I was introduced to aeromodeling by my dad 2 years ago and I had been attempting to learn it ever since. It involves designing, developing and flying small aircrafts. It is a really fascinating hobby and the framework of the aircrafts lure me to explore more in this field. Besides being appealing, this hobby gives me ample amount of practical knowledge in the field of physics and enhances my mechanical skills. My goal is to become a proficient pilot and I hope to continue this learning process and become a private licensed pilot one day. For now, I hope to gain as much learning as possible and maybe integrate it with my IA in physics.
LO 2: Learning Aeromodeling is surely not an one day task and fueling to this is the lack of guidance found in this field. As I mentioned earlier, I had been attempting to learn it since two years but hadn’t succeeded because I couldn’t find resources/ coach to guide me through it. Finally, I got in contact with a person who is really passionate about Aeromodeling and his career is integrated to this hobby. I felt relieved when I did and even though it meant that I had to go to a different city to learn, I agreed to it because I knew there was not going to be any better opportunity then this. To me, it was normal to go to places away from my home and learn the things with new people because I did not have such things happening in my city. However, this was a difficult situation as I had study burden on me this time. Nevertheless, I managed my time and went for it. To my surprise, I picked up the flying skills quickly. It did look really complicated but once I decided I wanted to learn it anyhow, I did so in 2 days. I felt really enthused after learning the skill because I was running behind it since 2 years. I learned that I was a fast learner and this was really motivating. It gave me the push I needed to go out on my own to fly my aircraft. With practice, I am sure I will be able to achieve my goal of becoming a licensed pilot.
LO 4: Aeromodeling is a very time consuming and challenging hobby. It requires ample amount of patience, skills, knowledge and the will to keep on trying. Flying aircraft requires a lot of dedication and continuous attention as the parts get worn out easily even when it has been sitting in your garage for months. Your flying routine is greatly dependent on weather conditions and hence it is impossible to fly all year round. So, even when you go out to fly, you have to carry out the whole check every time and you surely find issues with your aircraft and you need to get them repaired on your own. And sometimes you just have to get ready with your aircraft and go to the site and realize the weather isn’t suitable. It is very disappointing at times. One other drawback is that the spare parts of the aircraft need to be shipped in from different countries and besides being costly, the custom people often stop the parts as they suspect it is some weaponry. Sometimes the parts are damaged in shipping and you have to go through the whole process again. The bottom line is, along with skills and knowledge, one has to be patient to learn and succeed in this field. It is usually easy for me to have patience and think through the whole process. All of the above mentioned things have happened with me and I am still into this field and hence I find myself apt for this hobby.
From this CAS experience I learned a lot about myself and I independently made my way to learn it. I had to be a risk taker and fly on my own at times as there was nobody to guide me. I tried to gain as much knowledge as possible when I could from the right person and reflected upon my mistakes to work on them. When I was learning aeromodeling, I enjoyed myself to the fullest and I decided right then that I wanted to continue this hobby and get a private pilot license in the future. If I get an opportunity to learn this activity again, I would just prefer to start learning it a little earlier in my life. The learning process was an absolute success and I am hoping to excel in it.
