My YOUTUBE ANNIVERSARY! 15 YEARS!

November 29, 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of my very first upload to YouTube! That's right, I've been on the platform since 2007! What was that video? Well, I was the site content lead for a Horizon Hobby at the time, and I was in charge of writing a box every week showing how to get started in RC Airplanes called The Runway. I had been involved with RC cars and trucks for 15 years by 2007, but I had never flown a plane. Here's some of my musings from the Runway Blog:

My Goals:
Think of me as your guide through the world of how to get started in flight. I invite you to follow along as I progress from a surface guy with zero flight experience to (hopefully) a decent pilot. As I progress from one type of plane to another, you can follow along and progress with me. I plan to start with simple park flyers, followed by intermediate to advanced Foamies, and by the time the leaves start falling, I plan to have successfully flown a fuel-powered trainer. My intentions are to keep this light hearted and fun, easy to follow, and something that if you’ve never flown before or have gotten to a point where you don’t know how to progress, hopefully you can find something useful here. Stay tuned; the fun is just about to take off!

Seriously, a "car guy" learning to fly?
What could have been seen as a bad joke to some, an admitted car guy turning his attention to the skies turned out to be an overwhelming success. Gaining acceptance to the idea that a car guy could learn to fly was a challenge, but the fact that The Runway has been going strong for nearly 30-months would definitively reflect that this was a worthwhile and unique approach to learning how to fly. Below is from the very first posting here on The Runway:

I sit here reflecting, some 14 years after I initially entered the hobby, finding myself with many trophies and awards from my racing career, and am fortunate enough now to actually be a part of what makes this hobby grow. Since joining Horizon Hobby in June of 2005, I have been absolutely amazed by the number of gifted and talented people who work here at Horizon Hobby and also fly RC airplanes and do incredible things with them.

1-year Anniversary:
While this may seem like a minor thing, for me completing the first year of The Runway was somewhat special. It was a challenge to get the go-ahead to start this project, but seeing it become a sustainable project was especially exciting to me.
From the posting on that date titled "It Actually Happened..."

And the biggest lesson I've learned is this. Everybody crashes…it's what you do afterwards to recover that really defines you.

Reader Feedback
I've always tried to keep the tone very conversational and invited you, the readers, to email me and share your experience as well. My whole philosophy behind this was to learn together and share this hobby with others. Nothing describes this as well as the message I received from "Grandpa Jim and Grandson David":

I just purchased a Firebird Commander 2 for my Grandson's 9th birthday. I was very encouraged by your "Runway" postings and we are looking forward to light winds, big grassy field (no tree) and charged battery. Keep up the postings! Grandpa Jim and Grandson David

Writing About What YOU Wanted
When it came time to step up from the HobbyZone Commander 2 into a ParkZone plane, I was torn as to what plane to decide on. I had narrowed my choices down to two planes, the J-3 Cub and the Super Decathlon. The problem was that I couldn't decide between the two but had an idea on how to narrow the choice down to one plane. I put the decision in your hands in a vote between these two planes. The results were telling:

All of the votes have been tallied, and there is a clear winner in the J-3 Cub vs. Super Decathlon race. In a last minute flurry of ballots, you voted the J-3 Cub as your choice for the next Runway subject plane. The winds are supposed to die down tomorrow, so I will give you a first flight report in a couple of days.

But the best….
Was everything. Yeah, I admit that’s cheesy but at the same time it is completely true. I've loved writing The Runway and sharing all my experiences, the good and the bad, with each and every one of you. This is somewhat bittersweet to bring to a close, but the time has come. Since we started in 2005, The Runway has served its purpose here on the site. You'll be able to read about my antics for some time to come as I am not going anywhere, except perhaps to go drive or fly something new.

#firstvideo #youtubeanniversary #horizonhobby