I began flying Cox U-control in the early sixties on eastern Long Island. Then I joined the USAF in June 1970 going thru basic in Lackland AFB and weapons tech school at Lowry AFB sent in January 1971 to Nakhon Phanom RTAFB Thailand 456th MMS A-1 Gunshop working on the A-1 E/H/J prop planes.
I am in a family of model flyers. My 93-year-old uncle flew strings 'dogfights' before I was born. My first gas plane was a plastic, stringed, yellow .049 P-51 Mustang in 1973.
I built my first balsa windup in 1973, a stick windup then a 3D balsa windup. We then built the Spirit of St. Louis 4' balsa windup.
When I joined the military, I built and flew my first RC plane in 1985. Fast forward to recently, and I bought my first helicopter, an articulated contra-rotator.
I am the District I senior associate vice president (AVP) and AMA district outreach team (ADOT) coordinator. I've spent a lifetime in and out of the hobby. Back in 2010, I met District I Vice President Andy Argenio. In 2012, I became AVP for Government Advocacy and now have found great satisfaction in facilitating public and educational outreach through ADOT. I enjoy all disciplines of modeling, from micro indoor to turbine jets. I'm from Greenland, New Hampshire.
I flew two tours as a helicopter pilot with the 48th Assault Helicopter Company. We were based out of Ninh Hoa, along the coast, just north of Cam Ranh Bay Air Force Base in Vietnam. I was drafted at 18, just out of high school, and completed the Army Helicopter Pilot program. I ended up being only 19 years of age flying armed helicopter gunships in Vietnam. My call sign was "Joker 70." I was born in Compton, California, and now reside in Lahaina-Maui, Hawaii. I'm retired today and still fly model airplanes. My AMA number is 15016.
