Bill Spencer, the president of the Champaign County Radio Control Club (CCRCC) in Champaign, Illinois, shared the following from AMA Youth member Oliver Lei, who submitted it as an AMA Foundation biography (amafoundation.modelaircraft.org/biographies). Oliver wrote:
My name is Oliver. I am 11 years old, and two years ago, I went to the Horizon Hobby RC Fest in Monticello, Illinois, where I discovered my love for RC airplanes. I bought an AeroScout and went out to a local soccer field, wanting to fly. I took off and immediately lost control of the airplane when it was flying off. I felt terrible that I had lost it. My dad posted on social media, asking if anyone had found it. No one had, but a kind person replied and said that they had an extra one that I could have.
I then found out about the local RC club, CCRCC, and that is where I learned about its free training program. At the training program, I first practiced on a simulator, and then worked with a coach, where I learned to fly outside. I felt that I had made a big accomplishment and knew that this would be the start of my passion for the hobby. I enjoy learning new things and improving every time I fly.
That winter, our local high school let the club fly indoors in their fieldhouse. That is also when I got my second airplane, a smaller E-flite UMX Turbo Timber Evolution, in order to fly in a tighter space. I had friends who liked flying model airplanes, so I would fly with them there, as well as outside in the summer.
All of these experiences have led me to now using the same AeroScout that was given to me to help coach new students in the training program. I enjoy teaching beginners, knowing I can help prevent what happened to me.
The Aerospace Institute Camp for high schoolers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (wyse.grainger.illinois.edu/summer-programs/summer-camps/iai-camp) visits our club every summer. During this camp, I helped take several students up for a flight, and it was exciting to get to share RC flying with new people. Luckily, those flights, unlike my first one, did not fly off into the distance with my assistance in taking off and landing.
Socializing has been a big part of my experience as well. The club’s positivity and inclusive environment have helped me succeed in flying model airplanes, meeting a lot of great role models, and making new friends of all ages. In the future, I hope to compete in competitions, help coach more students, and fly bigger airplanes.
The AMA National Fun Fly is back! Mark your calendars for June 25-28 at Site 3 of AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Anything flies, whether RC, Control Line, or Free Flight. The event is a great opportunity to explore the hobby beyond the runway, with vendors on-site offering a variety of products, parts, and accessories for hobby enthusiasts, and a swap shop where pilots can buy, sell, and trade. The AMA Foundation will also host a raffle with exciting prizes.
Preregistration is open now for both pilots and the swap shop at modelaircraft.org/funfly. If you have questions, contact Contest Director Randy Cameron at (417) 830-9211 or flyrc@modelaircraft.org.
To see your club in print, send me pictures and a short article. Email it to amadistrictvi@modelaircraft.org. Keep in mind that the pictures must be at least 500 KB stand-alone JPG files.