Our interest in powered model airplanes spans three generations. My father started as a young man, long before radio control was available, and flew free flight and control line models. If you recognize and can name any of these old models, please send me a note and I'll put it in the caption. Here, Dad poses with a free flight Lackey Zenith somewhere near Philadelphia, PA (circa 1950).

My father introduced me to powered model airplanes when I was very young, also before RC had made much headway. That's me (circa 1964 in Sellersville, PA) with one of the first control line planes I flew (a Ringmaster Jr. Flash built by my dad). Notice the lack of a muffler. In those days we didn't even know what mufflers were! (Geez, is that pajama tops I'm wearing?)

This year, after a 15+ year hiatus from the hobby, I decided to introduce my son to the world of model airplanes. That's him (going incognito in Ocala, FL in 2002) with our .40-size Hobbico Superstar ARF (Almost Ready to Fly). When I left the hobby over 15 years ago, ARF's hadn't really caught on. I felt guilty and a traitor to my hobby buying a pre-built plane, but time is a rare commodity and he wasn't getting any younger. I wanted to jump right in. I guess I'm not alone. ARF's are now found throughout all ranges of the hobby, from beginner to master. Other recent developments are RC buddy-boxes and computer simulators. I learned RC via crash and re-build. My son learned via simulators and dad (that's me) on the buddy-box panic switch. It's amazing how quickly he learned to fly this plane, and how well.