Grandson and Grandfather Flying Team

Chuck Winchester Machesney Park IL I am an AMA and IMAA member. Below is a photo of me when I was 10 years old holding my fubar 36 free flight with a spitfire .045 - really my first successful plane after I found out what the little CG symbol meant.
Fast forward 60 years. Below is a photo of me at 70 holding a fubar 36 I made with the same spitfire .045 in it covered with tape and dope. Only this time I put a small radio in it with a little rudder and elevator. I'm too old to be chasing free flight around.
I'm still having a ball after doing this for 60 years and now I have a grandson to share my hobby.
Above is a photo of my 12 year old grandson Jon. He lives in Florida and I live in Illinois. Jon flew in from Florida to stay with me for the summer to learn how to fly model airplanes - and that he did. He soloed in two days and by the time he left, he was flying loops, rolls, touch and gos, flying inverted, and more. I couldn't believe it. I don't know who was having more fun. I've never had anybody learn as fast as he did. One day he takes off an is lying on the grass shooting touch and gos. I also took him to a EAA fly-in where he got to fly a real plane - he loved it. He has his log book with 1/2 hour of real flying time. After flying for 60 years, I have a whole house full of models - John wanted to fly them all! I signed him up with the AMA and IMAA. During his summer with me, did he have a good time? I think the picture says it all.

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2 comments

I had one of those too I was about 10 years. A FUBAR with a Spitfire 045. This was really great to see.

This is a really great story. My grandpa was an old-school A&E and I spent summers at the airport "helping" him out. He never caught the model bug, but his sons did, and now one of those sons (my dad) and I are about a year into finally successfully learning to fly RC. Thanks for this story--that's a lucky kid . . . and a lucky grandpa!

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