First project, and a chance to prove a theory.
I lost my job after 9/11 and I was losing my mind. I needed something to do, so I went the the hobby store and asked the sales guy what he recommended for a first time builder. I was not looking for an easy kit. Make it tough as I have a lot of time on my hands. He recommended a large scale Piper Cub.
After I had finished building the Piper Cub, I took the plane to an RC airstrip where I met the guy who sold me the kit. I did NOT know how to fly, so I asked for a lesson. He didn’t have time as he was booked, so he called over another guy who also taught and he agreed to teach me. My new instructor looked down at my plane and said: “That’s a nice ARF”. For which I said; “What’s an ARF?” He said that means he was talking about an RC airplane that is mostly built in the factory and I just put the finished parts together.
I didn’t know if I was being complemented or insulted. Immediately, the guy who sold me the kit looked at him and told him which kit it was from his store and that kit does not come in an ARF. The look on my instructors face was “Priceless”. He looked it over closely and said this is amazing work, how many airplanes have you built?” I told him it was my first and I was already looking for another kit. He said that nobody builds their first airplane this well, it just doesn’t happen. Perhaps I should try scratch building. The guy who sold me the kit was now further away, but still listening when he yelled over, “He is! I suggested Ziroli’s AT6.”
That night after my lesson, I went home and ordered the plans.
I actually never built it. I kept wondering if I could use those plans to build something bigger. So I doubled the prints on my drafting board.
For about two years after doubling the AT6, I was on a chatroom full of dreamers. I was one of those dreamers. Very few, if any of us had ever built anything, but I had built 1 RC plane.
I spend many nights telling guys how you may be able to start with RC plans and build a plane big enough to fly in.
Then one day, I saw that someone had taken everything I said and built an AT6. But he didn’t do it exactly like I said.
So I decided to just go out and prove my theory.