I am 43 years old, married to my wife Nicole for 23 years, with three kids and one grandson. My youngest is Steven who got me back into RC after about 15 years off.

My full time job is something I love as much as flying and that is machining precision props for magicians. I've done work for Chriss Angel, David Blaine, Penn and Teller, and my favorite magician of all time, David Copperfield. I truly love what I do, so it's almost like playing for a living!!

I built my First RC airplane, a Goldberg Gentle Lady, when I was 11 and have been hooked on flying ever since. Around 1994 or 1995 a friend, Jevan Fitzsimmons, got me into Pattern and I flew my first contest with a Quickie 500, then with a Bridi Escape after Jevan helped me rebuilding the motor. At that time Tony Frackowiak was dominating in Pattern, and I watched him coach Kenny Lauter at age 12 or so. After about a 15-year break, my son got me back into flying. I went to the Antelope Valley Tailwinds (AVTI) and saw Tony flying Pattern unlike I've ever seen before! So I figured I’d give Pattern another try and flew my first contest after 15 years at the first annual Arvin Spring Pattern Bash in 2012. After getting my butt handed to me, I was not only hooked, I was on a mission to fly Pattern to the absolute best of my ability. Tony became not only the best coach/mentor one could ever want in Pattern, he became a great friend!

 I flew one other contest that year in Hemet with a plane that flew well, but certainly wasn't the prettiest plane ever! Jarvis Johnson came up to me after putting up a pretty good flight and said that he had an airframe I could have if I wanted it; all I needed to do was pick it up. Needless to say I was on it, and that Element served me extremely well during my first full year of Pattern, helping me to win the D7 Sportsman Championship without losing a single contest last year! Without the mentoring and generosity of D7 guys like Tony and Jarvis, my year wouldn't have been so successful and more importantly, not so much fun. I am looking forward to competing in Intermediate this year, flying my Onas with a Contra drive that couldn't be more perfectly set up for me (thanks Tony!!).

Some of my current projects include an Escape, Great Escape, and Phoenix 8, all on my Classic Pattern to-do list, which will be way too much fun! I am trying to get my youngest son who got me back into flying more involved with Pattern, but don't want to push him too hard. I really enjoy sharing this great hobby with him.

My home field is AVTI, and I'm proud to be a member of the Team Tailwinds Pattern Flyers. We have a growing number of Pattern guys at our field and I want to do whatever I can to help continue this growth!

“I'm 48 years old and was schooled as an Electronics Technician in the USAF (Avionics Communications). I have been doing professional videography for the last 27 years as a partner in a company that my parents started while I was in the service. I also do work as a stagehand for the local 122 Chapter of the IATSE.

I have been flying RC for four years, and started flying pattern in 2012 with an 8-pound, out-of-the-box IC conversion (60-size) 64" Phoenix Models Extra 330S. It has a Neu 1912 Motor with a 15x8 prop, a Turnigy Plush 80 ESC, Hitec servos and receiver, and 6S 5000 mAh Zippy batteries. That year, I flew Sportsman at Arvin and Intermediate at Miramar, getting a third and second place respectively. I became an NSRCA member the same year.

In 2013, I flew a 62" Hobby King Airoso with a Scorpion 4025-12 motor, 16x10 prop, Plush 80 ESC, and Turnigy 7.5 amp UBEC, Hitec servos and receiver, also on 6S 5000 mAh Zippy batteries. All up weight is seven pounds. This power system develops about 1510 watts peak and 13 pounds of static thrust (almost exactly the same as the setup in my Extra). I flew in six competitions in Intermediate and placed third, second, and then four firsts in that order. I also had a great time, enjoying the road trips immensely.

At the September 2013 Lancaster competition last year, I watched Robert Fish doing a beautiful job at flying the Advanced sequence several times. He walked me through the sequence, we went through it again after the D7C, and I decided to move up. I recently bought and am in the process of dialing in a used receiver ready two-meter CARF Models Integral with an AXI F3A motor, JR and Futaba servos, and a Castle Creations Ice 100HV ESC with a 21x13.5 prop.

I first discovered Pattern in February of 2012 by watching Mike Caglia fly his two-meter Visa (if I remember the plane correctly) at the SEFSD (Silent Electric Flyers of San Diego) Mission Bay Field. He introduced me to Chip Hyde who invited all of us up to the First Annual Bakersfield Pattern Bash. I thought about it for awhile and decided to try and learn the sequence, actually got it memorized, flew a couple of hundred practice flights, and committed to the trip.

Thus began the madness!

I decided to keep flying Pattern in order to become the best pilot that I possibly can. My goal is to eventually fly the F3A F13 "rolling" sequence that I am nowhere near ready for yet. I very much like the progression through the sequences as they relate to developing new skills. I find the added skills for the next level to be logical and well thought out and especially like the maneuvers in Advanced. I'm currently way happy with the way the NSRCA is operating!

I practice at the electric only SEFSD Mission Bay Field (next to Sea World) and the CVMRCC (Chula Vista Model and Radio Control Club) Field right next to the border with Mexico - and by right next to, I mean 200 meters! Chula Vista has a lot of fuel helicopter and turbine pilots who are fun to watch, and the Border Patrol seems to like them too! I average something like 90 to 100 flights a month. My current focus is on refining the inverted rudder application that leads into the Top Hat near the end of the Advanced sequence, and the whole sequence itself.

Here is a link to one of my practice flights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vxuPyqOM8”