Born to Fly - 2007/11

THE TYPE OF flying that is being called “3-D” has changed the
face of RC and has helped the hobby move forward. To some “3-D” is
a dirty word, while others scratch their heads and point out that any
type of flying is 3-D.
Don’t get caught up in what it’s called; that is unimportant. What
is important is to understand what it means to the hobby.
At one time 3-D pilots were considered outlaws and unworthy of
flying at certain fields, but eventually the 3-D wave washed over the
RC hobby and changed it forever. This is the story of 3-D.
3-D Rears Its Ugly Head: In previous columns I have highlighted
some of the pioneers of 3-D flying: Jerry Smith, Yuri Higuchi, Quique
Somenzini, and other pilots who have stood in fields across the
country, helping to propel the hobby in new directions. I have tried to
trace the origins of 3-D and have reached the conclusion that you can’t
pinpoint exactly where and how it started, but
you can determine when it blossomed.
In roughly 2001 3-D moved from the
sticks of high-ranking contest pilots to pilots
across the country and around the world. The
first time I remember seeing anyone fly 3-D
with a 40-size glow-powered airplane was
when I found a video on the Internet of Tony
Ayer and Jeff Williams.
My reaction was immediate: “I have to
learn how to fly that way.” Before I saw that
video, all I knew how to do, or had even
thought to do, was fly the circuit. My main
aspiration from that time on was to perfect
such maneuvers as the “knife edge” and the
“inverted flat spin.” That sounds tame
looking back, but at the time it was black
magic!
The important thing about those videos
was that the people flying in them were just
like you and me; they weren’t prize-winning,
sponsored pilots with unattainable skills.
Those videos gave me the hope that I might
actually be able to fly like that one day, and
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
In 3-D we trust
The model that introduced Jim to 3-D. This scratch-built profile
airplane was his second model and was easier to fly than his
trainer. It was loaded with 3-D goodness.
Gary Seelof hovers a Shock Flyer: the foamie that put 3-D in our
back yards. It is responsible for getting pilots around the world
excited about learning 3-D.
Mike Smith, aka Gator, competes in a fun-fly event. These were the early days of 3-D and
where many pilots began.
apparently the same thought swept over others in the RC hobby at
approximately the same time. Change was underway for the hobby.
Foam Covers the RC World: At almost that exact moment in RC
history, three other things happened: electric manufacturers began
November 2007 65
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66 MODEL AVIATION
Horse Fly Hobbies’ Mini Gee Bee was the first foamie sold with
preprinted graphics. This hovering machine taught the masses
what torque rolling was about without the fear factor.
Although numerous 3-D ARFs are now available, many purists still
build kits. Stan Watkins created the artwork on this profile by
hand. 3-D models often represent the pilots flying them. RC pilots 3-D everything from tiny foamies to Giant Scale models!
making outrunner motors that provided two-to-one power, Li-Poly
batteries hit the scene, and models became available in foam versions.
The big problem with 3-D was that you tended to be fearful of
crashing when you just spent three months putting together an
airplane from sticks. With the advent of the 3-D foamie model, the
stakes went down a little. You could buy a Mike Glass Mini Gee Bee
and go hover and torque roll without fear, at minimal cost!
At roughly that time a video showed up on RCGroups.com that
showed a foamie doing things no one had ever thought possible. It
was of a teenager piloting a Shock Flyer in his basement.
I had never seen a video passed around as much as that one! It
opened the door for all of us to step up to the next level of 3-D flying.
After that Shock Flyers were in such demand that everyone sold
out of them. The orders for motors, speed controllers, and batteries
exceeded the availability. The fuse was lit, and an explosion of 3-D
goodness was about to take the hobby by storm.
Trade shows such as the Toledo Expo and the WRAM Show were
covered with electric-powered models. Designers burned the
midnight oil to outdesign each other, and pilots across the country
built and destroyed foamies in an effort to master 3-D. The dam burst,
and the 3-D wave rolled across the hobby.
The Horror! When I look back I feel lucky to have started in the
hobby at this crucial point in its history. The Profile Brotherhood was
soon formed, and those guys were out there promoting 3-D and
pushing its envelope.
Some of the big-name pilots such as Quique Somenzini were
showing the world what 3-D was. Small, often scratch-built, foamies
were showing up at indoor events across the country.
This was an exciting time for the 3-D inner circle; we felt like we
were the outlaws of RC, doing something that was exciting and out
on the fringe. But it was quite unsettling for those who didn’t like or
understand 3-D.
The first (but not the last) time I tried to explain 3-D to an owner
of one of the larger RC companies, his reply to me was “I don’t even
consider what you do with your airplane flying; it’s blasphemy!”
Chatting online with other pilots, it became clear that what we
thought was the greatest thing to come around in years was
frightening to other pilots. Soon 3-D pilots were being asked not to
come back to club fields, and many clubs talked about banning that
type of flying.
“3-D Only” areas of the flying field were created. Lines were
drawn. 3-D pilots were made to feel like second-class modelers. If
you really wanted to fly 3-D, you had to decide if it was worth the
aggravation.
11sig3.QXD 9/21/07 10:30 AM Page 66
However, the strong feelings 3-D brought
out in some members of the hobby only made
the 3-D pilots even more passionate about
their flying style. Many thought 3-D’s
popularity would run its course, but no one
realized how popular it was about to become.
3-D Brings Them Back: When I first started
working in the RC industry there were a few
younger people at the industry events, but not
many. I came back from my first trade show
concerned about the future of this hobby, but
I hoped that 3-D might help turn things
around and attract the younger demographic.
I preached the 3-D gospel every chance I
had, knowing what it was and what it could
do for the hobby. I attended trade shows
across the country and talked to many people.
I received many E-mail messages from
modelers containing statements such as “I
was finished with the hobby, but 3-D made it
exciting again.”
Affordable, cool foam airplanes put RC in
younger pilots’ reach. Flying an RC airplane
got to be on par with video games. ARFs
started showing up from such companies as
Morris Hobbies and Ohio Model Planes, and
independent kit designers such as Paul
Swanson started offering models that took 3-
D to another level.
The 3-D fliers became tight-knit on the
Internet because we were ostracized at our
fields. Pilots formed groups, got together at
the field, and traded tips online on how to
tweak motors, controls throws, and setups.
What would have taken years to figure
out before became quick and common
knowledge because of these online
relationships. These guys were a vital part of
a hobby that had become exciting and
growing at an amazing rate.
Big Growth: One day I looked around and
realized that 3-D pilots weren’t outlaws
anymore. Many of the club presidents and
safety officers flew 3-D.
Almost everyone had one or two foamies
and knew that flying 3-D did not mean flying
out of control. They realized the skill it took
to be precise and that 3-D aircraft actually fly
at slow speeds. If you became cross-thumbed
in a hover, the model would simply fall over.
The fear factor was gone.
I also noticed that the huge controversy
about 3-D at clubs and events was gone
because so many pilots flew 3-D. It literally
swept over the hobby and became another
facet.
In addition, at trade shows I noticed that
noticeably more teenagers were really into
the hobby. They could afford a foamie setup,
and 3-D spoke to their “Xbox” mentality. RC
had become exciting and cool.
All those things went hand in hand with
the major RC manufacturers offering 3-D
airplanes, better motors, and batteries. In my
early days in the RC industry I had to fight to
get 3-D models on the market. Now they are
everywhere.
The 3-D gospel we preached online and at
the field is now being used, verbatim, by the
larger RC companies as promotional
material. So not only did 3-D rejuvenate
pilots and the hobby, but it has invigorated
the sales of RC products for large and small
companies.
Why You Should Care About 3-D: The
simple fact is that 3-D is good for the hobby.
Some people will continue to dislike it. Some
people will still say it’s not really flying, and
some people think it should be done at the far
side of the field.
This style of flying is responsible for
bringing a younger demographic into our
hobby, and it has played a huge role in
revitalizing the hobby. It has created new
outdoor and indoor events at which talented
RC pilots are able to compete and learn and,
in turn, bring new pilots into aeromodeling.
The 3-D phenomenon has brought a
viable and exciting new facet of the RCairplane
market to manufacturers, and last,
but not least, it has rekindled excitement
about this hobby in the hearts of pilots around
the world.
You don’t have to love it, but you do have
to respect it. 3-D has changed the face of RC
flying for the better.
Fly it like you hate it. MA
Sources:
Historic videos mentioned in text:
www.ama.rcgroups.com