I am the AMA - 2015/04
Dave Scott
Full-scale air show pilot and RC instructor
by Jay Smith
Jay Smith: How did you get involved with model aviation?
Dave Scott: I grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the home of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the world's greatest aviation convention and air show. By the age of 10, I was riding my bike to the airport twice a day and volunteering during EAA's AirVenture to earn admittance to the flightline and a front-row seat to watch the air show.
It was during this period that I vowed to one day become an aerobatics pilot. In the meantime, I started flying radio-control models at the age of 9 with my father. Motivated by my goal to fly full-scale aerobatics, I soon became obsessed with always trying to fly my models in ways that mirrored my favorite full-scale performers.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
DS: As my reputation grew as a model flier and club instructor, people began offering to pay me to instruct on a regular basis, which inspired me to develop better methods of RC flight training. Encouraged by the increasing effectiveness of my instruction and the growing demand for structured training, I was eventually convinced to provide RC flight training on a full-time basis and opened 1st U.S. R/C Flight School.
Over the next two-plus decades, I consolidated my system of accelerated flight training and expanded the business to cover all model airplane and helicopter skill levels. Along the way, I've written seven training manuals covering all airplane and helicopter skill levels as well as more than 80 training articles.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
DS: I do it all, but my personal favorite is, and always will be, Unlimited Precision Aerobatics.
JS: What are your other hobbies?
DS: I regularly ride my road bike to stay fit. I also built a highly modified full-scale Pitts S-1S that I fly in aerobatic competitions and air shows. In short, when I'm not teaching, I'm working on my Pitts or practicing for an upcoming competition or air show.
JS: Who (or what) has influenced you most?
DS: Number one is my faith, but EAA and the yearly convention have clearly had a significant influence on my life. Indeed, before the convention is over, I'm already anticipating the next one.
JS: What is the best piece of advice you could give someone about improving his or her flying skills?
DS: Although there are a lot of opinions, hoping things will magically improve by burning more fuel or electrons is the least effective approach. The key to steady advancement is entering each flight with a plan that consists of one or two specific areas you want to improve.
The great thing about a plan is that even if it is faulty, having something to compare the results to makes it much easier to identify what changes need to be made to achieve a better result next time.
Keep in mind that merely hoping to improve your landings or keep a roll level isn't really a plan. To be effective, the plan has to include how you intend to achieve a better landing, etc.
The fact is, if a pilot is unable to determine how to fly better before the flight, it certainly isn't going to occur to him or her while zooming around the sky at 50-plus mph reacting to whatever the plane is doing.
I know many will respond, "I don't want to think. I just want to have fun," but the truth is that flying is a whole lot more fun when a person is flying well and making progress, versus spending flights making countless split-second reactive decisions.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
