Biographies

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Jerry Raimo Biography

I began flying Control Line in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1959 with a Wen-Mc .049. I moved up to a Guillows Profile #3 within a few months and joined AMA (38937 J) so I could enter the GSCB balloon bust contests. 

While still a junior, I began to build better airplanes and learned to fly Navy Carrier. I flew in most New Jersey Control Line contests until I graduated high school in 1969. I was out of the hobby while in college and serving time in the US Air Force. 

Gary Fuller Biography

I have quite an extensive 43 years to share. I have flown RC on the North American continent from Mexico to the Arctic North. I was an AMA Associate Vice President for Alaska and visited every club. I now live in Nevada and still fly RC. 

I have been vice president for our club and was newsletter editor for 5 years. I have experiences for all my flying I could share. 

Daniel Dalena Biography

Black and white photo of a cluttered desk with dissected electronics.

It all started when I was 8 years old. I used to hang Revell plastic models in my bedroom from the ceiling. I went to those plastic .049 cox planes, which were impossible to launch on one piece of plywood on the grass. I kept trying but only succeeded in setting my glove on fire in the winter trying to start the engine. No injury.

Ron McCafferty Biography

When I was about 11, I got a plastic Cox line-control airplane for Christmas. After I'd crash, I'd order parts, wait three weeks, and repeat. My dad got my brother and I Lil' Wizard balsa airplanes. We flew them for a couple of years. Fast forward 35 years, and my sister-in-law got me a coax helicopter for Christmas. 

Matthew Marlin Biography

Man holding large yellow model airplane outdoors on a sunny day.

I got into RC aviation out of pure curiosity and quickly fell down the rabbit hole. What started as learning the basics—controls, crashes, repairs—turned into a real appreciation for how planes fly and how much skill it takes to keep them in the air. 

Along the way, I've learned patience, problem solving, and that every mistake is just part of the process. RC aviation has become less about the planes themselves and more about the challenge, the learning, and the satisfaction of a smooth flight.

Kolbe Villa Biography

Father and son with model airplane and remote control, smiling on a path in a grassy park.

Kolbe grew up flying model planes, starting like so many others with a little HobbyZone Champ. After parking it in trees countless times, he moved on to EDFs and eventually turbines by the end of high school. 

Kolbe continued flying model planes through his time at the Air Force Academy, and he is now awaiting pilot training at ENJJPT. He credits much of his success in full-scale aviation and aeronautical engineering to his strong foundation in basic principles from model aircraft. 

Pictured is Kolbe teaching his youngest brother to fly. 

David Trotter Biography

Aerobatic model plane with red, white, and blue design on gray floor.

I am fairly new to the hobby, although I dipped my toe in as a teen with a Cox 0.49 glow engine, line-controlled P-51 Mustang.

After a divorce 12 years ago, I was searching for new friends and a new hobby to keep myself occupied. I always liked and wanted model aircraft, but my situations would not allow it.

Bud Glass Biography

Smiling man with a white beard in a blue shirt.

I built my first kit—a Ringmaster Control Line model—in 1958. It was ugly, but it flew, and I was hooked. After a long hiatus for military service, four more years of school, marriage, raising kids, and a career, I returned to the hobby around 2001. I no longer fly Control Line, but with more than 70 RC models, it's fair to say I'm still hooked. 

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