My Background : 1/21/02

My name is Robert Scott and I live in Southern California. Airplanes have always interested me. I can remember flying to my grandmothers in Illinois for the summers and building models as a teenager, but for some or reason or other I lost interest and went on to other things.

I have now turned 40 and it has been just recently that my love for Airplanes has been renewed. The spark was a trip to Corona Airport with my son Joshua (11) on a warm summer day. We stood there not more than 100 feet from the runway watching the planes take off and land, what a rush. Then a walk along the hangers where we meet a few people working on and building airplanes. I knew from that point I had to learn to fly.

I did have a slight problem to overcome. That was a fear of flying. My metal was soon tested. Not long ago my family and I went on vacation to Solvang. On the way we stopped at San Ynes Airport where Joshua and I went on a glider ride. I was a bit nervous to say the least, Yes, I let Joshua go first, but as soon as he returned and I saw he was safe, I was ready to go. L.O.L . As soon as I left the ground WOW! I was digging it and so did Josh. We also met a strange friend while we were there!

If you're wondering where my fear of flight came from, remember the flights to grandma's, one year, I think I was 10, I had flown out by myself on a 747. I had a great time, no problem. However, on the way back with my parents, we ran into storm after storm. That plane, a 727 I think, dropped, slammed, rocked, you name it, all the way home. My mother still tells the story of how I ran to the door of the plane stating, "let me off". The plane had started moving again after it had stopped momentarily after landing, I thought it was going to take off again and I guess I didn't want any part of that! From then on I've been a little stressed about flying.

Well, I now have 10.0 hours in my log book and I'm on my way to being a pilot. Each time I fly now the more comfortable I get with it. I'm sure glad Josh and I made that trip to Corona.

As far as building my own plane goes, I am a Quality Manager for an Aerospace Company in Huntington Beach, CA. I have worked in this industry for over 20 years inspecting aircraft parts and assemblies. I've seen a lot of parts go out the door but never get to see the end result of my labor, like the Boeing guys do when a bird rolls off the assembly line. I am also familar with a wide base of specifications and requirements for many Aerospace companies. I was introduced to the EAA and home building by a gentleman named Gary Crane. He was helping our company with it's AS9100 quality system when I caught the building bug. Plus, I'm a do it your selfer. I like to build things, just ask my wife. And what's the coolest thing you could ever build, a real life, full sized airplane...........................