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These publications, especially the Zaic books, really opened the broader world of FF and the scientific aspects of model design. At that age I didn’t understand much of what I was reading, but I began to realize that there was more to modeling then guesswork.
By age nine I had built several Gollywocks and a 1/2A Zeek. After that, most of my models were my own design. Throughout the last half century, I’ve flown a wide variety of Power, Glider, and Rubber events. But Wakefield Rubber has been my favorite since childhood; I’ve built well over 60 Wakes, starting with a very crude attempt at age eight. One of the high points of my modeling career was seeing my 50-gram Wakefield published in the 1964-65 Year Book; the other was making the US Team in F1B for the 1995 World Championships in Hungary.
I have lately been concentrating on the F1G Coupe event, but I’m also giving electric power a try. I like designing and building as much as flying, especially exploring new materials and construction techniques.
Professionally I was a writer, photographer, and senior editor at Southern Living magazine from 1973 until retiring in 2000. The writing and photography carried over into modeling. In 1988 I began guest writing the “Duration” column in Model Aviation and have been the regular columnist since 1993. In addition, I have been a frequent contributor to the National Free Flight Society’s annual Symposium Report; I edited the 2003 Sympo. During the 1990s I served as a NFFS vice president. In 2012 I was selected for induction into the NFFS Hall of Fame.
For me, writing about FF has been a way to repay all the help I have had throughout the years, both from published articles and one-on-one from more experienced modelers.
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