Hi Steve,

I don't fly remote-controlled aircraft or cars, but my grandfather and my uncle used to build model airplanes and boats. I thought they were really neat.

A professor here at the University of Iowa once told me a funny story about how his interest in radio-controlled airplanes helped him get his first student job in the space sciences working with James Van Allen, the scientist who discovered the Earth's radiation belts. Having experience with electronics, either from taking classes in school or a hobby, can be a big help to people working on instruments for sounding rockets or satellites.

Kris