Employee Hobby December Spotlight
We have a very well-rounded group of individuals working for us here at ArborMotion. All of the employees here have interests and talents that go well beyond auto repair. I would like to introduce you to our parts guy, Chuck. Mostly he is hiding behind the parts counter but if you’re very lucky he may be at the front counter when you check in.
Chuck’s hidden talent is anything with a remote control. As he says “I am into ANYTHING radio controlled. I’ve been racing R/C cars since I was sixteen and have expanded into boats, airplanes, jets, drones—You name it! If it can be operated with a transmitter, I’ve done it.” When he was about 10 years old his uncle let him try his racing grade car and he was hooked from that moment. He is also good with small electronics work. He’s repaired circuit boards and even replaced LCD panels in Porsche HVAC control units. He is also good at painting and fine detail work but R/C hobbies are his passion.
During the summer months he flies drones and R/C jets. He belongs to the Academy of Model Aeronautics and flies his 3 jets with the club in Adrian, MI. Chuck’s jets have a 3 foot wingspan and can reach speeds of up to 125 mph! The jets can fly about ¼ to ½ of a mile away, or as far as he can see. He can operate all of his flying vehicles, both the jets and the drones with one controller.
Chuck’s 3 drones vary in size from the size of your palm to about one square foot. He flies the drones at his house, at the park, and has even flown mini drones at his son’s indoor basket ball practice! The drones are equipped with a Go-Pro camera so it doesn’t have to be in sight while he operates it. He likes being able to “sit on a park bench and fly around the park like a bird.” The resolution of the image he sees through the goggles used to fly the drone is barely good enough to operate it as he flies around and through obstacles. He likes to “shoot the gaps through playground equipment and trees.” He says the real thrill is watching the flight video in full 1080p once he downloads it.
When the weather is too bad to fly he competes in a 1/10th scaleR/C car racing in a season long point series tournament that goes from about October to March. Once a week he races at an indoor track in Toledo that is roughly 50×60 feet. The track itself is made up of a specially developed indoor carpeting and uses moveable boards for the layout. The layout changes each week. There are several different classes to compete in based on size and components, such as the Formula 1 Class. He has even raced cars about the size of a cell phone!
Chuck has about 40 R/C cars and each car is built from the ground up. It starts with a chassis kit that looks like a Matchbox car without its body. From there the components such as the motor and battery are chosen based on the class he wants to race it in. Even the choice of body is based on racing class. The body comes as a clear lexan. He then paints the body from the inside, which means the technique he uses is the reverse of a normal paint job. He does some very intricate painting. He has even won trophies for Best In Show!
The next time you come in say hi to Chuck and feel free to ask him about his R/C hobby.
