Hi there!  I am Ryan Risor and I joined CCRCS this last summer.  I am a pilot by profession and enjoy the excitement and camaraderie experienced in RC aviation.  I have participated in RC since 1997 when I pursued thermals with a 2-meter sailplane. 

In high school I began work at a local flight school where I met Eric Molstead and began 2 years of slope soaring adventures.  Eric was my mentor and an excellent builder of all things RC.  Eric and I built and flew several high-energy models at locations such as Cape Kiwanda, Bald Butte, Big Lake, Hood River, and McKinley Ridge.  Eric died in a full-size Cessna 170 crash in April ‘05.  He is missed by many. 

My intro to nitro was with the Kyosho Stearrnan PT-17 ARF.  This plane had it all.  Great scale lines and great performance, which began to produce some very non-scale maneuvers (knife-edge to Lomchevok, inverted flat spin, etc).  This aircraft will get a re-build soon.

I played with electrics on and off (there’s a pun here) and then purchased a used 25% Great Planes Giles 202 with an Irvine 1.5 two-stroke.  This plane flies exceptionally well and delivers crisp and precise control through all phases of flight.  On its third flight in 2005, a hover attempt turned nasty when the engine quit 50 ft agl and forced a downwind, deadstick landing which left just the flying surfaces and internals intact.  This re-build is my current winter project (pictures in the works).

My latest plane to flip and tumble through the cloudy skies is the Hanger 9 Tribute 36  ARF.  This is a Mike McConnville 3D design in a plug and play version.  Out of the box I comes mostly pre-assembled, including servos and a plumbed .36 Evolution engine.  The aircraft comes with optional Side Force Generators, but I have found that the plane really does not need them.  I have been flying this model for one year.  It can do most any 3D maneuver with the CG adjusted to my liking.