Written by PB (2013); Reformatted by JS (09/2013)
Mike Riggs
Like many, my dad introduced me to modeling. More accurately, “I am the son of a modeler.” All I remember about models in my childhood is that they were always around in some form or another.
Somewhere around age 8 or 9 I started flying 1/2A CL in the backyard, then bigger CL models in a neighborhood field. By age 10 I was flying RC Sport airplanes. By 16, I lived and breathed modeling, working at Al’s Hobby Shop in Elmhurst, Illinois. After taking a hiatus from modeling during my 20s, I reentered the hobby and flew Pylon locally in Idaho. After Pylon interest in the area died, I flew Sport models until I became interested in Pattern flying.
Between family and career, I manage to write the “RC Aerobatics” column for Model Aviation and get in a few practice flights, travelling to Pattern contests around the Northwest.
My dad was an airline pilot and always owned at least partial interest in a full-scale airplane. At 16 I soloed in a Cessna 150, but I have always thought of full-scale flying as kind of boring. However, figuring out time and distance problems has intrigued me to this day. The mathematics of aviation led me to a career working with computers. I currently calculate Tuples; otherwise known as analytical reporting.
My family and I live in Boise, Idaho.
Mike’s “RC Aerobatics” bi-monthly Model Aviation column appears in January, March, May, July, September, and November. His email address is: rcaerobatics@gmail.com.
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