I was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1952. I started building model airplanes when I was around ten years old. Most were gliders and sail planes. I managed to crash the Control Line models until my buddy Bill got a Cox .049 trainer and we finally learned to fly Control Line. I still have a Cox .049 Trainer hanging from the ceiling in my office and I fly it from time to time.
I have not become comfortable with RC flying but have built 6 RC flying models over the last 15 years. My youngest son gave me a rubber-powered model about 15 years ago, and it got me back into the hobby and I have not slowed down building since. My latest build is a Wright Flier 3 that was designed using some of the original Wright Drawings on my AutoCAD system.
For most of the models I build, I draft the parts in AutoCAD and Tom at Manzano Laser Works laser cuts the parts for me to assemble. The Wright Flier 3 is still under construction, and I am in the weeds figuring out all the little details. This will be fabric covered using Stix It, which is a completely new process from the Monocot or Ultra Cote and tissue I have used on all my previous builds. (Excuse my spelling.) Currently, my eight-year-old grandson George and I are working on a glider together with the help of his mom, my daughter. They live in Houston, Texas, and I live in Winter Park, Florida, so we get on a Facetime call and get busy building. He uses the exacto knives and a metal build board with magnetics. I bought one for myself also, and it is a new building experience. The knife blade often sticks to the magnets! My grandson loves my models and when he visits the very first thing is to go look at Grandpa's airplanes, and then go swimming. We are having a great time building together, and my daughter enjoys it just as much. I also have a 4-year-old grandson, and I sent him a kit and build board also so as not to leave him out.
I am an Architect by profession, and my experience building model airplanes made me an advanced model-building builder in college, long before laser cutting. I would love to send pictures, but they live in my phone, and I am having issues sending them to my email. George takes notes on how to do the work, safety procedures for using sharp knives and CA glue, and leaves them for me as reminders to always work safely. Life is good.
