Hi! My name is Adam Terry.
I finally got started in the RC hobby in 2016 after graduating from college. More specifically, I graduated from an Aircraft Maintenance Technician program with my Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic's license and the FAA's blessing.
I was gonna be an aeroplane fixer man.
But then it happened.
I finally started building and flying RC airplanes.
And I got hooked.

I should have known this was going to happen, really.
         You see, I say "finally got into RC" because two years prior I was introduced to the Flite Test YouTube show and the concept of self-built flying contraptions. I'm a rather creative and curious "thinker" type of person, so I was immediately captivated by the immense creative potential, coupled with the magic of flight that I saw being demonstrated in these DIY RC airplanes.

Over the next two years, while I was learning about full-scale, manned aviation maintenance, I was devouring Flite Test's (and other's) back-catalog of videos and articles about building cheap, fun, foamboard airplanes and RC contraptions.
              Actually, just before I began the A&P program, I purchased a tiny Hubsan X4 micro quadcopter. Even though it was just a "toy grade" quad, I was amazed by how I could (eventually) control it this thing that was flying! After classes I would practice flying it around my house, practice spot-landings, and if I got really feisty, I'd fly it out in the yard(😮).
            Though it was "just a toy," this little quadcopter allowed me to experiment in real life with concepts that I would otherwise only read about or watch videos of in class. Concepts like ground effect, settling with power, propwash, and many others. This helped me immensely to better understand and cement what I was actually learning about in class. I began to realize the educational power of even a simple RC aircraft.
             And for the next two years, that simple micro quad would have to suffice. 

Fast forward to late 2016: finally with enough money, time, airspace, and desire, I pulled the trigger on a Flite Test Mighty Mini Tiny Trainer Speed-Build airplane kit and never looked back! 😁 Soon I was experimenting (and mostly crashing!) with my own "scratchbuilt" foamboard airframe designs. It was (and still is) such a thrill to be creating and testing the concepts that until now were only doodles on the back of homework pages.

A few months later, after living vicariously through videos from Flite Test, SkitzoFPV, LeDrib, and UAVfutures (and MANY others), and I took the next big leap: First-Person-View (FPV) quadcopters! My first FPV drone (AKA miniquad, quad, multirotor, etc) was the Eachine Wizard X220. Stew from UAVfutures was crazy about it, so I said "let's do it!" and the rest is history... well almost.

I'll spare you the details, but basically I almost GAVE UP on FPV drones BEFORE I even got started!
It took me about a MONTH of troubleshooting and research (and a few mental breakdowns 😉) just to get my brand new quad WORKING properly, nevermind learning how to properly fly! Was it defective? No--I  simply didn't even know what I needed to learn, just to learn how to get started (yikes!).

It was this great struggle that led me to begin making tutorial and troubleshooting videos on YouTube so that other beginners wouldn't have to go through the same struggle I did.

By the way, when I say "struggle," I don't mean a minor inconvenience. I'm talking about a incredibly confusing and frustrating ordeal for anyone who is not familiar with computer science terminology, Radio Control terminology, and electronics!
       Common feelings during this process are: excitement, bewilderment, confusion, frustration, anger, rage, depression, acceptance, inspiration (after watching some more flight videos to build up your courage), hope, determination, bewilderment (again), confusion (again), frustration (again, but more this time), Etc., Etc., and the cycle continues until you stumble upon the key to your particular issue in an obscure post in a forum on the fifteenth Google search page! 🤯

So I began making more videos, and more and more people responded with positive feedback. They told me that they had been having the same struggles and thanked me for saving them from so much frustration and wasted time!

    This alone might have been enough motivation to keep creating videos and publishing them on YouTube, but what inspired me even more was the impact that this RC hobby had on me so far. NOT ONLY was almost everything that I had learned during my A&P training applicable to RC, everything "clicked" and made more sense! Because not only could I design a plane based on aviation principles (or lack thereof) and fly it, I could also crash it, inspect it, repair it, and repeat!
And once I got into FPV drones, my understanding and knowledge of electricity, electronics, radio systems, software and hardware, was stretched even more.
     I would even go so far as to say that I learned more (and retained more) in my first real year of RC than I did during my two-year A&P program (after which I was allowed to work on real-deal, human-carrying flying machines 😯).
      The point here is that I noticed a huge increase in my skills and knowledge, which led to an increase in my own confidence in my abilities. Now, if I'm faced with a challenge, I can think "well, I was able to diagnose, troubleshoot, and repair this quad or plane, so I can probably figure this out, too."
    It seems to me, If you can develop that kind of positive, can-do mindset, who knows how much better your life could be!

        I continued making videos and eventually realized that I have a knack, or a passion, really, for teaching and helping people have a better experience with the RC hobby.

NOW the rest is history!
This is what I'm trying to do for a living. And while creating one's own profession comes with many additional struggles, this is one of the most rewarding "jobs" I could ever want. 😃

Now you know a bit more about me and why I created the RCwithAdam YouTube channel, which has become my brand that represents positivity, helping others, and using the RC hobby to improve lives.

Additionally, the RC hobby has a lot of crossover with the 3D Printing (3DP) hobby thanks to the "Makers" and electronics tinkerers who are interested in both hobbies. And I am no exception! 
I finally started 3D printing in 2020 and began publishing videos about 3D printing, primarily as it relates to RC. I plan to continue integrating 3DP into RCwithAdam content, which is why you'll find 3D-Printable designs available on this site. I Just thought I'd let you know, as some people aren't familiar with the strong connection between RC and 3DP.

If you've read all this, congratulations.

Now get out there, create something, fly something, and crash well! 😁

- Adam