My father was an Air Force F-86 Fighter Pilot, then Chief Pilot for the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. We started Free Flight models when I was 8 or so. Did fly (poorly) Control Line for a couple years. We started RC with a Ranger 42 with a single channel radio. We were founding members of the Helena Montana Flying Tigers club. I got my first four channel via a Royal Classic 70 kit. Flew fun fly and Quicky 500 pylon racing.
After college, I joined the Navy while flying my Contender with a bullet-proof OSMax 60 Gold Head. Became a Navy Fighter Pilot, flying the F-14A and F-14D. Served as an Operational Test Pilot at the very beginning of the F/A-18A, taking the beta software equipped Hornet through Topgun as a test pilot.
When battery technology matured, I gave my old Futaba and Contender away to a new model pilot and bought new Futaba and foam park flyers. I have 14 models hanging that alternate between Futaba and Spektrum transmitters. All of my models are WW-II fighters, with the exception of one British Vampire EDF.
I’m now retired from 22 years as a United Airlines Captain based out of Denver. I’m back in Montana where I started, flying with the Helena Flying Tigers.
Still flying with my 91-year-old dad, who’s got tons of stories about the early days of light plane and helo mountain flying adventures!
Cheers,
Mike (AKA Sluggo)
