My connection to model aviation began long before I ever touched an RC transmitter. When I was a pre-teen, my older brother used to take me along to watch him fly U-control airplanes. I can still remember standing beside him, smelling the fuel, hearing the engines come alive, and feeling the excitement of watching those models carve circles through the sky. Those moments planted a seed that stayed with me for decades.
Nearly fifty years later, life brought my brother and I back together in a way I never expected. During that reconnection, he handed me an Apprentice—my first RC airplane. That simple gesture reopened a door I thought had closed long ago. It didn't just bring me back to flying; it brought me back to him, to the joy we shared as kids, and to a hobby that still had more to offer.
Flying that Apprentice led me to a group of great friends at my local RC club—pilots who welcomed me, encouraged me, and made every day at the field something to look forward to. Being around them reignited another part of my past: my early IT experience from my GS career in Air Force acquisition and sustainment. I found myself rediscovering electronics, diving back into ham radio, and reconnecting with the technical curiosity that shaped my professional life.
At 75, I didn't expect to find a brand-new chapter waiting for me. But RC aviation opened it. The combination of flying, electronics, and radio sparked an idea: maybe I could use my background to help the club in a different way.
That inspiration grew into the opportunity to design and build a modern club website—a place where new pilots can learn, members can connect, and the club's legacy can be preserved.
Model aviation didn't just give me a hobby. It gave me community, purpose, and a chance to contribute something meaningful. It reminded me that old passions can lead to new adventures, that skills from long ago can still make a difference, and that it's never too late for a new door to open.
