My interest in aviation goes back to when I was very young and of course that resulted in getting into free flight gliders and then later airplanes powered by rubber bands or compressed air. Around the age of ten I played with a control line airplane running on the classic .049 engine and this was about the most I was able to do because despite wanting to get into radio control for airplanes it was out of reach due to the high costs of equipment and models in the 1990s and early 2000s. But I never really let go of that dream even though I put it on hold for a long time.
Then in 2015 I met someone at a church I had just started attending who has been into radio controlled airplanes for decades and thus has a lot of experience just by a chance encounter. After this meeting I learned that things have changed a lot and what seemed to be an unachievable dream was within reach. Then in 2017 I got my first proper radio controlled airplane, an E-Flite Apprentice trainer which I still have today and still fly from time to time. I was then told about the Academy and decided to become a member because of opening some doors such as access to flying sites and then later becoming a member of the Blacksheep RC Modelers of Danville Indiana. Everyone has been very kind to me and helpful despite the fact that I can be a bit shy due to having an Autistic spectrum disorder.
Later on once I gained some more experience I decided to try not only flying off of land but also water and snow by getting into float flying. This part of radio controlled model aviation has been a thrill not only for me but for others who have watched me fly airplanes off of ponds or other bodies of water. There is a moral to this story, don't let go of some dreams because eventually things might fall into place and allow them to be realized.
