Probably like many of you, I was rather obsessed with aviation since I can remember. My grandfather was an Army Air Corps instructor at Thunderbird Field in the PT-17 Stearman, and he used to take me to the Sepulveda Basin R/C Strip to watch the show (that strip was always packed with awesome planes). It wasn't long before I started flying R/C with a Goldberg Gentle Lady, this was in 1986 and have had a small stable or R/C planes since then. Whenever a full scale ride opportunity popped up I jumped at the chance, but of course I never could get enough. I went to every airshow I could get to, and watched the videos I shot of the aerobatic performers countless times. . . dreaming of doing that, and "knowing that "someday I would do that. . somehow."

In August of 1998 I decided that I had waited long enough, and after saving up the cash I started flight training out of Visalia Muni (KVIS) where my girlfriend had recently moved. The rental rates there were great at 50.00/hr wet for a 1981 PA28181 AKA: Piper Archer (after the $75.00 monthly dues) that most people passed up for the cheaper Warriors, so I moved to Visalia and hit the books, flew a plane that felt like my own since there was little competition for it, and three months later I was a beaming private pilot. I passed the checkride on my girlfriends birthday so after we went to dinner I took her out to San Francisco to see the city at night. . . that was a *really* great day! I did it! :-D

Money ran out shortly after that though, and I was paying for college which seemed like the best way to spend my money so R/C and full scale flying was light for about a year and I saved a little here and there for my flying fund. Things ramped back up and since then I have added complex, high-performance, tailwheel, and Instrument ratings, and any day now commercial and CFI. I have acted as an AOPA Project pilot Mentor for a friend at UC Davis, which was great fun. I also did the Emergency Maneuvers Training Program with Rich Stowell who I had come to know while flying out of SZP. . . his program is one that I think *all* pilots should take, no matter what type of flying you do.

At one point I discovered a PT-17 Stearman at Columbia Airport (O22) that was available for training and rides and decided that my High Performance and Tailwheel endorsements could be done in no better plane than the one that my Grandpa flew. It was great fun, and the feeling of flying the plane that he flew was rather intense, as even though he was a big factor in my aviation passion, he never saw me get into it before he passed away. Open cockpit aerobatics over the Sierra-Nevada mountains . . . that was a pretty good day too that left me elated! (Despite the pounding headache from having a poor fitting helmet and headset that let most of the ample wind and engine noise right in!!)

Since then my primary focus has been making my full-scale aerobatics passions come to life. Shortly after the Stearman flying I joined the IAC (Chapter 38) and checked out in the ACA SuperDecathlon out of Attitude Aviation at Livermore Muni (KLVK) and In 2003 I met Wayne Handley (well, I had gotten his autograph back in 1993 but I guess that doesn't really count) and we did some flying in his Extra 300L out at Pine Mountain Lake Q68 (no E45). I expected to be blown away. . .but nothing could have prepared me for *how* blown away I was by flying that plane, and flying with Wayne!! I ended up working with him at the California International Airshow at Salinas, keeping the Raven looking good, and holding the poles for the ribbon cut. What a great seat to watch an airshow. . . the runway right below it!! Those three days were up there on the top of my list of awesome days too. . .that is until Wayne offered to be my aerobatic coach and trainer which has been an absolute dream come true!


Whoa. . . I guess I got a little carried away strolling down memory lane! I've been known to be long winded when I talk about flying!