The current state of the Radio Control (RC) hobby is dominated now by the "ARF" (Almost Ready to Fly or Float) and the "RTF" (Ready To Fly or Float) that require little to no assembly before you are ready to go. Quads and other multi-rotor (drones) aircraft, the new radio systems (2.4gHz), Li-Po batteries and brushless motors, have brought in many newcomers and allowed for the continued growth of the hobby. Nitro and gas engines are still in use but the locations that allow them is declining mostly due to noise complaints and liability issues. Turbine jets face the same problems plus you need a large unobstructed area to fly them. The miniaturization of the radio equipment has also allowed for the RC of some very small craft of all types. What is available now was just a wish twenty years ago. It wasn't always this easy to get into RC. Back in the 80's and earlier there were very few factory ARF's available and most of those were of very low quality. ...
Videos and articles showcasing aircraft and watercraft both full scale and R/C. I hope to inform, entertain and maybe amuse the viewer."Now and Then" articles are stories about the R/C industry and also my personal journey through many facets of the hobby world. Scroll down to Then and Now,,,(1) and (2) for some info and history about the R/C hobby. Starting with (3) relive some memories of my youth (and maybe some of your own).