"It is a great feeling the first time to have control of a RC plane soaring in the air. It was a very exciting experience for me."
By RC Enthusiast - Jasmin
How did you first become interested in the RC hobby?
When I met my husband 27 years ago he was already into the RC hobby, so I married into it LOL, I didn't have any real interest in RC then or for many years after we married, but I supported him in the hobby 110%. RC is his passion. Eventually I suggested he start a YouTube channel, which I created for him. Stars And Stripes RC
https://youtube.com/@starsandstripesrc8475
He didnt start his channel to make money off of it, he did it just for the fun, and his love for the hobby, he gave it it's name to remember the veterans present and past, as his late Dad was a Navy Veteran. After that, I would shoot his unboxing videos for him and go to the park off and on to take his flight videos. Due to the price of good cameras, unfortunately we cannot afford one, so we use his phone. He has dreamed of getting a good camera, maybe one day we can. The more I went to the park with him, the more I got the urge to try flying. He was very patient with me and tried to teach me how to fly. I am still a beginner, but maybe one day I will be as good of a pilot as my husband. It is a great feeling the first time to have control of a RC plane soaring in the air. It was a very exciting experience for me. I personally like the glider type planes because they fly slow and glide without power, and are just easier and more relaxing to fly for a beginner. One day I would like to get The FMS Moa and try that glider.
It looks like a great glider. I want to thank everyone at FMS for supporting my husband, he is so excited to be receiving 2 samples to review on his channel for FMS. He never thought this would happen. And I will get a chance to try to fly new beginner planes.
What was your very first RC product? And how did you feel at the time?
The first RC plane I tried to fly was my husband's GWS Slowstick. https://youtu.be/ZDpCIOfY9Vw
Here in one of his videos you can see my first try at flying. It was very exciting, I would take short turns at it as he would have to take over when I got nervous and anxious, but I had a great time trying. The other RC plane of his I tried flying was his Calypso Glider which I have attached a photo of me with that plane. It was much easier to attempt flying for me because it flew so much slower.
Do you prefer playing with remote control cars, planes, or other RC products? What does this hobby mean to you?
I prefer RC airplanes, my husband used to have RC cars, but he doesn't do that anymore, maybe one day we can get one and I can experiance that aspect of RC, it looks like fun.
The RC hobby means alot to me, mainly to be able to support my husband and his passion for the RC hobby. And it gives me a chance to excel in becoming a better rc pilot.
What are your top priorities when selecting a remote control product, such as appearance, size, budget, performance, or DIY parts?
My first priority is quality and apearance, and FMS has high end quality products, and they look great. The detail they put into their products is amazing.
My second priority is support, my husband has had nothing but great experiences with FMS support, he talks all the time about how great the people with FMS are. It is very important to have a company that stands behind their products no questions asked. He had dealings with another RC supplier in the past, and they would not help him, and would not stand behind their products.
My 3rd priority is size of the airplane, my husband says it all the time when talking to beginners, "the bigger they are, the better they fly" and i am finding that this is true especially for beginners, because a bigger plane is easier to see and track in the air, and as a beginner you want to fly at a high altitude, in case of mistakes like stalls, you want to fly high so you can recover from any mistakes that might happen. Larger airplanes are just easier to see.
My 4th priority is performance. It is nice to have a plane that is very efficient in the power system so that the flight times are longer. And has plenty of power if you want it or need it.
And my last priority would be budget. With the rising cost of everything these days it is harder to be able to make RC purchases on a limited budget. It would be nice if they were a bit less expensive but you have to understand, alot goes into manufacturing these, and so costs are what they are for a reason. I hate to see my husband sell a plane of his in order to get a new one, or something different but in order to do that, sometimes he has to sell a plane to get a new one. I made budget my last priority because you can't put a price tag on quality, and appearance, and FMS has both.
What advice would you give to female friends who are interested in getting into RC? For example, what knowledge, skills and tools do they need to be aware of?
My advice to my female friends or any other females wanting to get started in the RC hobby is do what my husband suggests to all of his beginner pilots that he has helped along the way, get a flight simulator, it is much cheaper to crash on a simulator, than to crash a plane and have to buy a new one. Its almost as exciting to fly on a simulator as it is to actually fly the real thing. And it is a great learning tool. There is a difference however, but use the simulator until your familiar with the transmitter sticks and what function each have, the more stick time you get in on the simulator the better you will be when it comes time to experiance real flight.
Second find a good flying field in your area where there are experienced pilots willing to help you, it is great tool to have a experienced well seasoned pilot there with you while flying to talk you through it and lend a hand in case you get into trouble. I have my husband by my side and am grateful for that. He is a great teacher.
It is very important to learn what the transmitter functions are, how to properly assemble, and manually set up the control surfaces on the ground to minimize any necessary trim on your maiden flight, as it is very difficult for a beginner to manipulate the trim buttons while trying to fly a new plane for the first time. When you do a maiden yourself for the first time have an experienced pilot by your side so that he or she can manipulate the trim buttons for you while your flying the plane.
What factors do you think affect the level of participation in the field of remote control planes or cars, such as time, cost, skill level, etc.?
Time is a factor as I work full time, so if iI get to go flying it is only 1 or 2 days a week, the best thing is to use a flight simulasimulator at home and practice alot.
Costs would effect my participation, if iI had to purchase RC planes iI would not be able to get involved as my budget would not allow it, so I am greatful that I am able to use my husband's rc planes to learn on.
Do you need more information and resources to better understand remote control planes, cars, or other RC products?
I dont really need any more information to better understand the rc airplanes, as my husband teaches me everything I need to know, but for beginners, as I said seek a experienced pilot at your area club, and check out youtube videos, there is alot of helpful information out there. As well alot of flying for beginners videos.
Do you have any recent events, activities (online or offline), accomplishments, etc. to share?
Personally I don't have any events or activities to share at this time but my husband's RC club will be having a Memorial Day fun fly, he is very excited to get his FMS warbirds out there for that, there will be some great videos for his channel of this event