281,463.55 raised in 2026. We have reached 56% of our goal.
Help us reach this year's goal of $500,000!
I grew up in western Pennsylvania and was always interested in air and spacecraft. I started building model airplanes at 12 and got into RC at 14.
I was always glued to the TV following the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs during the '60s. Got my private pilot's license at age 17. I went to Purdue and graduated in 1974 with a BS degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.
I am a seasoned UAS External Pilot operating at an FAA-designated UAS Test Site, with over 20 years of experience in the aviation industry. My journey began at the age of nine, when my father introduced me to RC aircraft—a formative experience that sparked a lifelong passion for flight.
Driven by that early inspiration, I pursued formal aviation training and earned my Private Pilot Certificate, followed by Commercial, Instrument, and Multi-Engine ratings. Each step deepened my commitment to the field and broadened my capabilities as a pilot.
I started model aviation in high school with plans, balsa woods, mono kote films, glues, etc. Now, model aviation is at different applications such as hobbyist, sports, research and development, drones, NASA, Military, Agriculture, Inspection, etc. It fully encompasses STEAM Education (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, Mathematics).
I started my model airplane hobby at the age of seven, as I was fascinated by model airplanes at the window of a Hobby Shop in Mexico City.
I am 78 and have been building and flying models for 70 years. Flew Control Line for 10 years, because that's what I could afford. Joined PGRC club at 16 when I was only 1 of 15 members of the club. I was drafted in the Army almost right out of high school. I convinced the Army that I had a background in Aviation. They sent me to Aviation school, where I was trained to be a crew chief on a Huey gun ship.
I was 10 years old when my parents moved us from Bronx, New York, to Queens. One afternoon, I heard the sound of model airplane engines coming through my window. I went outside and followed the sound and found a group of teenagers flying Control Line models. I introduced myself and they took me under their wing and taught me to fly Control Line.
Creative Sandpaper @GoInvo, @MIT
Flying since 1986
I am 67 years old and have been modeling since I was very young. My father was a full-scale pilot and helped grow my interest in aviation. I built many Free Flight Guillow's models until I had saved enough to afford a Bridi RCM trainer. I was a member of the Hamilton County RC modelers in the early 70s. We had a junior division and had a building class at Harold Vandevier’s shop (he was a noted scale modeler). I learned the basics of building R/C then. I won the best junior award at the 1974 mall show.
My first introduction to flying models came in second grade. I lived in North Yorkshire, England, at the time (the same area where Sir George Cayley did his groundbreaking aeronautical research, although I was not aware of this). One day, our teacher put us in groups and distributed balsa sticks, tissue paper, and glue. We were to build a small biplane under his instructions.
