In 3-D we trust
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 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 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.
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, control throws, and setups.
What would have taken years to figure out before became quick and common knowledge because of these online relationships. These groups 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 will think it should be done at the far side of the field.
This style of flying is responsible for bringing a younger demographic into the hobby, and it has played a huge role in revitalizing the hobby. Its creativity and outdoor and indoor events with 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 RC-airplane 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.rcgroups.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
