My early memories are peering into the cockpit of a single-seat Navy jet at an airshow, and the sound of four big radial engines on Constellation airliners.
I was given a Cox glow engine and learned to fly u-control in schoolyards.
Hobby shops put me in touch with accomplished modelers. This was before the internet, so meeting others was essential for learning.
Seeing Free Flight contest models thermal was a revelation. Radio Control existed but it was really expensive and I didn't know anyone who actually flew RC. A broken prop or burned glow plug would ground me.
Later, I earned Airframe and Powerplant licenses and worked for a commuter airline. Family life and changing priorities took me away from airlines and model airplanes, but I stayed interested. Skills developed in working with models and airliners helped me get hired by a high-tech electronics maker.
Their products are on Mars and went to an asteroid.
This is a golden age for model airplanes. The internet brings me world-wide information. Equipment that was beyond imagination for a child is easily available. Being interested in aviation changed my life.
