Extreme Flight RC 2010/07

62 MODEL AVIATION
CHRIS HINSON, wHO owns Extreme
Flight RC, is just as comfortable with a
transmitter in his hands as he is with a
guitar. Chances are, you will see him with
both at any event he attends. Although Chris
loves both hobbies, he has had an
enthusiasm for airplanes for as long as he
can remember; his father was a naval
aviator.
Chris received a Cox CL model for his
5th birthday. He found that facet of flying
challenging and enjoyable, but he set his
sights on RC.
Chris realized his goal in 1976, at age 8,
when his grandfather bought him a Carl
Goldberg Falcon 56 MkII. That summer
Chris’s grandfather set into motion a
growing interest in model aircraft that
would later turn into a passion.
As do many of us who enter this hobby at
an early age, Chris put RC on the back
burner for a while throughout his late teens
and early 20s. During that time he focused
on playing guitar. He made a living picking
away on the six strings and with a stint as a
roadie (stage tech) for the band Blues
Traveler.
In 1994 Radio Control Modeler
magazine ran an ad for Morris Hobbies, and
it featured Tony Ayers hovering a profile
Hots into a box! Struck by how cool it was
to see a model hover, Chris promptly
ordered one; he reimmersed himself in RC
and worked hard at developing his skills.
Shortly thereafter, Chris attended the
first World Masters Aerobatic
Championship in Pat Hartness’s front yard
in Greenville, South Carolina. According to
Chris, seeing pilots such as Chip Hyde,
Frank Noll, and Jason Shulman fly 35%
aircraft and push their flying toward 3-D left
him “totally blown away and inspired!”
Chris and a close friend and flying
buddy, Russell Reel, embarked on a
mission to master the 3-D style of
flying. According to Chris, they were
die-hards who were willing to fly
any day, everyday, no matter
what.
“It was freezing and
snowing, and we would use a
kerosene blast heater on the
flightline and fly when no one
else would,” he said. “I was
obsessed for six to eight years.”
Chris’s work in the hobby
industry began with a job at
Extreme Flight RC
“Our reputation is built on delivering a top-notch
product and our willingness to stand behind it and
take care of the customer first.”
National Hobby Supply in Smyrna,
Georgia, after five years on the road with
Blues Traveler. That soon led to his
employment with Bubba Spivey at Lanier
RC at roughly the time that the company
took on Carl Goldberg Products.
In just more than a year with Lanier,
Chris had learned a lot about the ARF
market and had his own ideas of ways to
lighten the models and make them fly
better. Since he didn’t have the control to
make those changes, he put together a
business plan to start his own company.
After getting funding in place, Chris
spent Christmas in 2002 at a factory in
China. His idea was to develop an airframe
around the soon-to-be-released Desert
Aircraft DA-50 engine. That aircraft turned
out to be the 85-inch-wingspan Extra 300L
that launched Extreme Flight Radio
Control.
Drawing from eight years of experience,
Chris has built Extreme Flight RC, which is
based in Cumming, Georgia, into a
company whose
name and models
are known throughout our industry. Not
only has its line of airplanes grown, but
Chris has also added a popular line of
Torque motors, Airboss speed controllers,
and numerous accessories to aid pilots in
achieving maximum enjoyment from the
hobby.
Extreme Flight RC has also expanded
its operations to include worldwide
distribution. In addition, the company has
acquired employees Curtis Cozier, Blair
Rittenhouse, and Chris’s wife, Melissa.
They attribute their success to a simple
principle that Chris shared with me.
“Our reputation is built on delivering a
top-notch product and our willingness to
stand behind it and take care of the
customer first,” he said. “Because of this,
we have an overwhelming number of
repeat customers.”
Chris is willing
to push the
envelope in
developing
RC aircraft,
to include
modifying
One lucky winner will be flying this beautiful
78-inch-span Extra 300!
07sig2_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/26/10 10:25 AM Page 62
July 2010 63
Wiin a 78--IInch
Extra 300
From MA
and Extreme
Flight RC!
The Extreme Flight RC crew (L-R): Curtis Cozier, Blair Rittenhouse, Melissa Hinson, and
Chris Hinson.
Photos courtesy Extreme Flight RC
existing full-scale types and designing
models that are not based on full-scale
offerings. He said:
“We are limited to what we can do with
the few full-scale aerobatic aircraft currently
in existence. I have ideas for RC aircraft not
based on full-scale aircraft.
“We are in the process of developing
some innovative designs; why not try and
advance the science? We should be
releasing some interesting aircraft in the
next year or so.”
Competition is also important to Extreme
Flight RC, as is evidenced by its
Competition Rewards Program. That allows
pilots who fly the company’s models to
receive placing in the top three spots in
IMAC (International Miniature Aerobatic
Club) and Freestyle competitions.
Chris believes that competition fuels
advances in technology. He also says that
pilots who fly at that level of performance
collect valuable information about his
products that can be used to continue to
refine them. As a competitor himself, Chris
appreciates the sacrifice and dedication that
are required to compete.
Getting to know Chris and the rest of the
staff at Extreme Flight in the course of the
past few years has been enjoyable. Chris has
several stories about his experience in the
music and RC industries. The latter usually
involves spending up to a month at a time in
China, ensuring that his customers get the
best models he can provide.
He is eager to talk with anyone who is
excited about airplanes or music and tries to
give back to the hobby through donations
and support of events.
I ended our conversation by asking Chris
what has been most rewarding for him. He
replied:
“Seeing our airplanes doing so well in
competitions all over the world is huge, as is
stopping by an airfield and seeing people
flying the aircraft I have worked so hard to
develop, or getting an e-mail from someone
gushing that our aircraft is the best they
have ever flown.
“I have an overwhelming passion for the
hobby and for airplanes in general. I lay in
bed at night thinking about them. I still get a
rush each and every time I fly an RC
airplane.” MA
Jay Smith
[email protected]
Sources:
Extreme Flight RC
(770) 887-1794
www.extremeflightrc.com
For an opportunity to win the
Extra 300, submit your answer to
the following question.
Donatas Pauzuolis recently won
all six rounds of competition with
the new Extreme Flight RC 78-inch
Extra 300. What was the name of
the competition in which he
competed?
(You can find the answer on the
Extreme Flight RC Web site.)
To submit your entry via e-mail,
send your answer, full name,
postal-mail address, and telephone
number to MA Assistant Editor Jay
Smith ([email protected]).
Please put “About Us” in the
subject line. To enter via postal
mail, send the preceding
information to MA at AMA, to Jay
Smith’s attention.
Entries will be accepted through
July 31, 2010. A winner will be
selected on or before August 2. One
entry per person is allowed. Those
that are lost, late, misdirected,
garbled, or incomplete for any
reason will be ineligible.
This contest is open to legal
residents of the 50 states and
District of Columbia and US
military members with APO/FPO
addresses. AMA employees are not
eligible to win.
Winners will be selected in
random drawings, from among all
eligible entries with the correct
answer, by an Academy employee
or employees. Those whose names
are drawn will be notified by
telephone or e-mail. Their names
and states of residence will be
published in a future issue of MA
and on the AMA Web site. MA
Sources:
AMA
5161 E. Memorial Dr.
Muncie IN 47302
(765) 287-1256
www.modelaircraft.org
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