30,189.51 raised in 2026. We have reached 6% of our goal.
Help us reach this year's goal of $500,000!
It all started when I was 8 years old. I used to hang Revell plastic models in my bedroom from the ceiling. I went to those plastic .049 cox planes, which were impossible to launch on one piece of plywood on the grass. I kept trying but only succeeded in setting my glove on fire in the winter trying to start the engine. No injury.
When I was about 11, I got a plastic Cox line-control airplane for Christmas. After I'd crash, I'd order parts, wait three weeks, and repeat. My dad got my brother and I Lil' Wizard balsa airplanes. We flew them for a couple of years. Fast forward 35 years, and my sister-in-law got me a coax helicopter for Christmas.
Disabled Army Veteran who just got back into the hobby a little over 2 years ago. Enjoys flying EDF and Turbines with occasional prop planes.
Control Line '60s, combat and sport. RC in the '80s, sport and old time (1/2 A) Sam 93. RC in Chicago '94 to 2004, fun fly. RC Kansas City 2005 to now, plus indoor electric.
I got into RC aviation out of pure curiosity and quickly fell down the rabbit hole. What started as learning the basics—controls, crashes, repairs—turned into a real appreciation for how planes fly and how much skill it takes to keep them in the air.
Along the way, I've learned patience, problem solving, and that every mistake is just part of the process. RC aviation has become less about the planes themselves and more about the challenge, the learning, and the satisfaction of a smooth flight.
Kolbe grew up flying model planes, starting like so many others with a little HobbyZone Champ. After parking it in trees countless times, he moved on to EDFs and eventually turbines by the end of high school.
Kolbe continued flying model planes through his time at the Air Force Academy, and he is now awaiting pilot training at ENJJPT. He credits much of his success in full-scale aviation and aeronautical engineering to his strong foundation in basic principles from model aircraft.
Pictured is Kolbe teaching his youngest brother to fly.
I am fairly new to the hobby, although I dipped my toe in as a teen with a Cox 0.49 glow engine, line-controlled P-51 Mustang.
After a divorce 12 years ago, I was searching for new friends and a new hobby to keep myself occupied. I always liked and wanted model aircraft, but my situations would not allow it.
I built my first kit—a Ringmaster Control Line model—in 1958. It was ugly, but it flew, and I was hooked. After a long hiatus for military service, four more years of school, marriage, raising kids, and a career, I returned to the hobby around 2001. I no longer fly Control Line, but with more than 70 RC models, it's fair to say I'm still hooked.
I fell in love with RC flight at 14, and I've kept a transmitter in my hands for more than three decades. I sold every toy I owned to buy my first airplane—a Thundercore .40 that was wildly underpowered but full of promise. There was no buddy-box back then—just a mentor ready to grab the radio and hope for a save. I learned the hard way, and I've loved every minute.
As a dad, I have tried my best to follow my son's passions. He's a builder, creator, and inventor. Autism has played a part in his ability to hyperfocus and his will to answer his "What if?" questions. We found a registered field for RC planes on Oahu and have been guided by the kindest crew of guys.
Retired pilots, engineers, current pilots, and others, the Pacific Islanders Flyers have taken my son under their wings and motivated him more than I could ever do. My son, Aiden, now teaches other children how to fly three times a year on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor.
