I am the AMA-2012/11

JS: How did you get involved with
model aviation?
JR: I became involved with models
thanks to my father. He sat with me
and we built (he built and I messed
things up) a 1/2A CL model. It was a
Carl Goldberg Swordsman 18.
I entered RC at age 10 with a Pilot
Junior 100 kit purchased from Hobby
Shack with an O.S. Max .10 in it and
a Cirrus radio system. We would fl y at
a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert.
Those days were some of the best
of my life and taught me to never
give up, pursue your dreams, and stay
on course. These lessons have guided
me through most of my life.
JS: How has model aviation impacted
your life and/or career?
JR: It has driven most of my career.
As I fl ew models in the Mojave
Desert, I could look up at any given
time and see some of the greatest
military aircraft fl ying overhead—F-
4s, T-38s, F-105s, and even the SR-71.
I entered the Air Force as an enlisted
mechanic on the F-16. It wasn’t long
before I found myself working on the
most famous aircraft of the Desert
Storm Confl ict: the F-117A Stealth
Fighter. Modeling stayed with me and
drove my passion for a career in fullscale
aviation.
JS: In what disciplines of modeling do
you currently participate?
JR: My main disciplines are jets and
Scale models. My true love is Scale
military aircraft—the ones that had
guns and bombs! To me it is all
about whether the aircraft was a
target or a fi ghter if you know
what I mean.
I have fl own Pattern,
Quickie raced, Giant Scale,
IMAC [International
Miniature Aerobatic
Club], and helis.
My truest loves
are military
fi ghters.
JS: What are your other hobbies?
JR: One is baseball with my son. As
a pitcher, he is pretty good and I get
to catch [for] him on a regular basis.
His fastball sits in the high 70s now.
That keeps my eyes and refl exes in
calibration!
Another hobby of mine is muscle
cars. I love what Detroit delivered
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I
bought a 1967 Barracuda convertible
which is identical to the car I had in
high school.
JS: Who (or what) has in uenced you
most?
JR: My father introduced me to
modeling and ensured I always had
a model to fl y when I was young. He
instilled in me the pursuit of aviation.
His guidance still drives me every
morning when I wake up as to what
am I going to do with a model today.
Another would be spectators. When
I fl y at events across the country, I
enjoy talking with the spectators and
explaining what we do and how cool
it is to fl y models.
JS: How did you get started in the
hobby industry?
JR: Bob Violett picked me up as a
fi eld rep for his company, Bob Violett
Models. From there sponsorships
with JetCat USA and Team JR with
Horizon Hobby, now Team Horizon,
were my beginnings.
A full-time position came to me
in 2003 when Bob Wilcox of JetCat
USA approached me to work for him.
Bob’s attitude and position drove
me to a new level which I try to
maintain today. He’d say, “Always do it
right and ensure the end customer has
the best experience they can have.”
David Ribbe approached me in
2005 about a position with E-fl ite.
I worked in product development
for fi ve years before moving to the
online marketing side of Horizon. The
industry has been exciting with great
years to come.