A couple of weeks ago, I took my small, lightweight park model electric airplane to a local park in Bowling Green. This park is wide open with no trees in the center section. Perfect! A great little hobby to take my mind off all the world issues. And there was no one around.
I’ve been flying these electric radio controlled planes for many years. Some of the larger and heavier ones take quite a bit of skill to fly without meeting an untimely end. And I’ve done that too.
The model that I took with me on our RV retirement is the Champ RTF. This is a light 1.3 oz trainer that is quite easy to fly. It is made for the first time radio control plane enthusiast. I bought mine from HobbyZone, but think that others carry it as well.
The really cool thing that I like is that it has two modes. A beginner and an advanced mode. The difference is in beginner mode the amount that you can adjust the rudder and elevator. In beginner it makes nice slow and smooth turns. Whereas in advanced, it can get wild.
The Champ is a 3-channel model that includes controls for throttle, rudder, and elevator. At $90 it is a good deal for a fun hobby.It is also fully assembled and ready to fly. I also bought 4 additional LiPo batteries.
I can do all kinds of stunts with this little 20 inch wingspan rascal. Loops, rolls, spins, and other crazy things.
That’s me and the plane is a tiny spec up there. 
A better picture of the plane. 
If you have a local field or park that is wide open, maybe this would be a good hobby to try as it can be done away from others and no risk. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Just make sure to fly it on a day without much wind. At 1.3 ounces it is like a mosquito against a high wind.
Covid-19 Tracker
I certainly hope and pray that the number of US cases will begin to flatten the curve. As you can see we are still on the steep ramp up phase.
Pat and I have been extremely careful. In fact, we have not been inside any stores or restaurants at all. We do the grocery instacart orders and curbside pickups. Or else have Amazon deliveries. Then we sanitize all that was purchased. Crazy.
Continue to shelter in place and stay safe! God bless.
RC plane flying seems like a GREAT way to enjoy your retirement while stuck in one place. I had always hoped to do that with you when you guys lived in Christiansburg, but never followed through with it. My son, Ryan, and I built an RC-10 (107 steps). We had so much fun running that car all over the place.
Bill, when this is all over let’s go flying! Small scale of course.
I would love to when you visit Christiansburg again.
Looks like a great amount of fun.
Yes, not too many other things to do right now, so good hobby time!
This post makes me want to go downstairs and dig out the RC plane that I started building 26 years ago but never finished!
Sounds like a great idea between your brew days!