Sitting here at my desk it seems like months ago that Charrua and I were hitching up the trailer to the back of my truck.  It was the morning of February 28th at 6am.  It was about 25 degrees outside.  We had spent the last two days cramming the trailer full of airplanes, helicopters, tools, tents, tarps, tie downs, chairs, tables, food and anything else we thought we might need.  We didn't want to be short any particular item because we were getting ready to head to the FX3D.  Six hours from home, lightyears from everyday life.

If you haven't been following the forum you might not know what the FX3D is.  To sum it up, it is a charity event that is put on by Gateway RC in Jacksonville Florida.  It is more than just a fundraiser though, it is a chance for pilots to meet each other in person after months or years of keyboard only conversations.  It is a chance to share tips, tricks and techniques with other modelers.  Mostly though, it is just a great excuse for a bunch of RC pilots to get together and do what we love.  HUCK IT LOW!!! 

The event was scheduled for Friday Saturday and Sunday.  Charrua and I wanted to squeeze as much time out of it as possible though so we left early on Thursday.  It took us about 6 hours to get to the field and then another 2 to set up our little shanty which would be our home for the next three nights.  Our little village consisted of Nascar's Trailer, JLow's awning and Charrua's 16x12 tent.

Now that we had a base of operations it was time to check out the lay of the land.

The Gateway RC club has a very nice field, large with a paved runway and paved taxiways.  They also have a very nice covered area with tables.  Right next to that was a building with bathrooms that had hot water and a kitchen where club members manned the posts to make sure that breakfast and lunch were covered. 

We bumped into the Flyin' Hawaiian on day one and were greeted much as the rockstars that we are.  We rubbed elbows for a few minutes and decided it was time to get something in the air!  So we flew... and flew... and flew... and flew!  The only time we weren't flying is when we were watching the massive "all up huck" where anywhere from 10 to 14 giant scale planes all hovered in close proximity over the runway.  We also spectated at the tail dunk contest where contestants tried to dip the tail of their plane in a six foot diameter inflateable pool.  Charrua even participated in that event!

All weekend long there were raffle prizes being given away from great sponsors like Smart-Fly, Extreme Flight, Red Aero RC, Air Tran Airways, Troy Built Models, Ohio Model Products, Hobbico, Great Planes and many many more!  All of the money raised from the raffle went to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.

It seemed like Sunday came all too fast, and it was suddenly time to go home.  We packed everything back into the trailer and shook hands with all of our friends, new and old.  We hitched up the trailer and started the six hour ride home.

There will be a flood of pictures and video coming soon, stay tuned!  Don't forget to put this fantastic event on your calendar for next year!

See you guys at the field.