ORIGINAL: Doc Austin

Prior to returning to flying, I worked as a professional model builder. We would build 1/43 scale race cars for teams, drivers, and discerning collectors. A lot of the stuff was so nice that I built a piece or two on the side for myself, or I'de trade for one. Once I got started doing that, I kept building, and then I added a nice diecast or two......................anyway, I've got about 500 really sweet race car models I would love to blow out of here and turn into airplane money.

I'm not really a collector........I'm just greedy.

In the old days it would take so long and it was so much work to put a nice plane together that I would stock up. I'de get one built up and I'de test it a few flights and then mothball it for when I would need it.

When I started pylon racing, sometimes I could get half a season without putting a scratch on a plane, and other times I would trash one the week before in practise, and then go to the race and trash two more. When I was racing for the SEMPRA championship there was no way I could risk running out of planes, so the house was full of identically covered Scat Cats.

So far, I've resisted the temptation to buy a lot of airplane kits because they are expensive and take up a lot of room. Since I'm no longer competing, I sure am tearing up a lot less gear, so I don't need to stock up. Still, right now I've got 5 flying planes, and a backup kit in the closet for each.

What's nice about how things are done today is that you can crash this morning, go to the LHS and pick up an ARF, and then be flying again before sunset. There's really no need to stock up because you can have a new one ready in such a short tim. If you wreck, there's never a need to panic. In my case, open the closet, drag down a kit and get busy.

But, that's why I keep so many in the closet. As my friend Rich would say, "You need to buy and build more planes. You're only 5 crashes away from being out of business."