had fond memories.  But on a recent  visit to "A Train Hobbies" a while back, the "bug" hit him hard and he didn't leave until he had five airplanes in the truck!   He told me "they were all basic fliers - I planned on crashing them!"  Oh - and of course they were all electric birds. . .  thus:  "Electric Rules!"  Silly boy. . . there he is spending too much time with Luis again!

Matt started out flyilng the Hobbyzone Commander, a 2-channel pusher at a local school lot and crashed it right away!  So he quickly learned the finer points of repairing foam airplanes!  He still flies out there sometimes, along with his young son Raymond.  You'll meet Raymond at the field sometimes. . .   he likes the Hobbyzone Aerobird as a weapon of choice.   It wasn't long before Matt discovered Island Hobbies, and our friend Tony told him about some of the area clubs and handed him a flyer for CCRCS.  Using the website, he contacted Dave Agar for lessons and with Dave's expert guidance, flew the club Nexstar trainer.   John Shirron tried to help him with the trainer too. . .  but there Matt said there were some "pole issues!"  Hmmm. . .   But then, Matt said, "after seeing the pros crash - I knew that I had found the right club!"  Thanks Matt - that's real inspiring!

Matt's only been flying for a few months, but already has about ten airplanes in the hanger, along with several ARF bulds, and is currently working on a old E-Flight J-3 kit, and wants to build a Piper Pawnee soon, and maybe a Storch.  He enjoys the builds, but he's been pretty frustrated, he says, with the poor quality of the electronics in the kits.  (Gee - where have we heard that one before??!!)  He and his family spend some time each summer on Lake Merwin, so he's been trying out his Supercub on floats.  Near my house, we have a lake in an old quarry that I've used a couple of times, and Matt found that flying with floats is a bit different.  Last time out, there wasn't quite enough power in the "Power System," and ended up ditching it behind a fence.  Oh yeah - that was fun!  And oh yeah - "Electric Rules!"  We could've snuck back there and got it, but the dog had other ideas.  As I remember it, that dog's teeth almost glinted in the early morning sun!  But a neighbor was nice enough to fetch it for us, and the plane was intact, unmarred by canine molars,  safe - all is good!

So what got him back into the hobby shop?  Matt says he realized he had "the fever" when he bought himself  a Flight Simulator for Christmas last year - and started flying on it. . .  after using it for awhile, he knew he was hooked!  Like many of us, I'm sure, Matt had to take a step back on his new-found passion when his family had to ask him to stop talking about planes. . . .    he wanted to fly float planes up in Lake Merwin, since he spends a lot of time up there with his family.   (Editor's note: What is it about this hobby the wives don't understand?  Somebody please help me!!!)  He needs to get his transportation organized too. . .   quite often he'll show up at my shop, the van is full of his office brochures and samples, with the airplanes and hobby boxes all around and stuffed on top!  Almost as funny as my trying to stuff that quarter-scale PT-19 in my little Civic!

As for the future, Matt says he plans to write a blog to share my experiences as an amateur.  I hope he gets that up and running - it'll be fun to share his adventures on the CCRCS website!  Friendly and congenial, Matt is an excellent addition to our club.  He had visited at least one other club before deciding on CCRCS, but once he made it our to our field, he found the people he met there so accessable, friendly, and helpful that he decided on the spot to stay.  His good nature, obsession with the hobby, and encouragement for his son to do the same makes him an excellent addition to CCRCS!

Want to say hello to Matt and offer encouragement?  Send him a note here. . .