I plan on flying my planes at the RC flying field on Sunday. It's a long story but June 4th is a special day on many counts.

I first dreamt of RC flying as a kid. My dad had an old RC plane engine in his workshop and every once in a while he'd put it in the bench vice and we'd run it just because. We never had or flew planes but it was enough to plant a seed in my mind.

Later in life Dad bought a trainer plane for himself, determined to eventually learn. It was built and taxied around the lawn but sadly he passed before it ever took to the skies. I wasn't around to be a part of this.

Fast forward several more years and I took up the hobby. At first, it was just as a way to finish something he started, but I immediately loved it and have been flying RC planes for many years now.

I bought my first giant scale plane in early 2010 and toiled over the details. It was a Hanger 9 Sundowner F1 with a DLE 30cc engine. I could not get it to fly. I had electronics issues, engine issues, etc. On one failed attempt I damaged it while unloading it at the field.

Until June 4th 2010. June 4th is my dads birthday, I was taking the Sundowner to the field and had literally cried that morning asking dad that if he could see me to help get this plane in the air for his birthday.

At the field, that DLE engine fired right up, the plane taxied and took off without hesitation. I flew several times that day without incident (barring tears) and even have a video of it somewhere.

Months later when my sister Anne was visiting, the Sundowner airframe became a casualty of my poor flying skills when an engine stall during takeoff caused too much damage to repair. Amazingly, that very same DLE engine still flies and is in my SBach 342 airframe.

So on Sunday, I'll be flying my RC planes for my dads birthday; for the memory of that first giant scale flight; and for of all those memories of silly things like running a glow engine in a bench vice.

I flew both planes multiple times and had an awesome day. Happy birthday dad.