Well my story is a bit different and has some sad parts please take 5 minutes to read! When I was 12 My mom had 2 rc trainers about 60 size sittin in the basement of our house at that time... they were there when we moved in to the house. I got curious and wanted to fly them one weekend. By the powers that be there was a flying field and club about a 1/2 mile from the house. So I went down there, they told me what to do to get one of the planes all ready to fly. So I went home charged the batteries and went back the next weekend. The plane crashed about 2 minutes into the first flight due to the battery haveing low voltage. So I got discouraged and gave the other plane away to the guy who was helping me there.
Ok so Im discouraged and probably not thinking about model airplanes for a good 5 years after that. My family moved to a new state and all. About 2 months before christmas my Mom took me to a hobby shop. I was oooooo'ing and ahhhhhhhh'ing all over! The guy that owned the shop gave me a phone # of a guy in my home town seeing how the hobby shop was about 30-40 minutes from my house. So I called this guy.... His name was Gary Stapleton. He was 46 years old at the time. He was a bussiness owner and all. He went flying any time he could get time away from work. He took me in just like a son!! It was the best time ever. So Gary got me started on what I need to get for my first airplane. My mom got everything I need for me for christmas and I got it as an early christmas gift! There was one thing missing thou.... an airplane to put my brand new radio and servos and motor into. I was kinda dissapointed. the next day I got a phone call from Gary. He said hey im comming to pick you up in 10 Minutes. I was only home from school for about 5 minutes before I got that call. Well any way he shows up in his truck. I open the passenger door and there sat a Box... It was My first ARF. I was soooooooooo happy!
Ok He and I went flying almost every weekend for about 4 months after he helped me and taught me how to build an airplane and set everything up. He was always telling me that He wanted to some day build a Giant scale Pitts and that it was his favorite airplane of all.
About 2 years after meeting him and all this I left for college down in Tulsa OK. Took all my airplanes with me and kept flying while I was in college. I was in college for Commericial Airline pilot training! It was soo much fun and work... lot to learn.
After being at college for about 6 months I got a phone call from my Mom with some really bad news.... she saw a collumn in the paper saying that there was a bad accident involving a Black Dodge Ram and a Semi truck. The only person I knew of that drove a black Dodge Ram was Gary.... So immediately I asked... Is he ok???? My mom told me he was killed instantly. I was sooooo sad... I even couldnt fly for about a year after that.
So now im back into flying and doing Great!! I miss him alot. Our old flying field isnt the same any more. Flying all together isnt the same any more for me either. Now you all know about my latest project... 50% Pitts Special
. On the Tail of my plane, well Just look at the picture!
The End