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Looking for the RDRC Club Website? Their new web address is
rd-rc.com
Regular Dudes Radio Control??? - That's what we are. Two generations of
R/C enthusiasts who build, fly, and sometimes crash our R/C Airplanes. We're not trying to be champions, be in all the
magazines, be seen at all the fly-in's, fly the most expensive stuff on the market, be the latest 3-D hotdog, or be the
kings of various internet forums. We're just enthusiasts who enjoy the hobby as a part of our lives, as a family hobby,
and only when we can fit it in with everything else. It's just another a hobby.
What started it all?? - Sometime back around 1968, my
Mom & Dad gave me a Cox P-51 U-Control for Christmas. This was the spark that ignited a
life-long hobby. I've been in and out, as most folks do with hobbies, but I always seem to
drift back in. My last period of downtime was about 13 years (!!), during which time my
wife and I changed jobs, bought a new home and moved, and started up a business
(Scootworks) that has consumed
nearly all of our spare time. Finally, in 2006, I was able to find time to get back into the hobby.
Thank goodness I kept all of my gear, most of which I've had to repair before it could be
used again, hehehehe...
Anyway, my first Cox P-51 U-Control plane was FAST, and promptly drove itself into the ground. My
dad ordered a new wing, and we were off and flying again. I finally got so that I could fly it
pretty well, and started getting other things like a PT-19, Nobler, etc. I was also into
Ham Radio, and that seemed to mesh with my R/C interests.
I remember several radio systems from that time (and before), but alas...I no longer have any of
them. ControlAire, Pro-Line, E.K.Logitrol, Heathkit, World Engines, Bonner, etc. I wish I'd taken
pics of my early planes and radios, 'cause my memory of the specifics isn't so good from those
early days. I do remember girls... Girls came along around '74, and I got out of R/C for a while.
My first venture, when I returned to R/C around '79, was a 2 Channel Cessna RTF from Cox. It came with a Cox/Sanwa
2ch radio, a little spring start .049, and a styrofoam semi-Cessna that wouldn't fly below mach 2. Next came
a Dynoflite Piece-O-Cake, which was a joy to fly and would easily thermal. Then I had a flying
styrofoam brick called a Cessna 150 from Hobby Shack (now Hobby People), using a Thunder Tiger
.15 and basic Futaba Am radio system. The plane was underpowered, too heavy, and had too
little wing area for it's weight. I bought a spare wing, cut sections out and joined them to
almost double the wing area, added flying wires, and it flew great. I flew it for about 4 years, and
regretfully I only have the
crash photo.
I flew fairly steady and often until about '93, when I took a 13 year break. Up
until then, I was flying in lots of Fun Flys over several states, designing and scratch building
stuff with my buddies Glenn Speight and Garry Owens, standing on the leading edge of 3D before it
had a name (and didn't even realize it until returning to the hobby 13 years later!), flying
with lots of friends in the WRCMA in Wilson (DePratt, Grayson, Charlie, Johnny, etc), and having
a generally great time. Along the way I also owned an R/C Electronics business (Hobby Radio),
had the opportunity to have 'hands on' experience with loads of varied R/C gear, and even
maintained the radio systems for the Cloud Dancers International Air Show Team. I couldn't imagine
it being much better!
During my 'break', I did manage to spend some time with my sons doing a little kit building,
taught my oldest son (Chris) how to fly, helped my youngest son (Brandon) rebuild a Sig Kadet Jr,
and hopefully passed on a hobby that they may continue
throughout life...and enjoy it as much as I do. The pic above and right is of me and my sons at the 2006 Fly For
Tots event at the RDRC field (before a little night flying). From left to right is me, Chris, and Brandon.
The bug bit Brandon, and he's now flying, too! The pic on the left is Brandon working on his
'UFO', a Sig Kadet Jr. Chris originally learned to fly on a Goldberg Eagle II,
and Brandon got his first stick time on the RDRC club trainer, a Sig LT-40. Chris likes to fly...
a lot. In the pic below and right, you'll see some of his collection of R/C Airplanes, Cars,
Boats, and Helicopters. Wow...I'd hate to keep the batteries up in all those machines, heheheheh.
As time moved along, so did I. I built and flew a lot of different planes, some of which are listed in
the LH menu. I've been a member of the Johnston County club (back in the days of the landfill field),
RAMS for a short stint, Wilson R/C Modelers Association for several years, and
was a member of the Raleigh Durham R/C (RDRC) from 1993 to 2011. I've been an associate member of the Tarheel R/C Flyers
and am currently a member of the Pilot R/C Club.
On the left are links
to pictures, info, videos, etc. associated with my years in the hobby, as well as some
slideshows and videos of my Sons' R/C adventures. Some of the pics are
my actual planes, some I had to download from the web to fill the gaps. Word of advice...take
pictures of your planes and put them somewhere safe. If you don't, you'll regret it later
in life!. Anyway, I hope you'll also find a few things that might interest you in this great hobby of
R/C Aircraft!
Buy and Sell your R/C Gear in the
- Regular Dudes R/C Swapshop
-My Current Weather Conditions- For more local weather stats, click
HERE
Live Data from my home Weather Station
Live Video
This is a live video feed from the RC Workshop,
when I put it on the air from time to time. It's not always on, but check back and watch for it, as I do let it run quite
a lot. It's a low bitrate feed with audio, so it's easy on my internet service.
It's paid for by the 1 minute (or less) advertisement, so please let it play and then you can see video. You can also click
the links below the video window and see some of my other cam feeds as extracted from some of my security cams around the
property.
I use Adobe FME to encode the video (free) and Ustream to broadcast the feed (also free). Most of these cams are the little
cheapie internet chat cams that can be bought for under $20, but some of the other cams I'm working on encoding are much better
and will even be broadcasting from inside of one of the bird houses this summer.
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- Studio 'A' Cam
- Studio 'B' Cam
- RC Workshop Cam
- Radio Workshop Cam
- Home Motorcycle Workshop Cam
- Roaming Phone Cam
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