It is amazing how many aeromodelers I speak with who say they started as a kid.  They gave up the hobby.  Then start it up again later in life.

That would be my story…  Matt Rollins and I had lots of fun with control line at the age of 14 and 15.  We started with the Cox .049 with fish line type controls.  Before long we were flying .35 size with stainless steel lines.  By the time we were in High School we sort of lost contact and the hobby ended up in a box in the garage.

Around age 26 was another spark of interest.  This time it was with radio control.  I built a .40 size Ugly Stik and dug my .35 control line Super Tigre out of the box in the garage.  Craig Hath loaned me a radio and helped me solo.  One summer day after work I went to the flying field.  I took the plane off directly into the setting sun.  By the time I could see the model it was so far away I couldn’t tell if it was coming or going.  When I found all the pieces they went in the garbage.  The Super Tigre went back in the garage.  And the radio went back to Craig Hath.

Fast forward to December 2000.  At the age of 48, I bought a Hanger 9 Aspire sailplane for a Christmas present for my father.  The idea was to have a hobby we could do together.  We both had a lot of fun with that plane.  We have a .40 size Telemaster on the workbench right now.  It will be electric powered, as are all our airplanes and helicopters.  So we are still in aeromodeling together.  I am 56 and he is 84.  We are both members of the Las Vegas Soaring Club.

Many Associate Vice Presidents are retired.  I still work for a living.  I am in the insurance business.  I arrange employee benefits, typically group life and health insurance.  I help individuals with their personal insurance planning.  Even more so now, because employers are cutting back on fringe benefits.

When I travel around the Southwest, visiting the AMA events don’t be surprised to see my wife, Peggy there with me.  She enjoys the traveling and meeting the other ladies who join their husbands and boyfriends in the hobby.