Rob43
Heliman
Location: Midland, MI USA
My Posts This: Topic Forum | Switching up...Reading this thread really hit home for me. Makes me wonder how old everyone is who's been responding...I hit 44 this year. My deep passion since 1991 has been muskie fishing here in Michigan. It was a specialty within the fishing sport much like heli's are within rc aircraft. Similarly, it was a ridiculously demanding endeavor. I eventually owned a $36K boat specially rigged to chase them. My success level had really diminished up to last year. I still enjoyed going out on the water, but several factors changed. Who I was able to go out with, how much time I could spend away from the family, never really able to travel like I'd need to to the places where better odds of trophy fish await...etc. Additionally, I would say I was raised by a man who passionately built scale models most of his life, and went through heli's back in the 70's when they first appeared, but didn't fly like we can today. I always wanted to fly heli's but the only foray into RC I made of my own was rc car racing about 20 years ago. I soon tired of it, although it was tremendously enjoyable to compete against friends at the local track on the weekends. Fast forward to summer 2008, when I tried playing with a toy heli with my kids...I then knew I had to have a true rc heli for me. I started with a coax and soon to a Blade 400. It was like a diverter switch turned off my interest in fishing, and all of my available time, money, and frame of mind shifted to heli's. I completely lost interest in fishing, and more particularly in that boat I so loved. Back in June, I sold the boat, and haven't regretted it. Once in a while I remember the great times I spent on the water, but by comparision, they were never as much fun as I have when I go flying with my local flying buddy. There are only a couple of us flying regularly where I live, but when I land the heli after some circuits, a sloppy tic toc, and a few flips, I have never felt more satisfied. I consider myself at risk for losing the passion, but right now with a Beam E4, a T-Rex 500ESP, and somthing bigger next, I can't see it coming. In fact, I fear more it will be a wedge in my marriage, since I want to spend all of my time on the bench, at the field, on here, or the sim. I simply enjoy every aspect of this hobby, and feel as though I found what I've always wanted from a hobby. My fishing buddies tell me I'll come back to fishing soon, but I just don't see it...it feels like something that simply was used up in me, and I no longer enjoy to talk about it or make any plans to do so. I'm afraid that since there's so few other heli guys where I live it might be tough if my friend moves or burns out. For now, I sure do dig it, and can't wait for IRCHA, where I plan to spend Saturday, and part of Sunday hooking up with my Dad who lives 3 hrs from Muncie. We have a ball talking about all aspects of the hobby, whether it's heli's for me, or 4-stroke scale plankers for him. I guess I have always considered myself somewhat of an RC oriented person, so hopefully, I won't lose the passion for it.
Sorry for the novel, but it really struck a chord for me.
Rob |
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Take a good long break and come back ready to rock and roll once more. We'll all be thinking of you.
