“I am a silly, aviation tinkerer. I was brought up on a small parcel of remote Island croft land, acquiring the skills to assess, modify, create, innovate, and educate. These pressure points made me the engineer that I am today. If it’s broken, I will have a go at fixing it. (Usually successful) If I need a specific tool, and cannot buy it, I will make it, and it will work. My upbringing, while challenging, has made me better at knowing this stuff. I love Aviation, in all its forms. If it flies, I’m in! I have built 1920’s balsa models with added diesel IC engines. I love diesel model engines…..Compression ignition, just sooo cool. Gliders, pure flight. Gyroplanes, an unhealthy obsession….Only joking, I really dig these machines. I have designed aspects of tri, quad, hexa-copters. Built my designs from readily available DIY store parts. Electronics, yeah, can do this also. Programmed the flight controllers, with mixed results. BUT I created these fun machines. I’ve learned a super amount from the process. I’ve destroyed, and rebuilt most of them. I can solder. I can fault find. I can conceptualise. I can innovate. I now have a 4 year old son who is asking cool questions like….What’s that? Can I have a go? These questions will change to…..How can I do this? Can you show me ……? Dad. Can I show you this? This is the connection that my ‘silly’ hobby has provided me with. Son, for as long as I can fill your mind with inspiration, drive, questions, and fun with flying things, I will do this for you. Keep this hobby accessible. Don’t shut down our access to the skies. Ad Astra Per Aspera. (Through hardship, to the stars).”