tawood
En-Route
I tribute many things to my love of aviation: as a kid, my dad would take me on trips to the airport, or encourage me to read books about Bob Stanford Tuck, Jonnie Johnson, Douglas Bader, and the like. Or, I was encouraged by my next door neighbor, that loved aviation, and gave me an old copy of "What Every Pilot Must Know" (I think...called something like that...FAA book from the early 1970s). Or my friends and I building balsa/tissue gliders and then having contests to see who could fly them the farthest.
But I think the very start of my love for aviation could be traced to a Christmas gift my mom got me when I was about 8 years old...a cheap little aviation radio kit from Radio Shack. I don't know why but about 3 years ago, I decided to try to get another one, preferably unbuilt, just as a novelty. What started as a lark of an idea turned into somewhat of an obsession, as I would check Ebay nearly every single day for search terms such as "28-244" (that I learned was the kit's model number), "science fair aviation", or "radio shack airplane".
About a year ago, I came home from a trip after not searching for 3 or 4 days...I actually found one on Ebay with 3 auction days left, and it was new/unbuilt! The going bid was only like $15, so in order to make sure I got it, I bid $250 (crazy, right?). Well, believe it or not, I was outbid by a snipe bid in the final 3 seconds. I guess I wasn't alone trying to find one of these.
Well 2 weeks ago, another one appeared on Ebay, again brand new/unbuilt. This time, I was the snipe bidder, and I WON! And to top it off, I got it for $40! If only the seller had known what my top bid amount was, he would choke! It was sold by a guy in Canada, and it even has French on the box as well as English. It came in the mail this past weekend, with the original radio shack cellophane and $4.50 price sticker, from probably 1975!
So tonight, I built the thing, knowing full well that I was destroying it's value to anyone but myself. And (drum roll please) IT WORKS! It actually works very well, and I spent an hour listening to some commercial airline guys calling Cleveland Center.
I'll include a pic...now I'm thinking (after a break) I'll order some balsa kits...
But I think the very start of my love for aviation could be traced to a Christmas gift my mom got me when I was about 8 years old...a cheap little aviation radio kit from Radio Shack. I don't know why but about 3 years ago, I decided to try to get another one, preferably unbuilt, just as a novelty. What started as a lark of an idea turned into somewhat of an obsession, as I would check Ebay nearly every single day for search terms such as "28-244" (that I learned was the kit's model number), "science fair aviation", or "radio shack airplane".
About a year ago, I came home from a trip after not searching for 3 or 4 days...I actually found one on Ebay with 3 auction days left, and it was new/unbuilt! The going bid was only like $15, so in order to make sure I got it, I bid $250 (crazy, right?). Well, believe it or not, I was outbid by a snipe bid in the final 3 seconds. I guess I wasn't alone trying to find one of these.
Well 2 weeks ago, another one appeared on Ebay, again brand new/unbuilt. This time, I was the snipe bidder, and I WON! And to top it off, I got it for $40! If only the seller had known what my top bid amount was, he would choke! It was sold by a guy in Canada, and it even has French on the box as well as English. It came in the mail this past weekend, with the original radio shack cellophane and $4.50 price sticker, from probably 1975!
So tonight, I built the thing, knowing full well that I was destroying it's value to anyone but myself. And (drum roll please) IT WORKS! It actually works very well, and I spent an hour listening to some commercial airline guys calling Cleveland Center.
I'll include a pic...now I'm thinking (after a break) I'll order some balsa kits...
