Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Looften · 08-06-2003, 01:17 AM

I'm a fairly new member, and to my surprise, there isn't really a forum here to discuss the various hobbies our members have. Posts concerning aspects of our hobbies seem misplaced on the more specific boards available here at TFP. General Discussion is a bit too fast paced and broad to hold steady conversations and retain insightful posts for others to benefit from. Knowledge is probably the closest match, but it doesn't reflect the enjoyment that our often silly hobbies give us. Entertainment is too deeply focused on media.

I'm not sure how much interest exists for having a hobby board, so I figured I'd break the ice with an introductory post. Feel free to reply and describe your own hobby, how long you have been doing it, any personal touches you apply, and what really makes it enjoyable to you. I'll go first of course.

I fly radio controlled helicopters. My first, and current model I'm flyng is a .30 size Kyosho Calibur. I started with no experience flying planes, so it has been quite the adventure for me to start off with such a challenge. I've only recently felt confident enough to remove my training gear and fly it free. I've painted the standard plastic canopy a combination of red and black to add some flare. The painting process took quite awhile and I had to use the same process one would if he were painting a car. I had my first crash back in December, due to radio interference. The main and tail rotos were destroyed of course, along with the flybar and some ajoining parts. Luckily the frame and boom was fine and I had it back in operation after ordering some new parts.
Most of my fly time takes place is my fairly large and flat backyard, although I often fly at a local field. I'm the only pilot there that does helicopters, all the rest are plankers.

I choose helicopters for two reasons. First of all I enjoy the mechanical detail of my model. R/C helicopters use the same mechanism of real helicopters. Everything from the main rotors to swashplate are present. The biggest difference between R/C and real helicopters is the prescence of a flybar and two blades in place of the standard four blades. I think some of my most enjoyable moments in the hobby is the time I spent fixing it up after my first crash. The other aspect is the sheer thrill of flying. It takes a lot of practice and coordination to move two joysticks at once in order to control the model. It's largely a balancing act just to keep it in the air. I've always wanted to get into this hobby ever since I was a little kid, I just saw it as the coolest thing in the world, and it just may be.

It's also a good excuse to get outside and enjoy the weather. I never had much interest in flying model planes, I just felt bound to the chopper.

I doubt that many, if any, members of our board also fly R/C helicopters. I'm sure there's a decent number that fly planes. I hope I don't intimidate anybody with my in depth response.

So what are your hobbies? How long have you been doing them? What makes them so enjoyable? Any tips or tricks? Your hobby can be anything from coin collecting to mountain biking to ricing up your geo metro. Let us know what you do and why it's so great.

08-06-2003, 01:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
Looften Crazy	Tilted Hobby's I'm a fairly new member, and to my surprise, there isn't really a forum here to discuss the various hobbies our members have. Posts concerning aspects of our hobbies seem misplaced on the more specific boards available here at TFP. General Discussion is a bit too fast paced and broad to hold steady conversations and retain insightful posts for others to benefit from. Knowledge is probably the closest match, but it doesn't reflect the enjoyment that our often silly hobbies give us. Entertainment is too deeply focused on media. I'm not sure how much interest exists for having a hobby board, so I figured I'd break the ice with an introductory post. Feel free to reply and describe your own hobby, how long you have been doing it, any personal touches you apply, and what really makes it enjoyable to you. I'll go first of course. I fly radio controlled helicopters. My first, and current model I'm flyng is a .30 size Kyosho Calibur. I started with no experience flying planes, so it has been quite the adventure for me to start off with such a challenge. I've only recently felt confident enough to remove my training gear and fly it free. I've painted the standard plastic canopy a combination of red and black to add some flare. The painting process took quite awhile and I had to use the same process one would if he were painting a car. I had my first crash back in December, due to radio interference. The main and tail rotos were destroyed of course, along with the flybar and some ajoining parts. Luckily the frame and boom was fine and I had it back in operation after ordering some new parts. Most of my fly time takes place is my fairly large and flat backyard, although I often fly at a local field. I'm the only pilot there that does helicopters, all the rest are plankers. I choose helicopters for two reasons. First of all I enjoy the mechanical detail of my model. R/C helicopters use the same mechanism of real helicopters. Everything from the main rotors to swashplate are present. The biggest difference between R/C and real helicopters is the prescence of a flybar and two blades in place of the standard four blades. I think some of my most enjoyable moments in the hobby is the time I spent fixing it up after my first crash. The other aspect is the sheer thrill of flying. It takes a lot of practice and coordination to move two joysticks at once in order to control the model. It's largely a balancing act just to keep it in the air. I've always wanted to get into this hobby ever since I was a little kid, I just saw it as the coolest thing in the world, and it just may be. It's also a good excuse to get outside and enjoy the weather. I never had much interest in flying model planes, I just felt bound to the chopper. I doubt that many, if any, members of our board also fly R/C helicopters. I'm sure there's a decent number that fly planes. I hope I don't intimidate anybody with my in depth response. So what are your hobbies? How long have you been doing them? What makes them so enjoyable? Any tips or tricks? Your hobby can be anything from coin collecting to mountain biking to ricing up your geo metro. Let us know what you do and why it's so great.