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I started building models at age 10 in 1967. After 4 years of building and not having much luck getting them to fly correctly, I found a local club. I wrote to the president of that club, and he responded back. At the time, he was the president of the SCIFS, an old-time Free Flight club, and for the next 2 years, I would ride my bike over to his house and he would teach me how to build correctly.
As a kid, a broken RadioShack RC car changed everything. Searching for parts at a local hobby shop, I looked up and saw radio-controlled airplanes hanging from the ceiling—and discovered my future.
From the streets of Chicago’s South Side to the forefront of drone technology, Michael's journey is one of grit, reinvention, and leadership.
Starting out with humble roots, he built a successful career in corporate tech, including years with Microsoft, before retiring to pursue his true passion—aviation and drones.
I was blessed with a father (AMA 20620) who professionally was an aeronautical engineer and lover of all things that flew. He was a life-long modeler and I can never think of a time when models were not in our home. I was hooked early on and was tutored by my father in building simple things like the AMA Dart and hand-launched balsa gliders.
I began trying to fly in the early Eighties. With no instructor to help and no flight sim, I tried to learn on my own. As usual, it was a disaster and I became discouraged and quit the hobby.
Fast forward 20+ years, met an RC pilot that rekindled the spark I once had for model aviation. He took me under his wing and mentored me until I became a proficient pilot. He also turned me onto the love of building airplanes.
Flying model airplanes didn't arise by accident. It arose from curiosity and a desire to understand my father. From there, I went on a journey of self-discovery and found friends and a burning desire. The journey can't be said to be easy, but learning has been consistent and ever evolving, and it should tell women or any fliers who feel the need to be more than just a name. Let's begin.
I have a pretty wide span of time in the RC hobby. I remember my very first two-channel foam Cessna when I was about 13. That was 41 years ago. Through a lot of painful trial and error, and with some mentorship, I advanced to four-channel balsa kits. One of my favorites was the classic Ugly Stick with a Red Baron-style scheme.
I was born in Washington, DC, in 1949. My first model at six years old was a plastic Spitfire that I did a predictably lousy job on. But I wanted a flying model, so I eventually started building Guillow kits. My first was a Super cub that I entered in a contest at my Junior high school. I got an honorable mention, which really kicked off a lifelong flying and model-building passion that at 76 years is still in full force.
My interest in RC began at a Latrobe airshow in Pennsylvania, where a display of model planes and helicopters completely captivated me. My dad and I would go to shows whenever we could, soaking in the sights and sounds of aircraft large and small. That early exposure planted a seed that's stuck with me for over 35 years; sometimes active, sometimes dormant, but always there.
At 80 years old, I am somewhat of a late starter when it comes to actual flying, having only been doing so for the past 10 years. However, my interest in radio controlled aircraft started many years prior to my actual flying.
