When I’m not playing golf, working in Aloma’s
garden, reading, or going to a doctor, I fly radio control model
airplanes. I started flying about 15 years ago, joining a club in
Statesville. I wasn’t a natural and flew
on a buddy box for a year before I could fly by myself. But I loved it
and made many friends.
When we moved to Cary, I joined a club in Holly
Springs, about 30 minutes south of our home, and I fly on Saturdays or
Wednesdays. The membership of the club is mostly young men that have accepted
me and are always willing to help. Of course, I’m the oldest member of
the club, and I fly erratically.
Saturdays are crowded with flyers and three or four planes are in the
air at the same time. Too many for me
and I get nervous.
A year ago, a couple of us retired flyers agreed
to get together on Wednesdays to fly in a more relaxed setting. Now there
are ten or eleven in the group, not all showing up each Wednesday, and all very
interesting men with fascinating backgrounds. I look forward to every
Wednesday, not just for the flying, but to talk with the other guys.
I bought a new plane this spring with Safe
technology. It has GPS and returns to the take-off position if it goes
too far away. If I get disoriented and take my hands off of the controls,
the plane will straighten out and fly level. I can also push a button and
the plane will circle above the field until I’m ready to take back
control. I love this plane and feel
comfortable flying it.
But bad things can happen to models. A man,
who had a plane identical to mine, flew it into the ground the other day and
broke it apart. Last week, I flew terribly and was lucky to bring the
plane back in one piece. This week, it
flew great. You never know.
I feel so fortunate that I can still fly and
have some great people to fly with.
Seasoned Man
stevelem17@gmail.com
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