“I have been interested in model aviation and flight for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my family didn’t have the money to afford the hobby. This was in the 80’s when model aviation was pretty expensive. Shoot ahead a couple decades and as an adult I loved the little toy drones and helicopter but had forgotten about model aviation pretty much completely. About twelve years ago I was in a car accident and as a result I became hooked on opiates. Because of my addiction I almost lost everything that was important to me, my wife and family. I was extremely lucky that I found treatment before it completely destroyed my life. Shortly after getting clean I discovered FPV drone racing. Coincidentally I received a toy drone for Christmas that year. I fell in love with flying and decided to build my first “racing” drone. I researched how to build my drone, built it and flew every chance I had. I found the YouTube channel Flite Test shortly after and then started building foam board aircraft. This hobby has not only enriched my life it gave me the tools I needed to stay clean and meet some amazing people. I have been clean for a little over 7 years and I owe my life, job and family to this hobby. Model aviation gave me something that my life was missing. I still have a wife and family because of this hobby and I would hate to see it go away because of regulations that are too strict. I know that my story isn’t unique and I believe that is why this hobby is so important.”