| I, along with some others in my family, received radio | | | | three-hundred feet right over the river. He suddenly |
| control airplanes for Christmas. I have long been | | | | turned and hit a tree, causing the plane to fall into |
| interested in airplanes and flying. I took ground school | | | | the creek bed. We went running over to it to make |
| while attending college, but did not have the time or | | | | sure it did not float down the stream or get |
| the money to complete my flight training. I still intend | | | | destroyed. Luckily it landed near the bank on a rock |
| to complete flight school sometime, however, | | | | sticking up. |
| whenever it is possible for me to do so. I also went | | | | I took the controls next. I flew the plane in the |
| skydiving once, just to try it. I wrote my last journal | | | | opposite direction from the river. I pointed it toward |
| entry to say "goodbye" to everyone the night | | | | the church and the field instead. The plane took off |
| before I went and jumped out of a plane several | | | | again, cruising over the parking lot. I think part of our |
| thousand feet up in the air. Skydiving was fun, but I | | | | control problem was that we had the plane at full |
| think I liked just flying around in that little plane more | | | | power each time we flew it, so went very fast and |
| than jumping out of it. It was relaxing, but exhilarating | | | | out of control. It quickly covered the distance of the |
| and exciting at the same time. Anyway, this first | | | | parking lot and was heading right over the church. I |
| flight is not about me flying "in" the plane, but | | | | did not want it to get stuck on the roof of the |
| controlling our radio control airplanes from the ground. | | | | church. I had to make it turn, but there were trees in |
| It is probably good we were not in the plane too. | | | | the way. I tried to turn around the back of the |
| My brother's radio control airplane came first, so we | | | | trees, in between the trees and the church building. I |
| got it on Christmas day. My radio control model | | | | turned the plane, but it was hard to control or know |
| aircraft arrived late after it was ordered, so I did not | | | | when to turn, because we were so far away already. |
| receive it until a few days after Christmas. Because | | | | The plane had traveled too fast. The turn was too |
| my brother's came first, we decided to take it out | | | | sharp, and out of control. The plane crashed hard into |
| and fly it. We went to a large parking lot by a large | | | | the tops of the trees. |
| field. There was a river and a large church building | | | | I was worried the radio control model airplane had |
| nearby as well. In the field there were a lot of large | | | | busted apart when it hit the trees. It was going so |
| trees that we had to avoid, and in around the | | | | fast and crashed so hard. When we finally got over |
| parking lot there were high power lines. Neither of us | | | | to survey the damage, the plane was still tightly |
| had ever flown a radio control airplane before, so we | | | | stuck in the top of the tree, but both of the wings |
| did not really know what we were doing and had to | | | | had come off. We found a large pole to hit the plane |
| figure it out. | | | | out of the tree, it took a while to get it out, and the |
| My brother took the control first. He increased the | | | | plane was somewhat damaged, but easily fixable. |
| power on the control, so the plane began to move | | | | That was our first flight. It also turned out to be the |
| forward. It took off very rapidly, and sped away at | | | | last for that airplane, after our parakeets pecked it |
| a nearly uncontrollable speed. I told him to steer clear | | | | to pieces one day. But that is alright, I can always |
| of the river, but instead he flew out of control in a | | | | fine another airplane model or radio control airplane at |
| straight line for probably two-hundred to | | | | another hobby shop or store. |